Grachan Moncur III facts for kids

Grachan Moncur III (born June 3, 1937 – died June 3, 2022) was an amazing American jazz musician. He was famous for playing the trombone. Grachan came from a musical family; his dad, Grachan Moncur II, was a jazz bassist, and his uncle, Al Cooper, played the saxophone.

About Grachan Moncur III

Grachan Moncur III was born in New York City, USA, and grew up in Newark, New Jersey. He started playing the cello when he was nine years old. Just two years later, at age 11, he switched to the trombone, which became his main instrument.

For high school, Grachan went to the Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina. This was a special private school where another famous jazz musician, Dizzy Gillespie, had also studied. Even while he was still in school, Grachan started playing with professional jazz musicians who were touring through his town. These musicians included Art Blakey and Jackie McLean, with whom he became good friends.

Early Career and Albums

After high school, Moncur toured with famous musicians like Ray Charles (from 1959 to 1962). He also played with Art Farmer and Benny Golson's group, Jazztet, in 1962, and with Sonny Rollins.

In 1963, he played on two albums for Blue Note Records with his friend Jackie McLean. These albums were One Step Beyond and Destination... Out!. Grachan also wrote most of the songs for these albums. He then recorded two of his own albums for Blue Note: Evolution (1963), which featured Jackie McLean and Lee Morgan, and Some Other Stuff (1964), with Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter.

Later Work and Challenges

Grachan Moncur III later joined Archie Shepp's band. He also recorded with other avant-garde jazz musicians. Avant-garde jazz is a style of jazz that is very experimental and tries new things. Some of these musicians included Marion Brown, Beaver Harris, and Roswell Rudd.

In 1969, Grachan spent some time in Paris, France. While there, he recorded two more albums as a band leader: New Africa and Aco Dei de Madrugada. In 1974, the Jazz Composer's Orchestra asked him to write a jazz symphony called Echoes of Prayer. This symphony featured a full orchestra, singers, and jazz soloists. His sixth album, Shadows (1977), was only released in Japan.

Unfortunately, Grachan faced some challenges with his health and legal issues over his music rights. This meant he didn't record as often after that. In the 1980s, he recorded with Cassandra Wilson and played occasionally with the Paris Reunion Band and Frank Lowe. He also appeared on Big John Patton's album Soul Connection (1983). During this time, he mostly focused on teaching music.

In 2004, Grachan Moncur III returned with a new album called Exploration. This album featured his songs arranged for an octet (a group of eight musicians) by Mark Masters.

Passing Away

Grachan Moncur III passed away on June 3, 2022, which was his 85th birthday. He died from a cardiac arrest at his home in Newark, New Jersey.

Albums by Grachan Moncur III

Here are some of the albums Grachan Moncur III led:

• Evolution (1963)
• Some Other Stuff (1964)
• New Africa (1969)
• Aco Dei de Madrugada (One Morning I Waked Up Very Early) (1969)
• Echoes of Prayer (1974)
• Shadows (1977)
• Exploration (2004)
• Inner Cry Blues (2007)

See also

In Spanish: Grachan Moncur III para niños