Grant Tyrie Website

GRANT TYRIE

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Born in Kirkcaldy, Fife on September 20^th 1977, Grant grew up listening his father's Miles Davis and John Coltrane records. At age eleven he began playing the double bass studying mostly classical music and playing in several of the local orchestras. However by the age of 14 his love of jazz and funk music led him to take up the bass guitar and begin playing in his first jazz line up "The Summers Day Jazz Band" which eventually evolved into "The Grant Tyrie Trio" and "The Grant Tyrie Quartet". A year later, he joined the well renowned big band the Fife Youth Jazz Orchestra where he worked his way through the ranks for 2 years before leaving to go to College.

In 1995 age 17 Grant went to the City of Leeds College of Music where under the tuition of Sean Hodgson Grant returned to his classical roots and began studying the works the classical composers such as J.S. Bach as well as the jazz standards. While living in Leeds Grant also became one of the main bassists in the city being almost unique, due to his ability to cross over flawlessly between double bass and bass guitar, and perfecting his technique on both.

By the time Grant was 19 he felt he had taken from Leeds what he could. His desire to go to America had become apparent. It was then that he approached Tommy Smith, World famous saxophonist and composer, for assistance. Tommy took Grant under his wing teaching him how to play in the style of the legendary bass players such as Jimmy Blanton, Ray Brown, Charlie Haden, Charles Mingus and Scott LaFaro.

Grant finally felt ready to try for America and in January of last year sent a demonstration CD to apply for one of the exclusive Berklee Scholarship auditions in Paris. In early March Grant received his invitation to the auditions, at the end of March, and with less than four weeks to learn the most important piece of his life. Did he choose something simple? No! He decided to learn the hardest piece he had ever learnt Chromatic Fantasy by J.S. Bach as played by Jaco Pastorius on his Word of Mouth album one of the most acrobatic pieces of music there is on any instrument. One month later Grant received a letter from the adjudicators commending him on his excellent technique and musical ability and offering him a scholarship to Berklee College of Music.

For his last year in Scotland Grant is planning to play numerous concerts with his own quartet "The Grant Tyrie Quartet" featuring John Burgess on tenor saxophone, Malcolm MacFarlane on guitar and Allan Pendreigh on drums, and to take his unique and flamboyant style of bass playing to as many parts of the country as possible, and to show that he is without a doubt one of the hottest young jazz musicians in Britain.

To email Grant, click here.