The Artistry of… Dave Grusin
The soundscape of Dave Grusin is so very much the soundtrack of a generation. He scored music for iconic film and television of 1960s and ’70s pop culture, and then continued with a brilliant body of work of familiar music connected to pop culture through to present day. His artistry is the ability to connect with the culture of a moment and capture its essence in music. He resonates with mindsets and ways of being, and thoughts and action. He speaks a language in music that is of instant clarity in this time, and in times ago. The pop culture credits are an incredible list of theme music and scores including, in no particular order, music for On Golden Pond, The Pursuit of Happiness, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, The Sandy Duncan Show, The Graduate, It Takes a Thief, and musical direction for The Andy Williams Show. The list impressively goes on and on. Grusin’s foundation and strength is in his artistic creative toolkit enriched by classical music and jazz with endearing skill in arranging and composition. To write music for film and television, there has to be an ability to match what defines a storyline and characters — to be an integral part of telling the story and developing the progressions. Implanting this skill in his jazz and classical work has earned him Grammy acknowledgement. The music is a directness of connection to a time, and a time’s culture.