Darrell Grant All 4 Naught

Darrell Grant, performer, composer, and tenured Portland State University professor, has built an international reputation as a stellar pianist and versatile musician. A gifted artist whose four previous recordings have topped jazz charts, Grant explores the lyricism and soul of songs with beauty, joy, and passion. He has appeared on major concert stages from the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall to the Monterey, Telluride, and San Francisco Jazz Festivals, and has been a guest on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz on NPR and toured internationally with many jazz legends.

Grant grew up in Denver, Colorado, in a musical family. He won a scholarship to the famed Eastman School of Music. After Eastman he pursued graduate studies in jazz at the University of Miami. In 1986 he relocated to New York City, where he performed with some of the most prominent names in straight-ahead jazz, most notably, legendary vocalist Betty Carter. At the same time, he took advantage of New York’s diverse scene to work with artists as varied as Lesley Gore, Phyllis Hyman, and the American Tap Dance Orchestra. He first recorded in 1989, fronting the group Current Events. The audience for Montavilla Jazz Festival 2014 was treated to a revisitation of Current Events’ “Black Angels,” with Grant acting as featured artist with the Portland Jazz Composers’ Ensemble Core Sextet. In 1997 Grant left New York and arrived in Portland, replacing famed pianist Andrew Hill at Portland State. Since his arrival in Portland, he has recorded several albums as a leader, three on a record label he founded (Lair Hill Records) and one on Origin Records.

We are excited to have Grant headlining MJF 2015 with a special project that has been brewing in his laboratory for some time. All 4 Naught is an unapologetic exploration of popular music that simultaneously mines the jazz tradition and explores new forms of expression. He considers the selections to be the music of our time as seen through a jazz lens.