Dave Grusin

Biography

Dave Grusin (born June 26, 1934, in Littleton, Colorado) is an American pianist, arranger and composer, best known for his film and television scores and for his role in jazz fusion. Born Robert David Grusin, he built a career that moved between soundtracks, recording sessions and record-label work.

His early interest in music came from his father, a violinist, and he studied at the University of Colorado, where he discovered jazz through records by Dave Brubeck, Count Basie and Chet Baker. He moved to New York in 1959 to attend the Manhattan School of Music and soon joined Andy Williams's band, where he met drummer Larry Rosen, who became his longtime partner. His first solo albums in the early 1960s show the influence of pianists such as Bill Evans and Red Garland. His entry into film scoring came in 1964 with the comedy Divorce American Style, after he left his musical direction role on Williams's show.

From there his career widened quickly. He scored The Graduate, whose soundtrack includes songs he wrote alongside Simon and Garfunkel, and then worked several times with director Sydney Pollack, on films such as Three Days of the Condor and Tootsie. In 1978 he founded GRP Records with Rosen, a label that helped popularise contemporary jazz and early digital recording. He won an Academy Award in 1989 for The Milagro Beanfield War and several Grammys, and has received many further nominations from the Academy and the Golden Globes.

His legacy rests on a large body of film and television music and on his influence in contemporary jazz as a label founder. He has remained active as a performer, releasing live and classical-crossover projects in recent decades.

Key films

• The Graduate (1967): one of his best-known scores, including songs by Simon and Garfunkel.
• Tootsie (1982): his score for the comedy directed by Sydney Pollack.
• On Golden Pond (1981): an Oscar-nominated score for one of the most celebrated films of his career.
• The Goonies (1985): his music accompanies Richard Donner's family adventure.
• Three Days of the Condor (1975): a spy thriller on which he worked with Sydney Pollack.
• The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989): a score that earned him a Grammy for best album original score written for a motion picture.