About this Artist

Considered one of the top 10 film scorers of his generation, DAVE GRUSIN is also renowned as a jazz artist and co-founder (with Larry Rosen) of the independent jazz label, GRP. Early fusion albums include Mountain Dance, Harlequin, and Migration, and a deep immersion in digital technology. In the 1990s he returned to a focus on acoustic jazz, which led to four critically acclaimed tribute albums of Gershwin, Ellington, Mancini, and Bernstein’s West Side Story.

He has written over 75 film scores, including The Graduate, Tootsie, The Fabulous Baker Boys, The Firm, Havana, Heaven Can Wait, and On Golden Pond. Having received eight Academy Award nominations, he won the Oscar in 1988 for The Milagro Beanfield War. In 2004 he released a solo piano collection of his film themes: Now Playing.

His work as a recording artist and producer has resulted in 12 Grammys and numerous nominations. Over the years he has worked as an arranger/producer with a vast array of artists, from Gerry Mulligan to Quincy Jones, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Patti Austin, and James Taylor.

More recently he has revisited his early roots, working with guitarist Lee Ritenour on classical projects, with guests Renee Fleming, Joshua Bell, Chris Botti, and Gil Shaham.

In addition to his professional life, Grusin is co-founder (with Rosen) of the National Foundation for Jazz Education, a philanthropic group dedicated to helping young jazz musicians. He holds honorary doctoral degrees from the University of Colorado, the Berkeley College of Music in Boston, and the Manhattan School of Music.