Muriel Grossmann
| Muriel Grossmann | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Need valid birth date: year, month, day Paris, France |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, bandleader, educator |
| Instruments | Saxophone |
| Website | www |
Muriel Grossmann (born 1971) is a jazz composer, bandleader, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist born in Paris and raised in Vienna. She is known mainly for her work on soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, and tenor saxophone, most recently and most notably in the spiritual jazz genre.[1][2]
Career
Grossmann was trained in classical music on flute since the age of five. At age 21, while studying veterinary medicine in Vienna, she began learning jazz on the saxophone, mostly on her own.[1][2][3][4]
In 2002 Grossmann moved to Barcelona where she began leading her own concerts and recordings. In 2004 she was hired for a summer residency in Ibiza. Three years later, she began independently releasing albums from there, her first being Homecoming Reunion. It and others were recorded at her own DreamlandStudios in Ibiza.[5][6]
Since as early as 2006, Grossmann has been collaborating with Serbian guitarist Radomir Milojkovic who appeared on Homecoming Reunion and others and who began co-producing her albums in 2013 (Awakening). Having played R&B, funk, and world music, Grossmann has created projects in the spiritual jazz genre since 2015, but credits the 2011 recordings of her compositions "Peaceful River," and "Wien" on the album Awakening as the beginning of her focus in that genre.[1][7][8][9][5]
Since then, her output in the genre of spiritual jazz has been prolific. Her 2015 albums Earth Tones and Natural Time garnered high praise from reviewers around the world while the tours of those albums' quartets saw audience sizes growing at performances in Europe and North Africa. Often the music featured drone and other non-Western instruments, sometimes played by Grossmann, and included simple melodies set to modal or otherwise minimalist harmonic structures.[5][1]
Her work as a teacher and music-curriculum designer with Universal Mandala schools had influence on Momentum, an album which continued Grossmann's recent career momentum, culminating in her 2018 album Golden Rule. Globally, that album's reviews were exemplary, and its tour sold out in major European cities. Estonian label RR Gems approached her to release the album on vinyl and has worked with her since.[5][6]
In 2024, Die Press presented Grossmann with the Austria 24 award for her international success.[10]
Her music has been compared to that of Coltrane, Sun Ra, Pharoh Sanders, Shabaka Hutchings, Nat Birchall, Kamasi Washington, Matthew Halsall, Eric Dolphy, Jan Garbarek, Terje Rypdal, and Josef Jarman.[5][2][6][11][12]
In addition to her own DreamlandRecords label and RR Gems, she has worked with Jazzman Records (London), Third Man Records, and Passerine Records. While touring she has appeared in Spain, South Africa, Morocco, Greece, France, Italy, and other European countries.[5][13][9]
Personal Life
Grossman has a daughter, Ayelén.[5][14][15]
Discography
As leader/co-leader
- Homecoming Reunion (DreamlandRecords, 2007) - Features as personnel guitarist Milojkovic, drummer Marko Jelača, and bassist David Marroquin. Produced by the artist and Milojkovic. and designed the cover art.[5][14][9]
- Quartet (DreamlandRecords, 2008) - Personnel is guitarist Milojkovic, drummer Jelača, and bassist Marroquin.[5][9]
- Sudden Impact (DreamlandRecords, 2008) - This is Grossmann's first trio album and features her with guitarist Milojkovic and bassist Chema Pellico.[5][4]
- Birth of the Mystery (DreamlandRecords, 2010 CD; Passerine Records, 2023 vinyl) - Personnel again is guitarist Milojkovic, drummer Jelača, and bassist Marroquin.[5][9]
- Awakening (2013, Dreamland Records) - Recorded live at the Elvissa Jazz Festival in 2011, Awakening was described as "a high-flying conversational improvisation." The album features a new quartet including guitarist Milojkovic but this time with bassist Robert Landfermann and drummer Christian Lillinger.[5][7][4]
- Earth Tones (2015, Dreamland Records) - Personnel is the quartet from Awakening re-assembled. Inspired by Coltrane's music and an album of gong recordings, the music is built upon a drone palette created with a trans-cultural orchestra of instruments.[5][1] [4]
- Natural Time (DreamlandRecords, 2016 CD and 2021 vinyl) - Personnel is guitarist Milojkovic again with bassist Gina Schwarz and Serbian drummer Uros Stamenkovic. The album received positive reviews throughout Europe.[5][1][9]
- Momentum (DreamlandRecords, 2017) - Favorably reviewed, personnel returns from Natural Time.[5][1][4][16]
- Golden Rule (CD release by DreamlandRecords, double vinyl by RR GEMS, 2018) - Grossmann's first vinyl release, Golden Rule earned Album of the Year from ukvibe whose review by Mike Gates described it as a "timeless and innovative" album that "immerses itself in a swirl of transcendental expression." Downbeat said that it "conveys meditative tranquility and ecstatic joy" and is "also a lot of fun." Both accepted Grossmann's stated musical homage to John Coltrane on the album. Personnel returns from Natural Time, e.g. Grossmann, Milojkovic, Schwarz, and Stamenkovic. It was mixed and mastered by L. Henry Sarmiento II.[1][2][17][18]
