SAY THAT! | Futurism Records FR-1953   

Are you listening more, and enjoying it less? Then SAY THAT!

Legendary guitarist Grant Geissman has thrown down the gauntlet that separates the Jazz men from the Smooth Jazz boys!

Say That! is a triumph, a collection of thirteen original Grant Geissman compositions that play like a righteous melding of 1960s Wes Montgomery, Horace Silver, and Jimmy Smith. It's real music that swings, simmers, smolders, and burns.

It's good for the soul, and anything but "smooth"!

"Say That! is an iron fist upside the mushy head of smooth jazz, and Grant Geissman's defiant declaration of independence."
                                   --Bill Milkowski

NEW! Avaliable at fine record stores, or online from retailers like www.amazon.com and www.towerrecords.com!

-- Featuring the jazz version of the "Theme from Two and a Half Men,"
the hit CBS-TV series!
-- Original cover artwork by beat/"lowbrow" artist Miles Thompson, with art direction by Francesca Restrepo and Grant Geissman!
-- Ultra cool packaging, in a hip, retro-style "Mini LP" Compact Disc gatefold sleeve!
-- Includes a full color insert sheet, with extensive liner notes by noted jazz critic Bill Milkowski!

--Bonus facsimile piece of sheet music for "Say That!"
-- With Emilio Palame, Tom Ranier, Jim Cox, Russell Ferrante, Trey Henry, Ray Brinker,
Dennis C. Brown, Tierney Sutton (wordless vocal on "Bossa"), and Brian Scanlon!

Say That! has earned some of the best reviews of Grant's career!

"Grant Geissman returns to his straightahead roots with Say That!, which features searing originals embedded with tradition."

                                                                           --Jim Santella, All About Jazz

"Geissman's Quintet jumps from rootsy blues and modern funk to brisk, Wes Montgomery-inspired jazz without sounding affected or contrived."    --August Brown, Los Angeles Times

"Geissman swings, hipster cool, through arrangements that are tasteful, inventive, and free of the improvisational complacency common to smooth jazz."     --Ed Bumgardner, Winston-Salem Journal

"This release is a potent statement made by Geissman; he is abandoning a path of smooth jazz that has embraced him for years. This effort is created for the musician's ear, and others are invited along for the ride."    --Dr. Mike, radioioJazz

"Smooth jazz fans may be slow to check out Grant Geissman's Say That!, but every other jazz collector should snap it up and join the fun (which includes the colorful Miles Thompson artwork and Bill Milkowski's enjoyable liner notes).

--Ken Dryden, All Music Guide

"First-rate L.A.-based contemporary guitarist offers a set of sturdy cookers and other moods. Geissman's clean, open sound and keen ear for good notes lights up these pieces."   --Zan Stewart, The Newark, New Jersey Star Ledger

"A new album that has its roots in the sounds of Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell, and Jimmy Smith, but with a fresh, contemporary edge. Jazz radio should jump on this modern interpretation of the sounds and styles that once made commercial jazz radio 'electric.'"    --Ed Trefzger, JAZZWEEK

"A great statement that should break him out of the smooth jazz ghetto, where he doesn't belong, this is the kind of smoking set that will have believers making others into believers. Hot stuff from one of the great, contemporary undervalued pros."  

--Chris Spector, Midwest Record Recap

"Geissman is a helluva guitarist, electric and acoustic. Rich in variety, this is a great album for those who don't realize they like jazz, and for those who do."    --Jim Newsom, Portfolio Weekly, Norfolk, VA

"A stellar ensemble of West Coast players on a thirteen-track set that displays Geissman's amazing songwriting skills and guitar chops."   --Sounds of Timeless Jazz

"This aggressive blowing session is a welcome surprise from the guitarist best known for his work with Chuck Mangione."
                                                                                           --Dan Forte, Vintage Guitar

"Say That! exudes warmth, playfulness, and a sense of humor in both Geissman's supple, single-note solos and the feel of such tradition-anchored originals as 'Below the Radar,' 'Grandfather's Banjo,' and the 10-minute closer, 'Wes is More.'"

--David Okamoto, Ice Magazine

"He's back! Geissman's clear roots in the jazz mainstream, and a less-is-more style that reveals greater depth, makes Say That! a welcome return to the fold for a guitarist who's always deserved more street cred than he's received." 

