Gigi Gryce facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gigi Gryce
Gigi Gryce
Background information
Birth name	George General Grice Jr.
Also known as	Basheer Qusim
Born	(1925-11-28)November 28, 1925 Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
Died	March 14, 1983(1983-03-14) (aged 57) Pensacola, Florida
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician, arranger, composer, educator
Instruments	Alto saxophone, flute

Gigi Gryce (born George General Grice Jr.; November 28, 1925 – March 14, 1983), later known as Basheer Qusim, was an American jazz musician. He played the saxophone, flute, and clarinet. He was also a talented composer, arranger, and teacher.

Even though his performing career was not very long, Gigi Gryce was a very important and respected artist during his time. He wrote many famous jazz songs like "Minority" and "Social Call." Gryce's music is often linked to the hard bop style of jazz, which was popular from about 1953 to 1965. He was a well-educated musician who studied classical music and was inspired by jazz legends like Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk.

Gigi Gryce's Early Life

George General Gryce Jr. was born in Pensacola, Florida, on November 28, 1925. His family believed strongly in music, good manners, and discipline. These values greatly shaped him as he grew up and in his career.

Gigi's parents worked hard; his mother was a seamstress, and his father owned a small cleaning business. They were part of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and attended services regularly. During the Great Depression, when money was tight, the Gryce family taught their children the importance of hard work.

Music was a big part of their home life. The family had a piano, and Gigi and his five siblings were encouraged to play it. They mostly played church music, as pop and jazz were not usually played at home. However, when Gigi decided to pursue jazz, his mother and older sisters supported him. Many of the Gryce children sang in church and at school. The family even held weekly music performances at their house.

The early 1930s brought challenges for the Gryce family. In 1931, they had to sell their cleaning business because of the economic crisis. Two years later, Gigi's father passed away. His mother, Rebecca, raised the children on her own. Even through these tough times, Rebecca encouraged her children to succeed. She supported their musical growth, hard work, and good values.

Gigi used his family's strong sense of discipline in his love for music. As a young person, Gigi was described as smart, quiet, polite, and serious. He may have started learning the clarinet as early as age 9 or 10. He continued studying it in high school at Booker T. Washington High School. This school, which mostly served Black students, had music teachers from the Federal Music Project. Gigi first studied with Joseph Jessie and then Raymond Shepard.

Buying a musical instrument was very expensive during the Depression. Gigi and his brother Tommy sometimes borrowed a clarinet for their lessons. Eventually, Gigi's mother bought him his own clarinet. He became very good at playing it, winning school and state competitions. At school, Gigi also studied music theory, which he loved. He continued to explore music theory on the piano at home.

Starting a Music Career

Gryce finished high school in 1943. He worked at a shipyard and played in Raymond Shepard's band for a while. In March 1944, he joined the navy. He continued playing music during his two years in the navy, joining the navy band. While stationed in Illinois, Gryce visited Chicago. There, he learned more about the bebop jazz style. During this time, he bought his own alto saxophone. He also met musicians Andrew Gardner and Harry Curtis in Chicago.

After the navy, Gryce decided to continue his music education. His mother and sisters helped him financially, along with the G.I. Bill. In 1946, he moved to Hartford to live with his sister. The next year, he enrolled at the Boston Conservatory. At the conservatory, Gryce learned more about music theory and classical composition. He wrote three symphonies and a ballet. He was greatly inspired by composer Alan Hovhaness, who loved melodies and lyrical music.

While at the conservatory, Gryce also made connections in the jazz scenes of Hartford, Boston, and New York. These connections were very important for his later career. Gryce traveled between Boston and Hartford, arranging music for local bands. He loved the works of classical composers like Bartok and Stravinsky. At the same time, he became very interested in the music of Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk. Around 1949, he even met and performed with them. Gryce became known as a talented artist in the local jazz scenes. He also started exploring the New York jazz scene, where he would later find great success.

It is believed that Gryce traveled to Paris in 1951 to study music. He may have studied with famous composers like Nadia Boulanger and Arthur Honegger. While there is some mystery about this time, Gryce did take time off from his studies to travel in Europe.

