Band leader Joe Gransden has performed worldwide and released 19 CDs under his own name. Renowned first for the hard bop approach of his trumpet, Gransden’s singing voice has been compared to that of Chet Baker and Frank Sinatra.
“When I first heard Joe five years ago, I immediately thought of Chet,” says Jazziz magazine critic James Rozzi, “but lately his voice has taken on its own style with a deeper resonance. His trumpet has always alternated lyricism with an aggressive, angular approach. He has the ability to cover the gamut of emotions.”
Joe was born in New York City but spent most of his childhood in Buffalo, NY. Coming from a family full of musicians, Joe’s introduction to music came early on through his father, a gifted singer and pianist. His grandfather was a trumpeter of merit, playing professionally his whole life throughout New York. On his mother’s side of the family was the piano virtuoso Carmen Cavallero.
“Music has been a part of my life as far back as I can remember,” says the unassuming Joe Gransden. “I can remember practicing with my father, and eventually him taking me along to sit in at jam sessions. Early on I developed a respect for individuals like my father whose lives revolved around music. While still in high school, I knew that music was the life I would choose.”
Not long after high school, Joe was on the road as a sideman with the big bands of Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller. A number of A.F.M. contracted sideman gigs include Barry White, The Moody Blues, Kenny Rogers, The Temptations, Aretha Franklin, The Whispers, etc. Eventually moving to New York City, he performed with numerous groups, including sub work with Toshiko Akiyoshi and Chico O’Farrill at the famous Birdland Jazz Club. Meanwhile, Joe formed his own quartet, which performed in Brooklyn each week and included the venerable guitarist Joe Cohn. “Having my own group and being fortunate enough to travel, play, and record has been a dream come true,” says Joe.
Like many developing jazzmen, Gransden’s early influences, which include Kenny Dorham and Miles Davis, were easily recognizable in his playing throughout his formative years. “Emulating the jazz greats is always the very first step,” says the historically-rooted Gransden. “But obviously, in order to be true to myself—who I am,
what I believe in, my family background—I need to have a sound that’s my own. It’s taken me until recently to hone in on that voice and explore its potential” A widening schedule has found Joe performing 300+ gigs per year throughout the country at venues such as The Jazz Corner in Hilton Head, South Carolina, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Jazz Club in midtown Manhattan, The Blue Note in New York City and Tehema Golf Club in Carmel, California (where Joe regularly plays events for Clint Eastwood). Here in Atlanta you can catch Joe the 2nd Tuesday of every month with his Big Band at Roaring Social and every Monday at Napoleon’s where he leads his award winning Jazz Jam Session. His brand new CD “The Art of the Song” was just released and is getting lots of airplay on Siriusly Sinatra XM Radio. In 2016 Joe was honored to accept the Jazz Hero Award from the Jazz Journalists Association for his continuation to the Atlanta Jazz Scene and his dedication to students both through his teaching at Georgia State University and his yearly Jazz Camp for Kids (JoesJazzCamp.com)
Fellow musicians across the country hear a talented trumpet player whose ace in the hole is a well-developed voice. But around Atlanta and New York Joe is also a well-respected human being, a nice guy who treats people fairly. He has always managed to keep every aspect of his career and life in balance. In this tempestuous decade, Joe’s lyricism is like a breath of fresh air.