- Reverence (RR Gems, 2019) - Grossmann describes Reverence as an exploration of the African roots of spiritual jazz. Allmusic's review states, "their inspiration, communication, and profound exploration, result in a new watermark for excellence in jazz." A double-length release, the music explores polyrhythm and features African instruments such as the balafon, the krakebs, and the kalimba, and though uncredited on the album, Grossmann plays the ngoni and the Celtic harp. Personnel is again Milojkovic on guitar, Schwarz on bass and Stamenkovic on drums, and they are joined by Llorenç Barceló on Hammond B-3 organ. It was recorded at Grossmann's Dreamland Studios in Abiza.[1][5][19]
- Quiet Earth (RR GEMS, 2020) - Though it received other rave reviews, Downbeat coolly reviewed the album, noting its recycling of pieces from previous projects and cataloguing it mainly as "a vehicle for Grossman’s exhortations." Personnel is same organ quintet as Reverence, continuing the core quartet from Natural Time.[7][4][20][21]
- Elevation (Jazzman Records, 2020) - personnel continues from Natural Time above. In part, the group re-visits pieces from previous projects. UKvibe called it "emotive and strikingly innovative."[6][11]
- Union (RR Gems 2021 vinyl, DreamlandRecords, 2021 CD) - Though without bassist Gina Schwarz, the band from Quiet Earth returns, revisiting seven of Grossmann's previously recorded compositions for this well-reviewed album.[12]
- Universal Code (DreamlandRecords, 2022 CD; RR Gems, 2023 double-LP vinyl) - Returning personnel from Reverence. At least one positive review compared it to Santana and Jefferson Airplane's more psychedelic work.[9]
- Devotion (2023) - Abel Boquera takes over duties on Hammond B-3 organ.
- The Light of the Mind (2024, RR GEMS) - From UKvibe, a superlative review of both this album and Grossmann generally, reads, "'The Light of the Mind’ finds the quartet in fantastic form." Grossmann performs on multiple woodwinds and percussion with all returning collaborators, namely, Milojkovic on guitar, Stamenkovic on drums, and Boquera on organ and Rhodes piano.[13]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Sullivan, Denise (13 January 2020). "Muriel Grossmann Gets to the Roots of Rhythm". Downbeat. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Gates, Mike (26 November 2018). "Muriel Grossmann 'Golden Rule' 2LP (RR GEMS) 5/5". ukvibe. Archived from the original on 26 April 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2025. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Köck, Samir (13 September 2024). "Eine Wienerin schwebt zur Weltkarriere". Die Presse. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 "Muriel Grossmann". Music Austria. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 Jurek, Thom. "Muriel Grossmann Biography by Thom Jurek". Allmusic. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Benkeser, Christophe (14 May 2020). "Muriel Grossmann – Abstraction with a sea view". hhvmag. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Cantor, Dave (January 2021). "Muriel Grossmann Quiet Earth (RRGems)". Downbeat. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Organic Duo (2006). Now's the Time (CD).
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 Scott, TONE (18 August 2023). "Muriel Grossmann's 'Universal Code' could ironically be Jazz album of the year". Goldmine Magazine. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
- ↑ "Erfolg International: Das sind die Nominierten". Die Presse. 6 September 2024. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Gates, Mike (17 May 2020). "Muriel Grossmann 'Elevation' LP (Jazzman) 5/5". UKvibe. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Corroto, Mark (22 November 2021). "Muriel Grossmann: Union". All About Jazz. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Mirza, Imran (20 December 2024). "Muriel Grossmann 'The Light of the Mind' LP (RR GEMS) 4/5". ukvibe. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Piña, José Manuel (27 November 2007). "Gira ibicenca de Muriel Grossman para presentar su primer CD". Diario de Ibiza. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "Muriel Grossmann". ibiza-click.com (in català). 3 December 2007. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ Simon, Elliott (March 2018). "Momentum / Muriel Grossmann (Dreamland)" (PDF). The New York City Jazz Record. p. 16. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
- ↑ "Best jazz albums of 2018". ukvibe. 31 December 2018. Archived from the original on 11 July 2025. Retrieved 4 August 2025. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Jones, Andrew (December 2018). "Muriel Grossmann Golden Rule (RRGems)". Downbeat. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ↑ Jurek, Thom. "Reverence Review by Thom Jurek". Allmusic. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
- ↑ Corroto, Mark (9 August 2021). "Muriel Grossmann: Quiet Earth". All About Jazz. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
- ↑ Ward, Ian (18 December 2020). "Muriel Grossmann 'Quiet Earth' LP (RR GEMS) 4/5". UKvibe. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
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