Larry Grenadier

Larry Grenadier (born February 6, 1966 in San Francisco, California) is an American jazz double bassist.

His father, Albert, was a trumpet player, and his two brothers, Phil and Steve, would eventually play trumpet and guitar respectively. Grenadier too began on trumpet when he was 10 years old. His father taught him to read music and gave him his first lessons. A year afterward, when Larry Grenadier was eleven, he was given an electric bass guitar so that he and his brothers could play together as a band. He took a quick liking to the instrument, playing and practicing constantly. The three brothers performed current rock songs of the day at parties by learning the parts off of records. Larry’s older brother Phil began listening to jazz around this time, and slowly his listening habits filtered down to the younger brothers. Grenadier soon got hooked on jazz as well and began listening intently to jazz bassists like John Patitucci, Ray Brown, Charles Mingus, Brian Bromberg, Richard Davis, Paul Chambers, Wilbur Ware and Oscar Pettiford.

Hearing legendary upright bassists inspired Grenadier to borrow an upright bass and try to emulate what he was hearing on records. By the time he was 12, Grenadier began formal study of the acoustic bass, studying with local jazz bass players Chris Poehlor, Paul Breslin, and Frank Tusa and later classical bassists Michael Burr and Steven Tromontozzi. At 16, Grenadier had a busy career playing in the San Francisco area with both local musicians and those traveling through town in need of a bass player. Some of these musicians included Harvey Wainapel, Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Henderson, Larry Vuckovitch, Eddie Henderson, Bruce Forman, Eddie Marshall, Vince Lateano, George Cables and Donald Bailey. Other visiting musicians Grenadier played with at this time were Toots Thielmans, Johnny Griffin, Charles McPherson, Anita O'Day, and Frank Morgan. Grenadier went on to study at Stanford University and graduated in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in English Literature. At Stanford, Grenadier got to know Stan Getz, who was the Artist in residence there at the time. He played with Getz often, as well as touring with Getz's band.

Career
After college graduation, Grenadier moved to Boston to play with Gary Burton. Grenadier toured all over the world with Burton and his band, which at that time included Wolfgang Muthspiel, and Marty Richards. In 1991, Grenadier moved to New York and began musical associations with a wide variety of musicians. Some of these included musicians Larry had met during his time in Boston and included talents such as Joshua Redman, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Jorge Rossy, Mark Turner, and Chris Cheek. Others he met for the first time in New York such as Kevin Hays, Bill Stewart, Renee Rosnes, Ralph Moore, Billy Drummond, Danilo Perez, David Sánchez, Tom Harrell and Billy Hart. Grenadier continued his association with Joe Henderson touring with his band which at times included Al Foster, Renee Rosnes and Larry Willis. Grenadier also spent a few months during his earlier years in New York playing in Betty Carter's band.

In the early 1990s, Grenadier first met and played with pianist Brad Mehldau. Mehldau's trio (including Grenadier and Jorge Rossy) went on to become successful. They toured constantly throughout the 1990s and recorded many albums together.

Also during this time Grenadier played in John Scofield's band and with guitarist Pat Metheny, with whom he toured as a trio along with drummer Bill Stewart. Grenadier credits his experiences touring with Metheny's trio as a significant learning experience. Other musicians Grenadier played with included Charles Lloyd, Billy Higgins, Michael Brecker, and Paul Motian.

Currently, Grenadier focuses much of his touring time playing with Brad Mehldau's trio, which, since 2004, has included drummer Jeff Ballard. He is also a part of the collaborative trio FLY which includes drummer Ballard and tenor saxophonist Mark Turner. They have recorded two critically acclaimed albums, the latest one being on the ECM label. Grenadier also tours and records with his wife, singer-songwriter Rebecca Martin.

Grenadier lives with Rebecca and their son Charlie James in the Hudson Valley north of New York City.

