Dick Griffin

Dick Griffin ranks among the most admired trombonists in jazz, having performed with scores of its leading figures. He stands out for his command of multiphonics and for developing a personal method he terms “circularphonics.” His clear, overtone-rich tone is closely linked to Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s landmark Atlantic recordings, and as a bandleader Griffin has issued several albums featuring the multi-instrumentalist Sam Rivers among his collaborators.

Born James Richard Griffin in the Mississippi Delta, he cites a local blues musician known as Mr. Jesse as an early influence. Piano lessons began at age eleven, yet he chose the trombone when he joined his high-school marching band a few years afterward. While attending junior college he took up arranging, partly to secure additional solo opportunities. Professional work started in his teens; he played both piano and trombone in neighborhood clubs alongside schoolmate drummer Freddie Waits and also performed in a doo-wop vocal group.

After graduating in 1963, Griffin taught high school while completing a master’s degree in trombone. In Chicago he encountered Sun Ra, an introduction that led to multiple summer tours with the Arkestra during the 1960s and launched his career as a modern-jazz sideman. Rahsaan Roland Kirk soon entered his circle; Griffin moved to New York City and made his recording debut on Kirk’s Atlantic album The Inflated Tear. He appeared on nine Kirk releases, excluding posthumous collections, and belonged to the Vibration Society. During the 1970s he worked with Charles Mingus and spent three years in the Apollo Theater house band, accompanying numerous R&B artists.

Griffin’s first album as leader, The Eighth Wonder, appeared on Strata East Records in 1974. His “circularphonics” technique merges multiphonics with circular breathing. He has also composed for larger forces, including the “World Vibration Suite,” which received its premiere from the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra in the 1980s and was later adapted for one of his own recordings. In the 1990s his ensemble headlined several prominent jazz festivals, and several previously unavailable leader dates were reissued. Griffin’s paintings have served as cover art for some of his releases, among them A Dream for Rahsaan.