--John Kelman, All About Jazz

"Say That! is a fun and infectious outing, and filled with solid musicianship. Geissman and company show also their versatility with aplomb."   --Gary C.W. Chun, The Honolulu Star Bulletin

"Guitarist Geissman's built a solid rep as a smooth-jazz player since his early days with Chuck Mangione, but this fine solo outing represents an effort to distance himself from a format he now dismisses as Muzak."  --Bliss, Pasadena Weekly

2006 | Futurism Records FR-1953

There and Back Again                     

The Grant Geissman Quintet
DVD   

AIX Records
2005

Link to order THERE AND BACK AGAIN

"Contemporary jazz from this exciting quintet works best when you’ve got the chance to watch them in action. Recorded in a studio with each artist wearing headphones and taking cues from each other while sitting apart from each other, the camera pans back and forth from one artist to the next, oftentimes showing two in split frames side by side. You can’t feel a part of the action, as you would with a concert performance, but you do get all the benefits of seeing the quintet create together. Visual cues are still evident, as the five artists communicate with each other musically and through eye contact."

"Thanks to some innovative ideas in presentation, There and Back Again is a winner and shouldn't be missed."

                                                     —Jim Santella, All About Jazz

Approximate Running Time: 64 minutes.

DVD Producer: Mark Waldrep

Track Listing: There and Back Again; Good Stuff; L.A. Blues; The Sirens of Titan; Outré; The 53rd Calypso; Slightly Out of Town; Ballad to the Cosmic Wind; The Hipso Calypso; Blowin' Out the Orbit Floor.

Musicians: Grant Geissman, guitar; Gordon Goodwin, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone; Jim Cox, piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano; Jimmy Johnson, electric bass; Gregg Bissonette, drums.

Special Features:
Biographies
Interview
Photo Galleries
Extensive Interactive Liner Notes on the Performers, Session and Technical Info

Though Grant Geissman achieved his greatest genre success focusing on acoustic guitar and its synergy with the sax, he’s also never backed down from great challenges that took his fingers elsewhere. His 1993 classic Rustic Technology was a stylistic departure featuring violin and all acoustic instruments, and his Higher Octave Jazz debut In With The Out Crowd (which draws stylistically from the era of Ramsey Lewis’s 60s funk jazz heyday) mixes his gutsy electric edge with raw, hip-hop and acid jazz production, hypnotic Crusaders-styled keyboard riffs (with Tim Heintz approximating Joe Sample’s Fender Rhodes style), mandolin, steel string and even unusual spiritual touches like chanting and a rolling sitar melody on the mystical, moody “Lost But Found.” For the first time, Geissman also goes sample happy, mixing in alternating koto and muted trumpet riffs above the urban shuffle and universalist chant on “World as One.” Marlo also peppers laid back pieces like “Heartbeat” with a soothing scat style which balances Geissman’s tendency to improvise off his top-notch melodies. Those longing throughout all these unique departures for vintage smooth jazz Geissman are rewarded with the lively, Acoustic Alchemy - like cruise “Highway 60s Revisited” (which alternates steel string and classical guitar) and “Life...and Stuff, “ theme from a short lived Pam Dawber TV series which draws guitar inspiration from The Byrds and symphonic production ideas from The Beatles. Safe to say that Geissman is one of smooth jazz’s leading time travel navigators.                                      — Jonathan Widran

1. In With the Out Crowd (Grant Geissman) 4:16
2. Did I Save? (Grant Geissman) 4:35
3. World as One (Grant Geissman/Clair Marlo) 3:42
4. Heartbeat (Grant Geissman/Clair Marlo) 3:57
5. Sweet as U R (Grant Geissman) 4:42
6. Highway 60’s Revisited (Grant Geissman/Clair Marlo) 3:15
7. Secret Garden (Grant Geissman/Clair Marlo) 4:29
8. Lost, But Found (Grant Geissman/Tim Heintz) 4:32
9. Tempest (Grant Geissman/Clair Marlo) 4:54
10. Dharma (Grant Geissman) 4:23
11. Life...and Stuff (Grant Geissman) 3:40


Grant Geissman Guitars, Background vocals, Multi Instruments, Chant, Sampling, Drum Programming
Tim Heintz Keyboards, Sampling, Drum Programming
Clair Marlo Synthesizer, Percussion, Keyboards, Programming, Vocals, Chant, Sampling, Drum Programming
Alexander “Ace” Baker Tabla, Producer, Chant, Drum Programming, Synthesizer Bass
M.B. Gordy Percussion
Dan Higgins Alto and Tenor Sax
Jimmy Johnson Bass
Tom Walsh Drums
Alan Hirshberg Mixing
William Aura Digital Mastering
Dennis Keeley Photography
Matt Marshall Executive Producer
Dan Selene Executive Producer
Seth Front cover illustration
John Wittenberg Violin
John Scanlon Viola
Suzie Katayama Cello
Francesca Restrepo Art Direction, Design
Maria Ehrenreich Production Director