Discography
With Peter Beets With Peter Bernstein With Seamus Blake With Chris Cheek With Jon Gordon With Phil Grenadier With Kevin Hays With David Kikoski With Jonathan Kreisberg With Charles Lloyd With Herbie Mann With Brad Mehldau With Pat Metheny With Paul Motian With Rebecca Martin With Chris Potter With Enrico Rava With Joshua Redman With Kurt Rosenwinkel With David Sánchez With Stan Sulzmann With Mark Turner With Scott Wendholt With Steve Wilson With Chihiro Yamanaka
 * New York Trio &mdash; Page Two (Criss Cross, 2002)
 * Heart's Content (Criss Cross, 2002)
 * Stranger in Paradise (Venus, 2004)
 * The Call (Criss Cross, 1993)
 * Four Track Mind (Criss Cross, 1994)
 * Blues Cruise (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2005)
 * Ask Me Now (Criss Cross, 1994)
 * Currents (Double Time, 1998)
 * Sweet Transients (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2000)
 * Playful Intentions (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2002)
 * Ugly Beauty (Steeplechase, 1991)
 * Details (Criss Cross, 2003)
 * Limits (Criss Cross, 2005)
 * Nine Stories Wide (Criss Cross, 2003)
 * The Water Is Wide (ECM, 1999)
 * Hyperion with Higgins (ECM, 1999)
 * Lift Every Voice (ECM, 2002)
 * America/Brasil (Lightyear, 1995)
 * Celebration (Lightyear, 1995)
 * Introducing Brad Mehldau (1995, Warner)
 * The Art of the Trio, Vol. I (1997, Warner)
 * The Art of the Trio, Vol. II &mdash; Live at the Village Vanguard (1997, Warner)
 * The Art of the Trio, Vol. III &mdash; Songs (1998, Warner)
 * The Art of the Trio, Vol. IV &mdash; Back at the Vanguard (1999, Warner)
 * Places (2000, Warner)
 * The Art of the Trio, Vol. V &mdash; Progression (2001, Warner)
 * Largo (2002, Nonesuch)
 * Anything Goes (2004, Warner)
 * Day Is Done (2005, Nonesuch)
 * House on Hill (2006, Nonesuch)
 * Live (2008, Nonesuch)
 * Highway Rider (2009, Nonesuch)
 * Ode (2012, Nonesuch)
 * Trio 99 → 00 (Warner Bros., 1999)
 * Trio → Live (Warner Bros., 2000)
 * Metheny/Mehldau (Nonesuch, 2006)
 * Metheny/Mehldau Quartet (Nonesuch, 2007)
 * 2000 + One (Winter & Winter 1997)
 * On Broadway Vol. 4 or The Paradox of Continuity (Winter & Winter, 2005)
 * Live at the Village Vanguard (Winter & Winter, 2006)
 * Live at the Village Vanguard Vol. II (Winter & Winter, 2006)
 * Live at the Village Vanguard Vol. III (Winter & Winter, 2006)
 * Thoroughfare (Sunnyside, 1998)
 * Middlehope (Fresh Sound, 2000)
 * The Growing Season (Sunnyside, 2008)
 * When I Was Long Ago (Sunnyside, 2010)
 * Twain (Sunnyside, 2013)
 * Pure (Concord, 1994)
 * The Sirens (ECM, 2013) with Craig Taborn, David Virelles and Eric Harland
 * New York Days (ECM, 2008)
 * Timeless Tales (For Changing Times) (Warner Bros., 1998)
 * Back East (Nonesuch, 2007)
 * Deep Song (Verve, 2005)
 * Sketches of Dreams (Columbia, 1994)
 * The Jigsaw (Basho, 2004)
 * Consenting Adults (Criss Cross, 1994)
 * Two Tenor Ballads (Criss Cross, 1994)
 * Yam Yam (Criss Cross, 1994)
 * In This World (Warner Bros., 1998)
 * From Now On (Criss Cross, 1995)
 * Four For Time (Criss Cross, 1994)
 * When October Goes (Atelier Sawano, 2002)
 * Madrigal (Atelier Sawano, 2004)
 * Lach Doch Mal (Verve, 2006)
 * Reminiscence (Verve, 2011)