Success in New York and Europe

After graduating with a degree in composition in 1952, Gryce moved to New York City. He quickly found success there. In 1953, jazz drummer Max Roach recorded one of Gryce's songs. Soon after, Gryce recorded with Howard McGhee and wrote music for Horace Silver's band.

Gryce was influenced by Tadd Dameron, a fellow jazz musician. Gryce played with Dameron in 1953. At this time, Gryce was becoming known as a talented composer and arranger. Later in 1953, Gryce also contributed a song called "Up in Quincy's Place" to Art Farmer's recordings. Farmer would become one of Gryce's closest friends and musical partners.

One of Gryce's most important connections in New York was with Quincy Jones. Jones encouraged Lionel Hampton to hire Gryce for his band in the summer of 1953. After playing with Hampton's band in the United States, Gryce joined them for their European tour.

The European tour with Hampton's band opened many doors for Gryce. He played with many talented musicians like Art Farmer, Clifford Brown, and Quincy Jones. Gryce became especially good friends with Clifford Brown. The Hampton tour did not pay much, so Gryce and others often looked for extra recording opportunities. They recorded in places like Stockholm and Paris, where Europeans were eager to record American jazz musicians.

The recordings Gryce made with Clifford Brown and others during the tour helped build his career, especially as a composer. Some notable songs from these European recordings include "Paris the Beautiful" and "Brown Skins." A French musician named Henri Renaud even recorded an entire album of Gryce's music. This greatly helped Gryce's reputation.

Career in the United States

Gryce returned to New York in November 1953. This was a perfect time for him, as the hard bop jazz scene was just starting to grow. Soon after his return, he recorded with Henri Renaud again. Art Blakey also recorded seven of Gryce's songs.

In March 1954, Gryce formed a quintet (a five-person band) with Art Farmer. They first recorded for Prestige Records in May of that year. The band included pianist Horace Silver, bassist Percy Heath, and drummer Kenny Clarke. Gryce's work with Farmer became some of his most important and well-known music. By their third project together, Farmer and Gryce were creating amazing music.

In May 1955, the Farmer-Gryce quintet recorded again. This session showed Gryce's skill in developing musical themes. All the pieces were beautifully composed and arranged. Later in 1955, Gryce also played for Oscar Pettiford's octet. He also got to play alto saxophone in a session with Thelonious Monk, Percy Heath, and Art Blakey. This recording was later released as part of Gryce's 1955 album, Nica's Tempo.

Gryce's final steps to major success came with his third recording with the Farmer Quintet in October 1955. His recordings for Signal Records right after were also very important. His Signal Records arrangements were inspired by Miles Davis's famous Birth of the Cool group. They were very well received by the jazz community. By the mid-1950s, Gryce was a major figure in jazz. He was known as a unique artist, a skilled studio musician, and a creative composer.

Supporting Musicians' Rights

Besides his music, Gryce was a strong supporter of composers' and musicians' rights. In 1955, he started his own publishing company, Melotone Music. Later, he started another company called Totem. This was a time when many Black musicians were treated unfairly by the music industry. Many musicians did not pay attention to the business side of their careers or were cheated by record companies.

As a composer, Gryce always made sure he received credit for his work. He encouraged his friends and colleagues to do the same. Horace Silver said that Gryce inspired him to start his own music company. Gryce faced some business challenges in the early 1960s. These difficulties contributed to his decision to step away from the jazz community.

Later Career and Changing Focus

Gryce continued to be at the forefront of jazz until his career reached its peak in 1957. He worked on several projects as a composer and arranger. These included collaborations with the Teddy Charles Tentet and the Oscar Pettiford Orchestra. His work with the Oscar Pettiford Orchestra was especially well-known.

From 1957 to 1960, Gryce worked on various projects. He continued to play with Jazz Lab, which created educational play-along recordings. Gryce's arrangements for these were fresh and easy to understand, perfect for learning. He also wrote music for other artists like Betty Carter and Art Farmer. He formed his own quintet, which he later called the Orch-tette. His recordings with the Orch-tette had complex arrangements.

By 1960, Gryce was becoming very busy with his publishing companies and family matters. The hard bop style of jazz was also starting to change. Around 1963, Gryce decided to leave his jazz career completely.

