Grassella Oliphant
Encyclopedia
Grassella Oliphant is an American jazz
drummer.
Oliphant backed Ahmad Jamal
in 1952 and Sarah Vaughan
in the late 1950s, then worked with Gloria Lynne
and Shirley Scott
.
He released two soul jazz
albums as a leader on Atlantic Records
in the 1960s. The Grass Roots, released in 1965, saw Oliphant working with saxophonist Harold Ousley
, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson
, and bassist Major Holley
. His 1968 release The Grass Is Greener featured John Patton
on organ, Grant Green
on guitar, and Clark Terry
on trumpet, in addition to Ousley and Holley again. The Grass Is Greener has been repeatedly sampled by hip hop
artists. Both albums were reissued on CD by Collectables Records
as a single disc in 2005.
After an almost 40-years hiatus from music, working as the manager of a golf course, Oliphant resumed playing in the 2000s, this time in the New Jersey
area.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
drummer.
Oliphant backed Ahmad Jamal
Ahmad Jamal
Ahmad Jamal is an innovative and influential American jazz pianist, composer, and educator. According to Stanley Crouch, Jamal is second in importance in the development of jazz after 1945 only to Charlie Parker...
in 1952 and Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."...
in the late 1950s, then worked with Gloria Lynne
Gloria Lynne
Gloria Lynne is an American jazz vocalist with a recording career spanning from 1958 to 2007. Born Gloria Alleyne, Gloria Lynne grew up in Harlem; her mother was a gospel singer.-Career:...
and Shirley Scott
Shirley Scott
Shirley Scott was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist. She was most known for working with her husband, Stanley Turrentine, and with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis...
.
He released two soul jazz
Soul jazz
Soul jazz is a development of jazz incorporating strong influences from blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues in music for small groups, often an organ trio featuring a Hammond organ.- Overview :Soul jazz is often associated with hard bop. Mark C...
albums as a leader on Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
in the 1960s. The Grass Roots, released in 1965, saw Oliphant working with saxophonist Harold Ousley
Harold Ousley
Harold Lomax Ousley is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and flautist.Ousley began playing in the late 1940s, and in the 1950s recorded behind vocalists such as Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington. He played as a sideman with Gene Ammons in the 1950s and with Jack McDuff and George Benson in the...
, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson
Bobby Hutcherson
Bobby Hutcherson is a jazz vibraphone and marimba player. His vibraphone playing is suggestive of the style of Milt Jackson in its free-flowing melodicism, but his sense of harmony and group interaction is thoroughly modern...
, and bassist Major Holley
Major Holley
Major Holley was an American jazz upright bassist.Holley attended the prestigious Cass Technical High School. Holley played violin and tuba when young and started playing bass while serving in the Navy...
. His 1968 release The Grass Is Greener featured John Patton
John Patton
John Patton may refer to:*John Patton , U.S. Representative from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania*John Patton , mayor of Detroit, Michigan, 1858–1859...
on organ, Grant Green
Grant Green
Grant Green was a jazz guitarist and composer....
on guitar, and Clark Terry
Clark Terry
Clark Terry is an American swing and bop trumpeter, a pioneer of the fluegelhorn in jazz, educator, NEA Jazz Masters inductee, and recipient of the 2010 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award...
on trumpet, in addition to Ousley and Holley again. The Grass Is Greener has been repeatedly sampled by hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
artists. Both albums were reissued on CD by Collectables Records
Collectables Records
Collectables is a reissue record label founded in 1980 by Jerry Greene. Greene was previously associated with New York City's Times Square Record Shop, Philadelphia's Record Museum retail chain, and the Lost Nite and Crimson record labels....
as a single disc in 2005.
After an almost 40-years hiatus from music, working as the manager of a golf course, Oliphant resumed playing in the 2000s, this time in the New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
area.
Discography
- The Grass Roots (Atlantic RecordsAtlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, 1965) - The Grass Is Greener (Atlantic RecordsAtlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, 1968)