1998 CD Higher Octave 46228B

BUSINESS AS USUAL

Grant Geissman negotiates and delivers a world class joint venture on his hit CD, Business as Usual. With arrangements for electric, electrical classical, classical, string acoustic and acoustic guitar on 12 tunes written by Grant, it’s no wonder Geissman fans continue to be amazed by his brilliant string virtuosity. The title track opens the set with a high-energy stratocaster solo by Geissman with Sam Riney wailing on alto saxophone. “Chase The Dragon” features a funky dance-oriented rhythm, while “Gypsies” adds a Latin perspective to the set with Grant on classical and acoustic guitar. The exotic harmony of electric sitar with acoustic guitar (with tabla by Brad Dutz) on “India” adds another dimension to the Geissman string instrument collection. “Quiet Time” is pensive and portentous of the “smooth” guitar work that follows on “Tears Like Rain” — unlike the more organic flavor of Rustic Technology. Grant Geissman is truly a world-class string virtuoso with global appeal and a command of his instruments. This CD lends the listener an “around the world” feeling and welcomes you back home to Business as Usual. — Paula Edelstein

1. Business as Usual (Geissman) 4:06
2. Chase the Dragon (Geissman/Palame) 4:07
3. Gypsies (Geissman/Palame) 5:01
4. Thinking Out Loud (GeissmanCuriale) 4:47
5. Tomorrow the World (Geissman/Moffitt) 4:51
6. Skin Deep (Geissman/Siegel) 5:07
7. India (Geissman/Siegel) 5:07
8. Quiet Time (Geissman/Palame) 5:21
9. The Hardest Part (Geissman/Walsh) 4:34
10. Tears Like Rain (Curiale/Geissman) 4:40
11. Miles Apart (Geissman/Palame) 4:23
12. Chase the Dragon [Long Version] (Geissman/Palame) 5:02

Released in 1995

RUSTIC TECHNOLOGY

Imagine a cinematic scenario where one day Eddie Murphy turns into Lawrence Olivier and you’ll have some idea of the pleasant shock of Grant Geissman’s Rustic Technology. Till now, like Murphy, Geissman has been a lighthearted, people pleasing entertainer; his three previous Bluemoon releases all caught airplay fire but sacrificed artistic growth for friendly compositional flair. No longer, as the acoustic guitarist grows in quantum leaps, forgoing that fluffy, sax driven jacuzzi jazz sound for such down home, creative and swinging elements as recorder, flute, upright bass and Charlie Bisharat’s remarkable gypsy violin. Bisharat’s vibrant touches take Geissman’s career to another level entirely. Stylistically, Geissman is all over the board, with Strunz & Farah like naivete, saucy Latin, solid jazz and even a classical tour de force with flutist David Shostac. And yet that melodic guitar ties all the elements together. “Silent Movies” features wildly enchanting acoustic piano work from Emil Palame and Pat Coil. Geissman’s plucky string dynamics have never shone brighter, and after years of strong but less ambitious pop, he’s at last found a way to reconcile true art with agreeable craftsmanship. The result: as organically brilliant an album as the smooth jazz genre has ever heard.              — Jonathan Widran

Grant Geissman: Guitar (Acoustic, 12 String, and Classical), Dobro, Mandolin, Arranger, Producer, Music Copyist
Emil Palame and Pat Coil: Piano
Brian Kilgore and Brad Dutz: Percussion, Bongos, Cymbals, Drums, Gong, Tambourine, Timbales, Triangle, Multi Instruments, Shaker, Shekere, Indian Bells, Wood Spoons
Lloyd Moffitt : Bass (Upright)
Dan Higgins: Recorder
David Shostac: Flute

1. Gumbo (Geissman) 5:06
2. Some Esplainin’ to Do (Geissman/Palame) 5:15
3. Tune for J.T. (Geissman) 4:05
4. Silent Movies (Geissman/Coil) 5:47
5. Baroque (Geissman/Palame) 4:42
6. Cold Blue Sake (Geissman/Curiale) 4:40
7. Chaco (Geissman/Palame) 5:02
8. Time & Tides (Geissman/Palame) 5:05
9. Three Conversations (Geissman) 7:31
10. Strange Wine (Geissman) 4:49
11. Flannel Cowboys (Geissman) 4:06

