Jerry Grant and the L.A. NuJazz Alternative: Rush Hour

Jerry Grant is an accomplished Hollywood composer with a jazz background. As creator of the scores for such TV shows as Magnum P.I. and The Greatest American Hero, as well as numerous documentaries and movies, Grant also possesses a technical mastery of the electronic sounds prevalent in much of today’s music. On Rush Hour (Group Six), featuring his L.A. NuJazz Alternative, he combines prerecorded digital sounds and a large ensemble of some of the area’s top musicians in a performance of nine original compositions that blend, in his words, “dramatic music, funk, rock, jazz, and legit techniques.” From titles like “El Caribe,” “Funky Be Like Funky Do,” “African Sunset” and “Places in the Heart,” one can sense the breadth of the music’s moods. But although the focus is on Grant’s creative compositional efforts-“Rush Hour” utilizes a 12-tone row in a surprisingly melodic fashion, for example-straightahead jazz solos, albeit over a jazz/rock rhythmic foundation, also abound.

Originally Published September 1, 2002