Danny Grissett

Originating from Los Angeles, New York-based jazz pianist Danny Grissett first approached the piano near the age of five. He earned a B.A. in Music Education in the late 1990s, then continued his jazz training and received an M.F.A. in Jazz Performance from Cal Arts in 2000. Upon finishing his degree, he secured local engagements across the Los Angeles region with drummer Billy Higgins, saxophonist Jackie MacLean, and additional leading players.

Grissett shifted his base to New York City in 2003, where he began working alongside an array of established musicians and became a regular member of trumpeter Tom Harrell’s quintet. His first solo album, Promise, appeared on Criss Cross in 2006; Encounters followed in 2008. In 2009 he joined trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire for the sextet date Form, then favored a stripped-down trio format on 2011’s Stride. Saxophonist Walter Smith III appeared on the 2015 studio effort The In-Between, and the next year Grissett collaborated with Serbian-born guitar player Rale Micic on Night Music. He led his own group for the 2017 solo outing Remembrance.