Lionel Jermyn Grigson (12 February 1942 – 14 June 1994) was an English jazz pianist, cornettist, trumpeter, composer, writer and music professor., who in the 1980s started the jazz course at the Guildhall School of Music.
Jan Ponsford recalls: "Lionel insisted everyone who taught on the course there, or any part of it, was referred to as Professor, and given the same status as the classical educators there. I was amused when a small pay cheque arrived, for some teaching I'd done for said course, addressed to Professor J. Ponsford. Respectable at last!" http://www.rainloresworldofmusic.net/OtherFeatures/Misc/Ponsford_Jan-OnAGigAndFreeImprov20130301.html From "...And On Free Improv"] , Rainlore's World, 1 March 2013.
As Simon Purcell wrote in The Independent newspaper: "Whether he inspired or inflamed, Grigson's energies often acted as a catalyst and his interest in, and support for, young jazz musicians contributed significantly to the growth and consolidation of jazz education in Britain....Within the context of a leading international conservatoire, the Guildhall School of Music, in London, Grigson did much to demonstrate and explain the underlying principles common to jazz, classical and indeed all music, and as a result produced a generation of jazz educators possessing a thorough grounding in an area where much educational work is left to chance."
Among his published books are Practical Jazz (1988), Jazz from Scratch (1991) and A Jazz Chord Book, as well as studies on the music of Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong and Thelonious Monk.
The only son of poet and critic Geoffrey Grigson, Lionel Grigson died in London at the age of 52.
Early life and education Lionel Jermyn Grigson was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire,"Lionel Jermyn Grigson" , Gritquoy Forum. to poet and critic Geoffrey Grigson (1905–85) and his second wife Berta Emma KunertBiography of Geoffrey Grigson at PoemHunter.com. (1916–2001).Julian Symons, "Grigson, Geoffrey Edward Harvey (1905–1985)", rev. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2009. Retrieved 1 February 2015. Named after one of his father's brothers who was killed aged 19 in World War I,Jeremy Archer, "One Family's Sacrifice - The Story of the Seven Sons of Canon and Mrs William Shuckforth Grigson" , The Keep Military Museum, Dorchester, Dorset."Grigson, Lionel Henry Shuckforth - Second Lieutenant, 3rd Bn. attd. 1st Bn., Devonshire Regiment", who died on 9 May 1917 aged 19. Arras Memorial, Pas de Calais, France. Commonwealth War Graves Commission."New prize in mathematics", New College News (Oxford University), No. 31, November 2014, p. 4. Lionel was educated at Dartington Hall SchoolDavid Gribble, A Parents' Guide to Progressive Education, Dorling Kindersley, 1985, p. 17. and at King's College, Cambridge (where he contributed writings on jazz to the university magazine GrantaDave Gelly, "On the Other Hand" , Jazz Journal, Vol. 65, No. 8, August 2012, p. 8. under the editorship of Alexis Lykiard).Alexis Lykiard, "Granta Days" , nthposition.com, September 2009. Grigson's first wife was the publisher Margaret Busby, co-founder of Allison & Busby.Margaret Busby, "Clive Allison obituary", The Guardian, 3 August 2011.Aida Edemariam, "Margaret Busby: how Britain's first black female publisher revolutionised literature – and never gave up", The Guardian, 22 October 2020.