Personal Life

From a young age, Gryce was known for being private and formal. While his colleagues liked him, he often kept to himself. Gryce also lived a very moral lifestyle, avoiding habits common among some musicians.

Family Life

Gryce had two relationships before marrying Eleanor Sears in 1953. He had a brief relationship with Evelyn "Baby" Dubose, for whom he named his song "Baby." He also had a casual relationship with singer Margie Anderson. On December 20, 1953, he married Eleanor Sears. He was introduced to her by trumpeter Idrees Sulieman. Some of his songs are credited to the name "Lee Sears."

Gigi and Eleanor had three children: Bashir (born 1957), Laila (born 1959), and Lynette (born 1963). They also had a child, Bilil, in 1958, who was born too early and did not survive.

Conversion to Islam

Gryce was always described as having strong morals. He may have become interested in Islam as early as 1950. As a student, he studied religious history. In 1953, he named one of his symphonies "Gashiya," after a chapter in the Qur'an. Islam was becoming more popular among Black jazz musicians in the 1950s. Gryce is believed to have converted during or after his travels in Europe. While he did not regularly attend a mosque, he read the Qur'an and avoided alcohol and pork. His faith caused some tension in his marriage because Eleanor remained a Christian. Many of Gryce's songs had Islamic titles, and his first two children had Islam-inspired names.

Teaching Career and Passing

Not much is known about why Gryce left jazz, and there are many rumors. His publishing business faced financial challenges in the early 1960s. Many musicians stopped working with his companies. Some believed that powerful groups saw Gryce's publishing work as a threat. They thought these groups might have forced him out of business. While these rumors are not confirmed, Gryce became very quiet and withdrawn during this time. He closed his publishing companies in 1963 and stopped his music career. After this, he fully adopted his Islamic name, Basheer Qusim.

In the 1960s, Gryce started a new career as a public school teacher in New York. He had always been interested in education and was known as an excellent music instructor. He earned a master's degree in education in 1978. He developed a great passion for teaching. He left a lasting positive impact at Elementary School No. 53 in the Bronx. The school was renamed in his honor after his passing. Students, colleagues, and parents remembered Gryce as a very private, serious, passionate, and caring man. He believed that music helped with reading skills. Gryce was a strict but caring teacher who went out of his way to help students who needed extra support. He worked at a school that served mostly Black and Hispanic students and had limited resources.

Gryce passed away on March 14, 1983, from a heart attack. Before his passing, he reconnected with his family. He visited Pensacola for the first time in almost thirty years.

Musical Style and Legacy

While Gryce's music fit the hard bop style, he always tried to explore new ideas. As an educated composer, he often used unusual harmonies, forms, and instruments. In "Up in Quincy's Place," an early song, Gryce used quartal harmony often. This was ahead of his time and became popular later in cool jazz.

His compositions and arrangements with Art Farmer continued to feature unique forms and harmonies. His approach to hard bop balanced being experimental with being easy to listen to. This was especially true in his later work with the Teddy Charles Tentet and the Oscar Pettiford Orchestra. As an experimental composer, he wanted to create musical structures that gave soloists freedom within boundaries.

Gryce was a very skilled saxophonist, clarinetist, and flautist. However, his playing style was often less groundbreaking than his writing. As a saxophonist, he was always greatly influenced by Charlie Parker. He had always admired Parker and became friends with him in the mid-1950s. Other musicians remembered that Parker would sometimes borrow Gryce's saxophone.

Discography

As leader

• 1954–55 When Farmer Met Gryce (Prestige) with Art Farmer
• 1955 Nica's Tempo (Signal Records, re-released on Savoy)
• 1957 Jazz Lab (Columbia) with Donald Byrd
• 1957 Gigi Gryce and the Jazz Lab Quintet (Riverside)
• 1957 At Newport (Verve) with Donald Byrd [One side of LP; other side is by Cecil Taylor]
• 1957 New Formulas from the Jazz Lab (RCA Victor) – with Donald Byrd
• 1957 Jazz Lab (Jubilee) – with Donald Byrd
• 1957 Modern Jazz Perspective (Columbia) – with Donald Byrd and Jackie Paris
• 1958 Gigi Gryce (MetroJazz)
• 1960 Saying Somethin'! (New Jazz)
• 1960 The Hap'nin's (New Jazz)
• 1960 The Rat Race Blues (New Jazz)
• 1960 Reminiscin' (Mercury)
• 2011 Doin' the Gigi – previously unissued tracks 1957–1961 (Uptown)

