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Midwest Record Review :
NICK GRONDIN GROUP/View of Earth: A genre splicer of a date that’s based in but not strictly jazz, Grondin and crew ride the lightning with an impressionistic date that accents and colors freely as the cosmos get an easy exploration. Auteurishly cinematic in scope, this modern date may have its roots in the seventh galaxy but its ears are cocked toward the future.
(Everybody Wins 1)Volume 43/Number 282 – July 30, 2019 – MIDWEST RECORD – CHRIS SPECTOR
Interview in Guitar Club Magazine Italy July 2019.
PDF, in Italian Interview by Francesco Sicheri.
“Cresciuto sulle note di Hendrix e tuffatosi poi in tutto ciò che coinvolge la parola “jazz”, Nick Grondin è uno dei giovani e più interessanti nomi della chitarra jazz statunitense. Solista, insegnante presso il Berklee College e sessionman, il giovane chitarrista di Boston pubblica A View of Earth targato Nick Grondin Group. Figlio d’arte, Nick Grondin ha una visione molto ampia di ciò che significa jazz, un genere che – provando a sfatare il mito della necessaria complessità richiesta per natura – egli ha sempre avvicinato come il più inclusivo ed eterogeneo. A View of Earth, album targato Nick Grondin Group…”
English version:
“Growing up on the notes of Hendrix and then plunging into everything that involves the word “jazz”, Nick Grondin is one of the youngest and most interesting names in the American jazz guitar. Soloist, teacher at Berklee College and sessionman, young Boston guitarist publishes Nick Grondin Group’s A View of Earth. Son of art, Nick Grondin has a very broad vision of what jazz means, a genre that – trying to debunk the myth of the necessary complexity required by nature – he has always approached jazz as inclusive and heterogeneous. A View of Earth, album by Nick Grondin Group…”
1. Nick, since it’s your first time in our magazine. Would you like to tell us how you got into guitar?
First of all, thank you so much for interviewing me. It’s truly a pleasure. I grew up reading guitar magazines cover to cover, and I learned so much from them about playing, theory, gear and the world of guitar music. My father, Lou Grondin, is an amazing rock guitar player, and I grew up hearing him play at home and in bands, so guitar always seemed appealing to me. I actually started by playing sax and piano before guitar, and helped me develop a sense of music theory, which I could then apply to learning guitar. When my father bought me a Jimi Hendrix CD, I was hooked and set about learning Jimi’s music and the world of classic rock! From there, I dug into blues and later into jazz. That’s the short version!
2. Let’s talk about the title of the new record A View of Earth. Where did it come from?
A View of Earth was inspired by the experience astronauts have when they look at the Earth from space for the first time, when suddenly the differences between people and places seem less significant. It’s called the “Flyover Effect” and I believe music can create a similar experience, especially in a concert setting, of bringing a group of people together, to focus more on what we have in common- which is something the world needs right now.
3. A View of Earth is the Nick Grondin Group’s debut album, but you started the project a few years ago. Is there a specific reason why the record was released just recently? Between the many projects you’ve been involved with, what does the Nick Grondin Group bring to your career?
I think great art takes a long time to create. It took years to compose, rehearse and perform each song many times for the band to really shape each song. I’m also a perfectionist- we spent over 100 hours mixing and mastering the songs, to get everything just right. It took a long time to decide if I wanted to find a record label for the album. In the end, I decided that I would be better off releasing it myself and create my own, Everybody Wins Music- in order to have full creative control over the music.
I love teaching at Berklee College of Music and with my dedication to my students, combined with playing gigs and time for my family – it can be a challenge to open up the time needed to finish big projects. I’ve learned it helps to create your own deadlines!
The Nick Grondin Group brings a creative outlet and a way to share what I love about music: my favorite musical ideas, influences, bandleading, storytelling and of course, improvisation.
4. Is there a track from the record that you would consider the one your most proud of?
That’s a tough one. The first track, my piece “Ships Passing” has a unique sound I think- I played it all fingerstyle with a capo on the 1st fret, to get an open sound that only open strings provide. It starts soft and builds- features an amazing sax solo by Tucker Antell! For Instrumental pieces, I would pick “So Close, So Far”, which has so many colorful sections and rocking guitar solo at the end. I used Drop D tuning for that one.