Music career Grigson began playing jazz at the age of 12Paul Zec, "Obituary: Lionel Grigson", The Guardian, 22 June 1994. at school at Dartington.Charles "Baz" Bazalgette, "Foxhole Reminiscences", April 1999. Letters & Memories - Dartington Hall School, 1926 ~ 1987. During the early 1960s, he was co-leader of the award-winning Cambridge University Jazz BandTrevor Bannister, Jazz at Reading University 1951 – 1984, March 2019, pp. 6, 42. that included Art Themen (who has acknowledged Grigson's "off-the-wall" influence,Trevor Bannister, "Jazz in Reading pays tribute to Art Themen", Jazz in Reading, May 2019.Jack Kenny, "Art Themen at 80" , Jazz Views, February 2020. saying of him: "He kind of sprang from the womb knowing the rudiments of bebop"), Dave Gelly, John Hart and Jonathan Lynn."About Dave Gelly", MTV ArtistsBiographical notes, Lionel Grigson, 15 Jazz Originals, 1987.Michael E. Wright, "About", ABC Jazz. As Spike Wells has written, "by 1962, the undergraduate modern jazz scene revolved around Lionel Grigson."Spike Wells, "THE VARSITY DRAG episode one", 14 March 2019. Reporting on the finals of the Inter-University Jazz Contest in March 1962 at Queen Mary College, John Merrydown wrote: "But, as last year, the absolutely stand-out musicianship and judges' choice came from Cambridge, Dave Gelly, Art Themen (tenors), Lionel Grigson (a sensitive trumpet player, who only needs a little more projection) and John Hart (bass). For conviction and control this group left the rest standing.""John Merrydown, behind The Jazz Scene" , Jazz News, Vol. 6, No. 11, 14 March 1962, p. 5. Digitalized at National Jazz Archive Grigson's university contemporary John Cameron has written of being part of the Cambridge "town" rhythm section: "Then there were players like Lionel Grigson, John Hart and Johnny Lynn and they were the 'university' rhythm section and tended to be a bit cerebral and played more like a Bill Evans-type rhythm section, whereas we used to play more like a Charles Mingus rhythm section."John Cameron interview, The Marquee Club website. . In a 1963 short drama film called Duet, Grigson is credited as a performer in the Music Department, alongside, Brian Gascoigne, John Hart and Jonathan Lynn."Duet (1963)", IMDb."Duet (1963)" – directed by Andrew Castle, featuring Brian Gascoigne / Lionel Grigson / John Hart. BFI.
Grigson was a member of the New Jazz Orchestra. Notable among these were conductor/ arranger Neil Ardley (Bristol), tenor-saxist Dave Gelly and pianist Lionel Grigson (both from Cambridge), trumpet players Ian Carr (Durham) and Mike Phlllipson (Nottingham), and, from the London music colleges, altoist Barbara Thompson and trombonist Paul Rutherford. Another ex-Cambridge man, John Hart, is the usual dep. for regular bassist Tony Reeves. The band, which included french horn, tuba and flute in its lineup, has been enthusiastically received at the Marquee Club and at various South London venues, including the Green Man at Blackheath."Roger Eames, "Youth Jazz" , Crescendo, January 1965, p. 23. National Jazz Archive.
In the later 1960s Grigson was resident at The Troubadour coffee house in Old Brompton Road, London, with a regular Sunday afternoon gigThe Daryl Runswick Quartet 1973. – his quintet, in which he played piano, featured Chris Bateson (trumpet), Pete Burden or Paul Zec (alto), Spike Wells or Joe Oliver (drums) and John Hart or David "Happy" Williams (bass)Spike Wells, "From 'Happy' Williams to Cedar Walton", 17 December 2018. – and led his own jazz groups with musicians including John Hart (bass), Pete Burden (1941–2016)Marcus Weeks, "Obituary: Pete Burden – 4th April 1941 – 27th December 2016", Hastings Independent, 18 January 2017.Christopher Hoggins, "Pete Burden: talented and generous jazzman", Hastings Online Times, 22 January 2017. and Paul Zec (altos), Art Themen and Bobby Wellins (tenors), Spike Wells (drums), Dave Gelly, Mick Pyne and many others. In Alexis Lykiard's recollection, "Lionel, John Hart and Philly Joe Jones comprised one of the most exciting rhythm sections I shall ever hear."Alexis Lykiard, "Jazz from scratch: Obituary of Lionel Grigson", The Guardian, 22 June 1994, p. 45. In 1969, the Lionel Grigson-Pete Burden quintet"The Snowdrop Jazz Night, Lewes", Sussex Jazz Magazine, 1 September 2015.Tony Frost, "In memory of Pete Burden | Tributes to Pete Burden", Hastings Online Times. included Tony Levin on drums and Daryl Runswick on bass.John Chilton, Who's Who of British Jazz, Continuum International Publishing Group, 2004. , Musician and songwriter Tom Norris was among younger musicians who also performed with Grigson. As Simon Purcell states, Grigson in his "detailed and considered approach to the piano ... drew on the music of three of his 'masters' – Bill Evans, Bud Powell and Horace Silver."
