Henry Grimes in The New York Times

[brownie]

Nice article on Henry Grimes in the New York Times today:

Silent 30 Years, a Jazzman Resurfaces

By NEIL STRAUSS

In avant-garde jazz circles in the mid-1960's, Henry Grimes was one of the most respected bassists working. Trained at Juilliard, he had already played with Anita O'Day, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, Gerry Mulligan, Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins when he was in his 20's.

He went on to play on some of the seminal albums of the free-jazz era, by such musicians as Cecil Taylor, Albert Ayler, Don Cherry and Pharoah Sanders. He was known for his ability to alternate from long Eastern-sounding bowing to hard pizzicato plucking, all of which generated tremendous calluses on his hands.

But in the early 70's, after moving to California, Mr. Grimes disappeared. For three decades nobody in music circles heard from him. Several reference works listed him as dead.

And that is how the story of Mr. Grimes might have ended if it were not for a determined fan from Athens, Ga., named Marshall Marrotte.

Mr. Marrotte, a social worker, pored through court records and death certificates and interviewed family and friends of Mr. Grimes's before finding him earlier this year living in a one-room efficiency in downtown Los Angeles. According to Mr. Marrotte, Mr. Grimes no longer owned a musical instrument; he had never seen a CD, although his work is on them; and he was

unaware that many of his colleagues had died, including Ayler, the tenor saxophonist, who was found drowned in the East River off Manhattan in 1970. Now, thanks to Mr. Marrotte and the bassist William Parker, who donated a bass that Mr. Grimes received two months ago, Mr. Grimes is back on the music scene and plans to stick around.

"My calluses are in good shape, you know," he said last week, speaking from the lobby phone of the hotel efficiency where he still lives.

Tonight, as part of the avant-garde jazz Vision Festival in New York, Mr. Grimes will perform with Mr. Parker and others as part of a memorial concert for the singer Jeanne Lee at Old St. Patrick's Youth Center (268 Mulberry Street, between Prince and Houston Streets). That performance will be his first in New York since he left in 1968.

Mr. Parker, a founder of the Vision Festival, said Mr. Grimes's versatility was impressive — he could play with a wide range of jazz musicians and innovators. He also coaxed a distinctive sound from his bass. "On the records he was on, he stood out," Mr. Parker said. "He had a big sound, and it really punched out whatever ensemble he was in."

Mr. Grimes said that he knew the music he was making in the 60's and the musicians he was playing with were "fantastic." But one reason he went into "isolation," as he put it, was because his "perceptions" — a word he uses when talking about making music — were continually being clouded by his emotions. "Emotions can get you in a lot of trouble or hassle," he continued.

"And you can either let them bother you or you can find a way to get something out of them."

When he left the East Village decades ago, "economically I was in no shape at all," he said. "My money was down to nothing. So I came to California, where the sun shines. Mostly that was the idea. I didn't want to be subject to the cold."

The last person he remembered playing with was with the pianist LaMont Johnson in the early 70's. Soon after, he sold his bass to a violin maker. "It wasn't enough," he said of the money he received. "But I still sold it anyway. I was feeling that was what I had to do, so I just did it."

It seems strange that one of the in-demand jazz bassists of the 60's could just walk away from music, but to hear Mr. Grimes talk, it sounds as if 30 years was just a short vacation.

During that California period, sometimes he was homeless, he said. He survived by working as a janitor at a Beverly Hills Hebrew school and at a bowling alley in Long Beach. "In between those jobs," said Mr. Grimes, now 65, "I did a little construction work. It keeps me in shape now."

As for royalties from his recordings, Mr. Grimes said he received none and never even thought about it after leaving New York. (Now, he said, he may seek advice on how to pursue payments.)

Though Mr. Grimes is vague about why he disappeared, in an interview with Mr. Marrotte, he said he said he took medication for manic depression, which he said cleared up in 1978.

One of the first things that Mr. Marrotte did when he found Mr. Grimes was to reintroduce him to his music. "I was amazed,"

Mr. Grimes recalled, "because I listened to some CD's of some of the Cecil Taylor and Albert Ayler things, and some of my music. At the time, I didn't pay that much attention to them. But when I listened to them again, it was amazing what I heard. There was more to it than I ever realized."

Despite his lost years, Mr. Grimes said he had no regrets: "I'm working on straightening things out now. But I'm back for good."

Copyright 2003 The New York

[Michael Fitzgerald]

Glad to see HG getting the NYT attention.

Unfortunately, he's basically out of luck in terms of royalties. Only leaders get royalties and "The Call" is his only such album. It has been recently reissued, so that's better than nothing.

BTW, a few numbers are off - he's 67 not 65. I'm pretty sure he left NYC in 1967, not 1968. And he's had the new bass for 4 months, not 2.

Mike

[Soul Stream]

Amazing he's already gigging. 30 years off and after 4 months he's recalled the music and developed the physicality enough to play gigs. Wow. I love this story....

[Michael Fitzgerald]

If HG goes along with the idea, someone will.

I'll be seeing Grimes again tonight and will post comments tomorrow. I'm not expecting any big show, based on how he played in California. But just seeing him live on stage playing will be miracle enough.

Mike

[Michael Fitzgerald]

Quick early morning comments from the Vision Festival closing night - Well, my expectations were blown out of the water. Grimes took an extended unaccompanied solo (no, it's not redundant) towards the front of the set by the large William Parker ensemble (almost 20 musicians). His energy was amazing, outdoing his physical capability at this point in my estimation, but man, what fire! The whole group was wonderful, combining Jeanne Lee's words with words and music of William Parker. Four member vocal ensemble including the wonderful Jay Clayton. Nick Rosen also played bass and said that Grimes was intense and very happy.

Gunter Hampel Galaxie Dream Band also performed, and had a rare reunion with Mark Whitecage (first time in perhaps a decade). Gunter and Jeanne's son Ruomi was there for dance and poetry. Perry Robinson has been with the Galaxie Dream Band since the beginning 33 years ago.

Solo piano by Amina Claudine Myers got a very strong response.

A reunion performance by The Call trio is imminent. Probably this weekend on WKCR during the 100-hour Henry Grimes marathon. I will let folks know. I also have photos of the trio from tonight.

Mike

[Guest Mnytime]

Is this the festival that the Evan Parker Trio and Brotzmann Trio will play together? If so how was it?

[Michael Fitzgerald]

I don't think so. Apparently Brotzmann played with Milford Graves on Saturday, but I was unable to attend. I see no mention of Evan Parker in the program.

Mike