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Art & Entertainment | 19
DECEMBER 14-31,2018 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net
asked him about his life in music.
QI You were known as a trumpet player and did not sing in the earlier days of your
career. What led you to become a vocalist?
A: Singing was not on my performance radar. I considered myself a trumpet play
er, but survival came into play. About 20 years ago, I had a trio — piano, bass and trum
pet — and we played twice a week at a now-closed Italian restaurant in Midtown. We
earned $50 and a plate of the house special per night. One night the manager told me
that he really liked our music, but wanted a singer, so he was thinking of looking for an
other band. My on-the-spot response was that I could sing. And I found out I could. The
next show, I sang, and everyone seemed to like it. Tips got better, too.
QI Where did you get your inspiration to sing?
A: I guess I always sang, but never thought of performing as a vocalist. I fell in love
with the trumpet listening to my grandfather play when I was a kid. He gave me my first
horn. Music is in my DNA, so I guess it was inevitable. My grandfather, William Grans-
den, was a freelance top trumpeter and played with many of the big bands of the 1930s
and ’40s. My dad, Bob Gransden, is a piano man and a singer. He is still going strong and
plays four or five gigs a week.
QI Since your dad is a vocalist, did he help you when you added singing to your per
formances?
AI My dad gave me a lot of pointers. Among the most important, he said, “Be true to
the song. In other words, don’t mess with it.” And, “Let the song tell the story.”
QI You formed your big band in 2009. What prompted you to take that plunge?
A: When I was 20,1 was in my second year studying trumpet at State University of
New York in Fredonia, New York and I got a call to audition for the Tommy Dorsey Or
chestra. I got the job and left school to join the orchestra. It was life-changing. I was the
youngest guy in the band, and for a year we traveled all over the U.S., Europe and South
America. I remember sitting on a stage in Europe with that band. I loved the sound, the
music and the bond with the musicians. I thought, “Someday, I am going to have a band
like this.”
The popularity of big bands comes and goes over the years. I had been going back
and forth between New York City and Atlanta. I had ties to Atlanta having gone to Geor
gia State and my parents had moved to Roswell. I moved to Atlanta after 9/11. In 2009, it
seemed the time was right. I had been playing with all the top guys over the years and I
called them to ask them to join my band. They are an incredible group.
Big band is enjoying another run of popularity. People are dancing more and the
club scene is strong in Atlanta and New York. While we play mostly in Atlanta, we are
likely going back this summer to the popular Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City.
Q: You became friends with Clint Eastwood after a friend suggested sending your
CDs to him and other celebrities. What created a bond between you?
A: We hit it off right away over golf, jazz and music. He loves music and plays both
the trumpet and piano. And he has lots of great tales to tell about my heroes, like Miles
Davis, Chet Baker, [Frank] Sinatra and others. We enjoy hanging out together over a
couple beers. He has invited me many times over the years to play at parties, and we get
together when he is filming in Atlanta. I visit his set sometimes and he pops into Cafe
290 when my band and I are playing.
It has helped my career a lot. I’ve met his friends and they have hired me. He is a real
fan of mine. He introduced me to Kenny G and suggested we play together. Our first
duet was “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” We wrote and recorded an album together,
“Close to My Heart,” and he is featured on my latest album, “Go Getta.”
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iS
THE
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A T BUCKHEAD
Independent & Assisted Living
650 Phipps Boulevard NE • Atlanta, GA
ThePiedmontatBuckhead.com
404.381.1743