As sideman/arranger

With Art Blakey

• Blakey (EmArcy, 1954)
• Mirage (Savoy, 1957) – arranger
• Theory of Art (RCA Victor, 1957) – arranger

With Clifford Brown

• New Star on the Horizon (sextet with Charlie Rouse) (Blue Note 1953) included in Blue Note Memorial Album
• Memorial Album (Blue Note, 1956)
• Memorial (Prestige, recorded 1953, released 1956)
• The Clifford Brown Sextet in Paris (Prestige PR 7794, Released 1970, Recorded 1953)
• Clifford Brown in Paris (Complete Master Takes) (Prestige 24020, Released 1971, Recorded 1953)

With Betty Carter

• Social Call (Columbia, 1956 [1980])
• Out There (Peacock, 1958) – rereleased as part of I Can't Help It (1982)

With Teddy Charles

• The Teddy Charles Tentet (Atlantic, 1956)

With Jimmy Cleveland

• Rhythm Crazy (EmArcy, 1959 [1964]) – arranger

With Earl Coleman

• Earl Coleman Returns (Prestige, 1956)

With Kenny Dorham

• Afro-Cuban (Blue Note, 1955) – arranger
• Jazz Contrasts (Riverside, 1957) – arranger

With Art Farmer

• The Art Farmer Septet (Prestige, 1954) – arranger
• Art Farmer Quintet featuring Gigi Gryce (Prestige 1955) (Prestige New Jazz 1962 as Evening In Casablanca)
• Modern Art (United Artists, 1958) – arranger

With Curtis Fuller

• Sliding Easy (United Artists, 1959) – arranger

With Dizzy Gillespie

• Jazz Recital (Norgran, 1955)
• The Greatest Trumpet of Them All (Verve, 1957)

With Benny Golson

• Benny Golson's New York Scene (Contemporary, 1957)
• The Modern Touch (Riverside, 1957) – arranger
• Benny Golson and the Philadelphians (United Artists, 1958) – arranger

With Thad Jones

• The Magnificent Thad Jones Vol. 3 (Blue Note, 1957)

With Duke Jordan

• Do It Yourself Jazz Vol. 1 (Savoy, 1955) – with Duke Jordan Oscar Pettiford, Kenny Clarke

With Herbie Mann

• Salute to the Flute (Epic, 1957) – arranger

With Mat Mathews

• The Modern Art of Jazz (Dawn, 1956)

With Big Maybelle

• Big Maybelle Sings (Savoy, 1957)

With Howard McGhee

• Howard McGhee Volume 2 (Blue Note, 1953)

With Thelonious Monk

• Monk's Music (Riverside, 1957)
• Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane (Riverside, 1957 [1961])

With Lee Morgan

• Lee Morgan Vol. 3 (Blue Note, 1957)

With Oscar Pettiford

• Another One (Bethlehem, 1955)
• The Oscar Pettiford Orchestra in Hi-Fi (ABC-Paramount, 1956) – performer, composer and arranger
• The Oscar Pettiford Orchestra in Hi-Fi Volume Two (ABC-Paramount, 1958) – performer and arranger

With Johnnie Ray

• The Big Beat (Columbia, 1956)

With Max Roach

• The Max Roach Quartet featuring Hank Mobley (Debut, 1954)
• Rich Versus Roach (Mercury, 1959) – arranger

With Tony Scott

• The Touch of Tony Scott (RCA Victor, 1956)
• The Complete Tony Scott (RCA, Victor, 1957)

With Mal Waldron

• Mal-1 (Prestige, 1956)

With Randy Weston

• Uhuru Afrika (Roulette, 1960)

With Leo Wright

• Blues Shout (Atlantic, 1961) – arranger