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Lou Grassi
Lou Grassi
	Lou Grassi in January 2005
Background information
Birth name	Louis Grassi
Born	21 January 1947; Summit, New Jersey, U.S.
Genres	Avant-garde jazz, free jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer, educator
Instrument	Jazz drummer
Years active	1957–current
Labels	Columbia, Sunnyside, Universal, DIW, Verve
Website	www.lougrassi.com

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Louis Thomas "Lou" Grassi (born January 21, 1947, in Summit, New Jersey) is an American jazz drummer known for his work in modern creative jazz and free improvisation. He is also a prolific bandleader and collaborator in avant-garde jazz circles.

Languages: Lou Grassi [de; nl]

Career

Early life and education

Grassi began playing drums at the age of 15 and took private lessons with Tony Inzalaco and Sam Ulano. From 1965 to 1968, he served in the military, initially studying at the Navy School of Music in Norfolk, Virginia, and then performing in the 328th U.S. Army Band until 1968. After leaving the service, he studied percussion with Nick Cerrato (né Nicholas F. Cerrato; born 1942) at Berklee College of Music and later at New Jersey City University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree. In 1974, he received a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, which enabled him to study privately with Beaver Harris. He also studied arranging with trombonist Marshall Brown.

Early explorations in improvisation

During his military years, Grassi began experimenting with free improvisation, a practice he expanded in the early 1970s. He collaborated on mixed-media projects with artists such as vocalist Sheila Jordan and bassist Jimmy Garrison.

Traditional jazz work (late 1970s–early 1990s)

From the late 1970s through the early 1990s, Grassi stepped away from the free jazz scene, earning his living performing in a range of traditional styles including ragtime, gospel, Dixieland, swing, and bebop. In 1984, he formed the swing and Dixieland sextet The Dixie Peppers, which remained active into the 1990s. He also performed with Warren Vaché Sr.’s Syncopatin' Seven at the Internationales Dixieland Festival Dresden in 1989.

Return to free jazz and improvisation (1990s)

Grassi resumed his work in free improvisation and creative jazz in 1991, collaborating with German pianist Andreas Böttcher [de] on two albums. In 1994, he joined the New York–based Improvisors Collective, an interdisciplinary organization of musicians, dancers, poets, and visual artists. At the 1995 Cadence Jazz Festival, he performed with the group Pogressions. This project evolved into the Po Band, whose original lineup included Grassi, Herb Robertson, Steve Swell, Perry Robinson, and Wilber Morris. The band recorded several albums on the CIMP label. Later albums featured guest musicians including Tom Varner (Neo Neo, 1999), Paul Smoker (PoZest, 1999), Marshall Allen (The Joy of Being, 2001), Joseph Jarman, and John Tchicai (ComPOsed, 2002).^[a]

Later career and international collaborations

Since 2000, Grassi has performed in a trio with Günter Heinz [de] and Fred Van Hove. In 2003, he formed another trio with saxophonist Martin Speicher [de] and bassist Georg Wolf [de], resulting in the album Shapes and Shadows. In 2008, he performed in Wuppertal with Scott Roller (cello) and Christoph Irmer (violin), and also appeared in the program Bach and Blues alongside trumpeter Frank Bartsch, cellist Ulrich Thiem, and pianist/vibraphonist Andreas Böttcher. That same year, he released the trio album KenBillou with Bill Gagliardi and Ken Filiano on the CIMP label.

As sideman

Grassi has also appeared as a sideman on many albums for CIMP and other labels, working with Roswell Rudd (Broad Strokes), saxophonist Rob Brown, guitarist Bruce Eisenbeil [de], vocalist Sheila Jordan, the NU Band (with Mark Whitecage, David Hofstra, and Ursel Schlicht [de]), saxophonist Charlie Kohlhase [de], and Gunter Hampel's New York Trio, with whom he toured Europe in 2002.

Selected Discography

Quick Wits (CIMP, 1996) – with Phillip Johnston and David Hofstra
Mo'Po (CIMP, 1997) – with Herb Robertson, Steve Swell, Perry Robinson, Wilber Morris
Neo Neo (CIMP, 1999) – with Ron Horton, Tom Varner, Tomas Ulrich [de; nl]
PoZest (CIMP, 1999) – with Paul Smoker, Steve Swell, Perry Robinson, Marshall Allen, Wilber Morris
The Joy of Being (CIMP, 2000) – with Joseph Jarman
Shapes and Shadows (Clean Feed, 2006) – with Martin Speicher [de] and Georg Wolf

Music compositions

Bill T. Jones, choreographer (1977). Asymmetry: Every Which Way. Choreographed for Sears Harkness Theater at the Roberson Museum and Science Center, Binghamton. Music by Lou Grassi. Visuals by Jones and Peer Bode (son of Harald Bode).

Articles by Grassi

Grassi, Lou (August 1984). "Show Drummers' Seminar – Dance Accompaniment". Modern Drummer. Column: Education. Vol. 8, no. 58. pp. 72, 75. Retrieved August 3, 2025 – via Internet Archive.

High School

Our Lady of Mount Virgin Church, Garfield

Bibliography

Annotations

^ Burton Greene was also a guest on the album PoGression.^[1]

Notes

^ Discogs.

References

Larkin, Colin, ed. (2006). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (10 Vols.) (4th ed.). Muze, Inc. LCCN 2006-18335; ISBN 0-1953-1373-9, 978-0-1953-1373-4; ISBN 978-0-1997-2636-3; OCLC 70062973 (all editions).

See The Encyclopedia of Popular Music

"Grassi, Lou". Vol. 3: "Dill, Danny – Grenadine" (4th ed.). pp. 865–866. Retrieved August 3, 2025 – via Internet Archive (Las Positas College; withdrawn; Kahle/Austin Foundation). OCLC 5109357134 (Lou Grassi).

Jenkins, Todd S. (born 1968). Free Fazz and Free Improvisation: An Encyclopedia. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

"Grassi, Lou". Vol 1 (of 2): "A–J". pp. 162–163. Retrieved August 3, 2025 – via Internet Archive (Kahle/Austin Foundation; limited preview).

Porter, Lewis, ed. (2008). Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians. jazz.com (inactive). Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. OCLC 212908327 (all editions).
Modern Drummer (July 1999). "Lou Grassi". Column: On the Move. Vol. 23, no. 7. p. 151. Retrieved August 3, 2025 – via Internet Archive.

PoGressions at Discogs

External Links

"Lou Grassi Quartet at Jazzclub Tonne". Archived from the original on August 3, 2025. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
"Lou Grassi". New York: New York Jazz Academy. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
"Kunst und Musik in der Wuppertaler Galerie Epikur:" Rob Scholte – Ins Blaue hinein ["Art and Music at the Epikur Gallery in Wuppertal:" Rob Scholte – Into the Blue]. Concert in the Series: The 2nd Generation – Improvised Music, November 15, 2008. Scott Roller (cello), Christoph Irmer [de] (violin), Lou Grassi (drums & percussion). Wuppertal: HP Nacke Verlag. November 15, 2008. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2025.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) OCLC 1074692020.