Mesa/Bluemoon Recordings R2 79189

Released in 1993

TIME WILL TELL

Time Will Tell (Grant Geissman)
Big Stax/High Volts (Grant Geissman, Larry Steelman)
Looking Back (Grant Geissman)
Questions Never Answered (Grant Geissman)
Front Page (Grant Geissman, Larry Groupe)
Forbidden Fruit
In The Bag (Grant Geissman, Lloyd Moffitt)
Crusin' To Cabo (Grant Geissman)
This Time It's Real (Grant Geissman, Steve Rawlins)
Dress For Success (Grant Geissman)
It's Never Too Late (Grant Geissman, Emil Palame)
Time Will Tell (reprise) (Grant Geissman)


Bluemoon Records R2 79178

Released in 1992

RERUNS


Writing On The Wall (Grant Geissman/Pat Coil)
Fish (Grant Geissman)
Song For A Lost Love (Grant Geissman)
Put Away Childish Toys (Grant Geissman)
Balled To The Cosmic Wind (Grant Geissman)
Samba Dreams (Grant Geissman, Emil Palame)
Wind In The Wires (Grant Geissman, Lloyd Moffitt)
Blowin' Out The Orbit Floor (Grant Geissman)
One For L.C. [For Larry Carlton] (Grant Geissman, Joe Curiale)
Snapshots (Grant Geissman)

Mesa/Bluemoon Recordings R2 79172
Released in 1992

FLYING COLORS

What surely sets Grant Geissman apart from other acoustic guitar soloists in contemporary jazzdom is his impeccably mellifluous composing skills and his desire to stretch himself into more challenging sub genres. While never straying too far from his trademark David Benoit like peppiness, Flying Colors—which represents the guitarist’s commercial peak on early smooth jazz radio—displays mouth-watering flamenco and brassy Latin tinges. A musically logical follow up to the similarly vibrant Take Another Look, Geissman’s playing is enhanced by the positive support of keyboardists Gordon Goodwin and Emil Palame and saxophonist Sam Riney. Of special note (and the best cut) is Geissman’s ode to his youth, “Places I’ve Been,” which features Byrd-like riffs, Beatle-esque sitar and orchestrated, “Eleanor Rigby” touches.     — Jonathan Widran

1. Flying Colors (Geissman/Moffitt) 4:50
2. Tricks of the Trade (Geissman/Rawlins) 4:06
3. Long Goodbye (Geissman/Curiale) 4:08
4. Barcelona (Geissman) 4:56
5. Places I’ve Been (Geissman) 5:00
6. El Cabong Rides Again (Geissman) 4:16
7. Neon Nights (Geissman/Palame) 4:38
8. Hang Time (Geissman/Steelman) 3:53
9. Dancing on the Edge (Geissman/Palame) 5:00
10. Where the Heart Is (Geissman) 5:05

Grant Geissman Electric, 12 String, Acoustic, and Classical Guitars
Emil Palame, Gordon Goodwin, Terry Trotter Piano and Keyboards
Jimmy Johnson and Lloyd Moffitt Bass
Tom Walsh Drums
Brad Dutz Percussion
Sam Riney Woodwinds
Charles Davis Trumpet
Rick Baptist Trumpet
Gary Meek Tenor Sax
Steve Holtman Trombone
Jim Cowger Music Copyist
Alan Hirshberg Engineering, Mixing
James Jowers Assistant Engineer
George Nauful Coordinator for Mesa/Bluemoon
North Hollywood Wire Choir Strings
Eddie Schreyer Mastering
Produced by Grant Geissman and Paul Stilwell
Kathleen Covert Art Direction, Design
William Hawkes Photography

CD Blue Moon R2-79165

Released in 1991

TAKE ANOTHER LOOK

From the guitarist with the coolest hairstyle in L.A. comes another one of those sweet, instantly likable pop-jazz treats. Grant Geissman shines on his label debut, smartly sticking to the acoustic, which he employs over grooves ranging from orchestral to samba to light funk. The guitarist and friends like Emil Palame (keys), Sam Riney (woodwinds), Flim Johnson (bass), and David Benoit are all elite players, fun to listen to, with much to express musically. But as strong as the playing is, Geissman’s best gift is in the writing department. His moody lines on “Asleep in the Deep” give Riney room to spread out, while “Choices” sounds like the short film score it is, a midtempo delight. “Take Another Look” was co-written by Benoit and has that unmistakable angst-free sound about it. “Big Hair” and “Attitudes” are the hummable funkfests, and “Cuba Libre” (co-written by Palame) features some of the niftiest brass smooth jazz has ever heard. And then there’s “Greer’s Tears,” which rivals Russ Freeman’s “One Summer Night in Brazil” as one of the most beautifully lilting ballads of the early days of the genre. Written for Geissman’s daughter, it features a lush string section bringing out its moody melancholia. — Jonathan Widran