5. Would you like to introduce us to your bandmates? How did you put the band together?
I met many of them at the New England Conservatory when I was doing my Masters Degree there. They are all brilliant musicians, soloists and accompanists, and human beings-
Michel Reis on piano, Aubrey Johnson on voice, Tucker Antell on sax, Brian Friedland on keys, Vivek Patel on trumpet, Brad Barrett on bass, Lee Fish on drums, and also Dan Carpel on bass as well. They all write great music too. Many live in New York now and are touring all over, especially Michel who has been touring Europe with saxophonist Joshua Redman!
6. FOLLOWUP: For the record, you brought Jon Cowherd into the mix. How was it to work with him, and what is it that he brought to your compositions?
Jon Cowherd is a deep and versatile musician and has so much experience playing and touring with jazz to country artists. I met him though his work playing and composing for the Brian Blade Fellowship. His huge production and performance experience helped the songs flow at a higher level. And his solos on “So Close, So Far”, “Frenchmen St. Funk”, “Little Wing” and “A View of Earth” are all exceptional too!
7. You are not “just” a guitar player— you also play several other instruments, you compose and sing. First of all, do you compose mainly on one specific instrument? Is it the guitar?
Thank you, I appreciate that. I do think of myself a musician, striving to express the song and story through the medium of the guitar and voice. Singing and playing multiple instruments can really give insight into how great music fits together and can give you new ideas for compositions too. I love to play drums, which helps me create and internalize rhythmic ideas that come out in my guitar playing.
I did compose most of the songs on guitar, using different guitar sounds and even special capos on “Ships Passing”, “Everybody Wins”, and “Frenchmen St. Funk”. Sometimes writing on another instrument can provide inspiration and a new sound, which I can then adapt back to guitar. For example, “So Close, So Far “, “Secret Song”, and the arrangement for “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” I actually wrote on piano.
8. FOLLOWUP: are your singing and what you play on guitar always connected? By that I mean: is one the projection of the other, or do you see them as two separate aspects of the performance?
I often sing the notes of my guitar solo and find it’s perhaps the fastest way to create a compelling solo. When I sing along, it connects to a deeper, melodic place and helps me hear and build my ideas in real-time. I think singing can help more listeners connect to my music and lyrics give it another dimension too. Singing can be intimidating since we have this myth that either you’re born great at it or you shouldn’t do it at all. I don’t believe that though. If you dedicate time to practicing it can really improve. Voice lessons help too since there is a different technical approach than guitar. I love to sing and the more I do it, the better it gets.
9. When you start writing music, what is it that makes your mind pop and opens up the doors of creativity? Do you have a routine you like to follow, or is it a more, free process?
Great question. Sometimes I am just practicing and an idea comes along that asks to be repeated and developed- but most of the time it’s because I want to write a new piece for an upcoming concert and I make myself sit down and work something out. It helps to set goals for the piece, such as based on a groove or style. For example, I wrote “Frenchmen St. Funk” shortly after coming back from a trip to New Orleans and decided I wanted to write a tune with a Second Line feel that had a few clever aspects to it, like funky groups of 5 notes superimposed over 4/4. It helps to think about what kind of piece might enhance your live set or overall body of songs.
I also try to imagine the players’ individual voices and try to write to their strengths. The pieces aren’t “done” really until we’ve rehearsed and performed them and worked out the details together. I’m usually open to the other players suggestions, which makes for an engaging, collaborative process!
10. The video trailer for A View of Earth starts with you saying something very precise: “Jazz doesn’t have to be complicated”. Jazz means something different for everybody, just a few weeks ago we sat down with Mr. George Benson who shared his vision and his thoughts on the word “jazz”. Would you like to share yours with us?
I’m curious to know what George Benson said! He’s one of my idols. “Jazz” means many things, certainly. There is a deep history there, and so much to learn from. I think with any style of music it’s important to learn the history and understand the cultural connections. Part of the history of jazz has been to incorporate other traditions, to create new sonic possibilities. To me, jazz is a about combining the legacy of the musicians on the 20th century and adding your own authentic influences, in my case, classic rock, popular music, folk and songwriting.
Jazz should be an inclusive music. That statement from the album trailer, “Jazz doesn’t have to be complicated” was a response to what I think is a misconception: that jazz is a complicated music where musicians play whatever they want, for themselves. My goal was to create what actually is complex music with many levels and details, but to make it FEEL simple and clear; to structure it so that the listeners know what to focus on. That turns out to be hard, but I feel really good about the results on this album.
11. Let’s talk another very important topic that immediately comes to mind when talking about jazz, and that is improvisation. An Italian academic called Vincenzo Caporaletti, tried to define the process that unfolds underneath an improv session. He described it as an “audio-tactile experience.” What is “improvisation” for Nick Grondin?
