Dave Grusin

 

[1934 -] American pianist, arranger and composer Dave Grusin is known for his activity in the contemporary jazz as by composing for cinema. Developed over the years (on the two areas of activity) a very personal work, marked by elegance and refinement.

 

Grusin began his career accompanying the singer Andy Williams. The soundtrack for the film Divorce American Style (1967) was his first for the cinema. The succes of music and film The Graduate (1967) oriented his career to the film market. Grusin explored then different musical genres like coutry / western in Waterhole # 3 (1968) and pop/rock in the fantasy Candy (1968), fusion in The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) until establish his jazz personal line. The partnership with director Sydney Pollack was very important in this process and marked his best period with good works as the soundtracks for Three Days of Condor (1975), The Yakuza (1975) Bobby Deerfield (1977), The Electric Horseman (1979), Absence of Malice (1981) and Tootsie (1982). The partnership with Pollack would extend in Havana (1990), The Firm (1993) and Random Hearts (1999).

 

In 1978 Grusin founded along with drummer Larry Rosen label GRP (Grusin Rosen Productions) wich recorded several renowned contemporary jazz albums as Night Lines and Mountain Dance. Other highlights in Grusin career in film are: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1968), Fuzz (1972), The Front (1976), Murder by Death (1976), The Goodbye Girl (1977), Heaven Can Wait (1978), The Champ (1979), On Golden Pond (1980) and Bonfire of the Vanities (1988).