Grigson was in the original line-up of the jazz rock/fusion group If (alongside saxophonists Dick Morrissey and Dave Quincy, guitarist Terry Smith, Spike Wells on drums, and Daryl Runswick on bass),If biography, Dinosaurdays. and a composition on their second album, If 2 (1970), is by Busby/Grigson.If 2 review by Easy Livin, 9 June 2011: "'Shadows and Echoes' was co-written by Lionel Grigson with his then partner Margaret Busby. The late Grigson was well known during the early jazz/fusion scene, and was in fact a member of If prior to the recording of their first album. The songs focuses [sic] on the band's softer, lighter side, featuring flute and a fine vocal." Prog Archives.
During the early 1970s, Grigson led a multi-ethnic "Afro-Latin-Jazz group" called Ujamaa, "combining straight jazz with African, calypso, Latin and funk elements", the band's line-ups variously including Art Themen, Harry Beckett, John Mumford (trombone), Pete Burden, Paul Zec, Phil Lee, Alan Jackson, Paul Whitten (bass), and singer Jeanette Tavernier, among others.Jak Kilby photos of "Lionel Grigson Quintet (also known as Ujamaa)", London, 2 June 1981. Filename: ARP1257582, ArenaPAL; "Jeanette Tavernier, the singer with the Lionel Grigson Quintet (also known as Ujamaa), London, UK; 3 June 1981". Filename: ARP1257509, ArenaPAL. In 1980, Grigson was house pianist at Brighton Jazz Club; in 1981, he was appointed for a term as jazz musician in residence at King's College, Cambridge;John Hibbs, "King's appoint a resident jazz musician", Cambridge Evening News, 25 September 1981, p. 24."Grigson's farewell", Cambriddge Evening News, 11 March 1982, p.13. and from 1984 to 1987 he was musical director of Ziggy's Jazz Club, a launching ground for new talent in British jazz, at a Sunday-night jam downstairs at The Albany in London's Great Portland Street."Ziggy's Beat", The Wire, February 1985, p. 3. Grigson also played with some of the most notable international musicians in jazz, including Freddie Hubbard, Philly Joe Jones, Johnny Griffin and Kenny Clarke.
Teaching Grigson was for ten years (1983–93) Professor of Harmony and Improvisation at London's Guildhall School of Music and taught on the school's Postgraduate Diploma Course in Jazz.Lionel Grigson (1985). "Harmony + Improvisation = Jazz: Notes & thoughts on teaching jazz at the Guildhall School of Music", British Journal of Music Education, 2, pp. 187–94. Many notable musicians studied at the Guildhall School under Grigson's tenure there, including Rowland Sutherland,Michael J Edwards, "Rowland Sutherland Pt.1" (interview), UK Vibe, 19 January 2015. Huw Warren,John Chilton, Who's Who of British Jazz, p. 375. Steve Williamson,Michael J. Edwards, "Steve Williamson Pt.1" (interview), UK Vibe, 26 November 2014: "...the great Lionel Grigson was my teacher, he's passed on now. Lionel Grigson is the person who, more than anyone else was instrumental in my being in the Guildhall; because I was getting piano lessons from him, I used to go to his house. He was a professor of music and he said, 'You’ve got something, you should get into the Guildhall and you may have to stand in front of the panel and audition.'" Courtney Pine, Jason Rebello, Gerard Presencer, Phil Bent, Mornington Lockett, Cleveland Watkiss,Donovan Thomas, "Cleveland Watkiss And Music (A Love Affair)" , The Weekly World Digest, 26 November 2012. Tom Norris and others.Tom Norris biography .