Another great question! I like that idea of an “audio-tactile” experience- it’s true that when you are truly in the moment improvising, it’s like you’re bypassing your conscious mind and operating based on sound and muscle memory. That can be trickier in jazz progressions, when you are creating ideas that move through the chord changes and different key areas, and to make it sound as easy as if you were soloing over just one chord. It takes a lot of time to know which notes are good targets on each chord, which helps!
For me, a goal of improvisation is to constantly search for new ideas to handle familiar and unfamiliar situations. It’s impossible to play only new ideas all the time, but one of my tricks is to really listen to other players in the band, which inspires me to reach for new ideas in performance. It helps to have a certain amount of muscle-memory, and fretboard geography in place to do be able to do that.
I don’t really practice “licks” so much, though learning solos by ear and playing along is one of the fastest ways to learn language!
12. FOLLOWUP: what elements gets you going more easily while improvising? Are they more melody-related, or groove-related? Or maybe a combination of both?
I like both! Often, I like to pick a rhythmic or intervallic idea, stick with it for a few bars and then create variations- I find this excites the rhythm section players too and then they make you play better!
13. Was jazz always the kind of music that interested you the most?
I grew up listening to jazz standards but I didn’t really start playing them until high school and in college at Macalester College- where I had a great teacher, Joan Griffith, who helped me approach them. In high school, I learned blues and rock songs and solos (including from guitar magazines!) and then my love of improvising led me toward jazz. I really got excited about it when I got the Wes Montgomery albums The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery and Smokin’ at the Half Note.
14. Who were the artists or the composers that you studied the most while growing up?
Jimi Hendrix first of all, which is why I wanted to honor him with a version of his song “Little Wing” on the album. Muddy Waters, Led Zeppelin and Stevie Ray Vaughan after that- all coming out of the blues. I listened to the Beatles music a ton, which has so many levels of songwriting and production. Kenny Burrell was probably my first introduction to jazz guitar, especially his albums with organist Jimmy Smith. Wes Montgomery and later, John Scofield, Pat Metheny and Bill Frisell were important too.
15. Let’s talk about gear. What are your main instruments, and what did you specifically use for this record?
Ah, finally! For A View of Earth, I used my Gibson ES-339 exclusively, which has a really warm sound, great for playing melodies or blending with rhythm section. I grew up playing Fender Stratocasters, which I also play in jazz/rock settings. On the album cover, that’s my Guild Starfire III reissue, which I like to use for slide and open tunings. I use exclusively D’Addario strings since I’m a D’Addario artist. I love the Pure Nickel XL’s for their warm, thick tone!
16. What about amps and pedals?
I used my Fender Deluxe Reverb ’65 reissue amp on the album. It’s amazing. For pedals, I used a combination of analog and digital pedals to get the best of both worlds. I went first into a Visual Sound Route 66 compression and overdrive pedal and then into the Boss ME-80 multi-effect, using mostly the volume pedal, delay and tremolo, with a bit of EQ too. I also use the Strymon Flint for tremolo and reverb and the MXR Carbon Copy analog delay. I also love DV Mark guitar amps for more traditional jazz sounds.
17. Are you still searching for your ideal sound, or are you one of the few guitar players on earth that have finally settled and found peace?
Oh, I’m still searching! That’s the beauty of guitar- when it can become so many sounds and roles. New sounds can create new ideas too. The core of the sound will always come from your fingers and pick/fingerstyle technique, and I go for a full sound usually.
I use pedals to help orchestrate the different sections of the song. For example, in the song “A View of Earth”- I used delay just in the intro, and then tremolo to get a more spacious sound when it’s just guitar playing alone.
18. Would you like to tell us something about you coming to Italy to teach?
This will be my 4th year teaching at the Berklee Umbria Jazz Clinics in Perugia- I love coming to Italy, the students and faculty there, and the energy during the Umbria Jazz Festival. I really try to get the guitar students playing with each other and working through new concepts together. The material we focus on is jazz but the ideas apply to many styles of music, certainly. We cover a lot in 2 weeks, so it can be intense, but fun and very inspiring for all!
Featuring:
Nick Grondin, guitar, vocals, compositions
Jon Cowherd, piano, keys
Michel Reis, piano
Brian Friedland, keys
Tucker Antell, saxes
Aubrey Johnson, voice
Vivek Patel, trumpet, flugelhorn
Brad Barrett, double bass
Dan Carpel, double bass
Lee Fish, drums
album release date: Friday, September 20, 2019