1. Take Another Look (Grant Geissman, David Benoit)
2. Greer’s Tears (Grant Geissman)
3. Choices (Grant Geissman)
4. Big Hair (Grant Geissman, Larry Steelman)
5. Cuba Libre (Grant Geissman/Emil Palame)
6. Attitudes (Grant Geissman)
7. Asleep in the Deep (Grant Geissman, Emil Palame)
8. Sun Fun (Grant Geissman, Emil Palame)
9. Pipe Dreams (Grant Geissman)

Grant Geissman: Guitars
David Benoit, Gordon Goodwin, Emil Palame, Larry Steelman: Piano, Keyboards
Sam Riney: Woodwinds
Jimmy Johnson: Bass
Tom Walsh: Drums
Rick Baptist: Trumpet
Charlie Davis: Trumpet
Bob Sheppard: Tenor Sax
Steve Holtman: Trombone
Brad Dutz: Percussion
Amy Shulman: Harp
Sid Page and the North Hollywood Wire Choir: Strings
Tom Baker: Mastering

Mesa/Bluemoon Recordings R2 79152

Released in 1990

ALL MY TOMORROWS

1. You Can Call Me Al (Paul Simon) 5:03
2. Flamingo Island (Grant Geissman/Joe Curiale) 3:45
3. Around Every Corner (Grant Geissman) 4:30
4. Girls with Pearls (Grant Geissman) 3:41
5. One for L.C. [for Larry Carlton] (Grant Geissman, Joe Curiale) 5:04
6. All My Tomorrows (Grant Geissman, Pat Coil) 5:08
7. Wind in the Wires (Grant Geissman/Lloyd Moffitt) 4:32
8. A Day in December (Grant Geissman/Emil Palame) 4:42
9. Samba Dreams (Grant Geissman/Emil Palame) 4:49
10. Fragile (Sting) 3:59

TBA Records 241   Released in 1988

SNAPSHOTS

1. The Way It Is (Bruce Hornsby) 5:05
2. Fish (Grant Geissman) 5:15
3. Snapshots (Grant Geissman) 4:18
4. Walking on the Moon (Sting) 5:53
5. Writing on the Wall (Grant Geissman, Pat Coil) 4:22
6. Water Babies (Grant Geissman, Emil Palame) 4:50
7. A Look in My Book (Grant Geissman) 4:54
8. L.A. Blues (Grant Geissman) 4:22
9. Love is the Seventh Wave (Sting) 3:54

TBA Records 224   Released in 1987

DRINKIN' FROM THE MONEY RIVER

1. Drinkin' from the Money River (Grant Geissman)

2. Secret Agent Man (S. Lipkin, P.F. Sloane)

3. Teruko (Grant Geissman)

4. Thinkin' 'Bout You (Grant Geissman)

5. Summer in the City [featuring Carl Anderson on vocal] (J. Sebastion, M. Sebastian, S. Boone)

6. There and Back Again (Grant Geissman)

7. Song for a Lost Love (Grant Geissman)

8. Nirvana Mama (Grant Geissman)

9. Heaven Knows [featuring Carl Anderson on vocal] (Grant Geissman)

TBA Records 217  Released in 1986

PUT AWAY CHILDISH TOYS

1. The Big Splash (Grant Geissman)

2. Put Away Childish Toys (Grant Geissman)

3. You're Fallin' in Love Again (Grant Geissman)

4. Turn it Out (Gordon Goodwin)

5. Do or Do Not (Grant Geissman)

6. Ballad to the Cosmic Wind (Grant Geissman)

7. Diamond in the Rough (Grant Geissman/lyric: Stuart K. Robinson)

8. Blowin' Out the Orbit Floor (Grant Geissman)

Liner notes by Mark Leviton
Pausa PR 7150
Released in 1983

GOOD STUFF

1. All Blues (Miles Davis)

2. Good Stuff (Grant Geissman)

3. Slightly Out of Town (Gordon Goodwin)

4. There Will Never Be Another You (Harry Warren, Mack Gordon)

5. Road Song (Wes Montgomery)

6. Later Wally Gator (Gordon Goodwin)

7. The Shadow of Your Smile (Johnny Mandel, P.F. Webster)

8. Mambo's Guava-Sava Samba (Grant Geissman)

Liner notes by Phillip Elwood
Concord Jazz CJ-62
Released in 1978