Album Notes

If you like fine jazz, brimming with spirit, creativity, energy, taste, and exceptional musicianship, you'll definitely enjoy the Jim Grantham Jazz Quartet. This group, comprised of top San Francisco Bay Area veteran musicians, plays contemporary jazz in a wide variety of styles and moods. The group features many original compositions as well as great jazz standards from composers such as John Coltrane, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Russ Ferrante, Mike Brecker, and many others.

Jim Grantham, saxophone stylist, bandleader and composer, plays tenor and soprano saxes and flute. Jim's music springs from the tradition of melodic lyricism-Lester Young, Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter. He has performed with many fine musicians including Bobby McFerrin, George Cables, Eddie Moore, Mark Isham, Ed Kelly, Noel Jewkes, Vince Wallace among many others. He has recorded with Jessica Williams and Eddie Henderson as well as vocalist Maye Cavallaro. He is also a well-known jazz educator, and has taught jazz studies at Berklee College of Music, San Francisco State Univ., Cal State at Hayward, and the Keystone Korner jazz club. He has authored a popular, in-depth text on jazz improvisation entitled the "Jazzmaster Cookbook".

This CD is a selection of recordings from two sessions featuring different musicians. Collectively they present the range and versatility of Jim's music. The title "Conversations" not only is one of Jim's compositions, but reflects his approach to improvised music in general. Enjoy!