George Gruntz
(24 June 1932 - 10 January 2013) was a Swiss jazz pianist, organist,
harpsichordist, keyboardist and composer known for the George Gruntz
Concert Big Band, and his work with artists such as Phil Woods, Rahsaan
Roland Kirk, Don Cherry, Chet Baker, Art Farmer, Dexter Gordon, Johnny
Griffin and Mel Lewis. Gruntz, who was born in Basel, Switzerland, was
also an accomplished arranger and composer, having been commissioned by
many orchestras and symphonies. From 1972 to 1994 he served as artistic
director for the JazzFest Berlin.
George Gruntz's Concert Jazz Band, an orchestra that emphasized
originals by bandmembers (both past and present) and the leader's
arrangements, was one of the most stimulating of all jazz big bands,
with a history spanning a number of decades. Gruntz, a fine pianist,
played locally in Switzerland and then debuted in the United States when
he appeared with Marshall Brown's International Youth Band at the 1958
Newport Jazz Festival. His trio in Europe accompanied touring American
musicians in the 1960s including Dexter Gordon and Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
and formed three-quarters of Phil Woods' adventurous European Rhythm
Machine (1968-1969). Gruntz recorded in many different settings,
including with the Swiss All-Stars, a four-flute septet, and with
Mideast musicians and Jean-Luc Ponty on 1967's Noon in Tunisia. In 1972,
he formed the Concert Jazz Band, which through the years featured a
who's who of top musicians including Benny Bailey, Woody Shaw, Franco
Ambrosetti, Dexter Gordon, Herb Geller, Phil Woods, Eddie Daniels, Ray
Anderson, Lew Soloff, Chris Hunter, Bob Mintzer, and many other
Americans and Europeans; they typically toured twice a year and even
performed in China. Gruntz also recorded with smaller groups, and in the
'90s and 2000s, his records were released by Enja and TCB. George
Gruntz died at his home in Basel, Switzerland on January 10, 2013; he
was 80 years old.