Justin Grinnell
Kathryn Schulmeister; Photo credit: Tiange Zhou
Monday, September 25, 2023
12 PM
Justin Grinnell is a San Diego-based freelance jazz bassist and music educator. More importantly, he is a husband to pianist/educator Melonie Grinnell and father to their two sons.
Justin frequently performs with his own groups and as a sideman. He is often performing with San Diego's most respected jazz artists, including Holly Hofmann, Christopher Hollyday, Duncan Moore, Jim Plank, Richard Sellers, Peter Sprague, Tripp Sprague, Mike Wofford, and Mikan Zlatkovich.
Justin is a long-standing member of the Danny Green Trio (with pianist Danny Green and drummer Julien Cantelm), a melodic and nimble piano trio featuring Green's original compositions and his creative combination of Modern Jazz, Brazilian Jazz, and Classical influences. Since its inception in 2008, the trio has released five albums: With You In Mind (2009), A Thousand Ways Home (2012), After The Calm (2014), Altered Narratives (2016), and One Day It Will (2018).
Since 2015, the Danny Green Trio has teamed up with vocalist Leonard Patton to form LP And The Vinyl, a collaborative project reconstructing popular music ("from The Beatles to Bowie") with a jazz toolbox. The quartet released its debut album, Heard And Seen (Origin Records), in April 2020.
Justin can be heard performing his own compositions and arrangements on his 2013 debut album, Without You. The album features Justin on acoustic and electric bass alongside tenor saxophonist Robby Marshall, pianist Josh Nelson, and drummer Dan Schnelle.
In addition to performing, Justin maintains an active teaching schedule as adjunct faculty at University of San Diego and Grossmont College, and as faculty for the Francis Parker Annual Summer Jazz Workshop. He has also served as an adjudicator and clinician at local music festivals, such as the Coronado Jazz Festival and the San Diego Bass Fest.
Justin received his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Jazz Performance from San Diego State University while studying with bassists Gunnar Biggs and Bert Turetzky. Justin also achieved ABD (all but dissertation) status for a doctoral degree in Jazz Studies at the University of Southern California. Besides studying privately with Los Angeles' first-call jazz bassist, Darek Oles, Justin's enrollment at USC gave him the opportunity to study with internationally-recognized jazz artists Peter Erskine, Russ Ferrante, Bob Mintzer, and Alan Pasqua.
Justin Grinnell is a member of the San Diego Music Union, American Federation of Musicians, Local 325.
Praised for her “expressive and captivating performance” (GRAMMY.com), bassist Kathryn Schulmeister brings radiant energy to her creative musical practice ranging from classical to experimental. With a fearless curiosity for collaborative environments, Kathryn’s enthusiasm for seeking opportunities to integrate improvisation, movement and theatre into her creative practice have led her to thrive as an active performer in festivals and venues around the world.
Kathryn is a member of several contemporary music ensembles including the renowned Australian ELISION Ensemble, Fonema Consort (NYC), and the Echoi Ensemble (LA). She has performed as a guest artist with various adventurous international ensembles such as Klangforum Wien, Ensemble MusikFabrik, Delirium Musicum, Ensemble Dal Niente, and Ensemble Vertixe Sonora.
Equally passionate and experienced as an orchestral musician, Kathryn served as a core member of the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra for three consecutive seasons from 2014–2017 and has performed with the Ojai Festival Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony, New West Symphony, California Chamber Orchestra, Lucerne Festival Alumni Orchestra, Pacific Lyric Opera, Maui Chamber Orchestra, and Hawaii Opera Theater.
Kathryn received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Contemporary Music Performance from the University of California San Diego, Master of Music degree from McGill University, and Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory of Music.
Free concerts at noon every Monday from fall through spring . . . no wonder the Mini-Concerts are the longest-running and one of the most popular classical music series at the library! This series was founded by Glenna Hazleton in 1970 at the Athenaeum, and has been going strong ever since. The concerts feature both local and touring musicians, prize-winning students, university music faculty members, local chamber ensembles. . . and the repertoire also includes jazz, folk and world music. There are no reservations, no tickets . . . just line up at the side door of the Athenaeum before noon. (Donations are always welcome!) Mini-Concerts take place every Monday at noon and last about an hour.
The concerts will be in person at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. There are no physical tickets for these events. Doors open at 11:50 a.m. Seating is first-come; first-served. These events will be presented in compliance with State of California and County of San Diego health regulations as applicable at the time of each concert.
Masks optional. If you have a fever, cough, or flu-like symptoms, please stay home.