AprilCadence2013

Jazz Stories: A Photo History
A SALUTE TO GEORGE GRUNTZ
(1932- 2013)
by patrick hinely
A prefatory note in the interest of full disclosure:
George Gruntz was not only a friend but also, in the classical sense, my patron:
several times over a period of more than 20 years, i served as photographer,
writer, and even translator for his lps, cds and books, and traveled with him and
his band in the us, canada, Germany and switzerland. Thus this cannot be an
impartial remembrance, but that makes the facts presented no less true, and the
opinions expressed are certainly heartfelt.
When an obituary for George Gruntz finally appeared in the new York Times,
more than two weeks after his death on january 10 at age 80 - the same
day his fellow swiss jazz giant claude nobs passed – Ben ratliff’s text (at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/28/arts/music/george-gruntz-jazz-musician-and-bandleader-dies-at-80.html?_r=0)
was authoritative, and ran not only
in the music section of the arts pages, but also in the europe section of World
news. George would have liked that.
This brings to mind a scene seen inside sweet Basil, then still a vital jazz venue
in new York’s Greenwich village, at the outset of Gruntz’s 1987 concert jazz
Band (cjB) tour of the united states. Though sweet Basil was not where the
19-piece ensemble’s concert would be – that was to occur later the same evening
at Greenwich house – the club was the location for a reception put on by the tour’s
sponsor, swiss Bank corporation.
never had that room looked so spacious to me, due to 90+ % of its tables and
chairs having been loaded onto a truck which was, even as we schmoozed and
noshed (rather luxuriously), being driven around manhattan, an economical and
mobile form of short-term storage. The middle of the room loomed especially large,
with the musicians on one side, and the bankers on the other.
only one person comfortably worked both sides of the room: George Gruntz.
ever the diplomat, he did so with a tactful graciousness that sometimes exceeded
the level of nicety deserved by it recipients, whichever side of the room they were
on. This was a gift which, over the years, i saw him practice many times in a
variety of contexts, from explaining the nuances of his charts to cjB members at
rehearsals or recording sessions, to cajoling some of the planet’s biggest egos onto
the philarmonie stage for encores as artistic director of jazzfest Berlin. George
certainly had an ego himself, as the leader of a big band must, but he knew how to
use it well, and did, in ways that were good for the music, including his own.
having grown up a native swiss, George could speak several languages fluently,
75 | CadenCe Magazine | april May June 2013