Larry Gray is a Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 musician known for his compositions and skill on the Double Bass

Double bass

The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...

 and Cello

Cello

The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...

. His primary teachers were Joseph Guastafeste, longtime principal bassist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1891, the Symphony makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival...

, and cellist Karl Fruh, a highly regarded soloist and teacher.

Family

Gray has been married to Karolyn R. Kuehner since 1990. Their daughter, Soffia H. Kuehner Gray, was born in 1994.

Music Style

Bassist Larry Gray demonstrates an impressive versatility and an uncommon musical curiosity. Originally a jazz guitarist, Gray switched to the double bass and quickly developed a reputation as a first-call sideman. Within a short time, he began to work at Chicago's premier jazz club, the Jazz Showcase, where he appeared with increasing frequency, often with drummer Wilbur Campbell and pianist Willie Pickens. Throughout the years he has worked with such jazz greats as George Coleman

George Coleman

George Edward Coleman is an American hard bop saxophonist, bandleader, and composer, known chiefly for his work with Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock in the 1960s.-Biography:...

, Lee Konitz

Lee Konitz

Lee Konitz is an American jazz composer and alto saxophonist born in Chicago, Illinois.Generally considered one of the driving forces of Cool Jazz, Konitz has also performed successfully in bebop and avant-garde settings...

, 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...

, McCoy Tyner

McCoy Tyner

McCoy Tyner is a jazz pianist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet and a long solo career.-Early life:...

, Sonny Fortune

Sonny Fortune

Sonny Fortune is an American jazz alto saxophonist and flautist. He also plays soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone and clarinet.-Biography:...

, Ira Sullivan

Ira Sullivan

Ira Sullivan is a bop jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, flautist, saxophonist and composer born in Washington, D.C.. An active musician since the 1950s, he may be best known for his extensive work with Red Rodney and Lin Halliday among others....

, Junior Mance

Junior Mance

Julian Clifford Mance, Jr. is an American jazz pianist and composer.-Biography:...

, David "Fathead" Newman, Charles McPherson, Branford Marsalis

Branford Marsalis

Branford Marsalis is an American saxophonist, composer and bandleader. While primarily known for his work in jazz as the leader of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, he also performs frequently as a soloist with classical ensembles and has led the group Buckshot LeFonque.-Biography:Marsalis was born...

, Benny Golson

Benny Golson

Benny Golson is an American bebop/hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger.-Biography:While in high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Golson played with several other promising young musicians, including John Coltrane, Red Garland, Jimmy Heath, Percy Heath, Philly Joe Jones, and...

, Jackie McLean

Jackie McLean

John Lenwood McLean was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader and educator, born in New York City.-Biography:McLean's father, John Sr., played guitar in Tiny Bradshaw's orchestra...

, Sonny Stitt

Sonny Stitt

Edward "Sonny" Stitt was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. He was also one of the best-documented saxophonists of his generation, recording over 100 albums in his lifetime...

, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Al Cohn

Al Cohn

Al Cohn was an American jazz saxophonist and arranger and composer.-Biography:Alvin Gilbert Cohn was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was initially known in the 1940s for playing in Woody Herman's Second Herd as one of the Four Brothers, along with Zoot Sims, Stan Getz, and Serge Chaloff...

, Eddie Harris

Eddie Harris

Eddie Harris was an American jazz musician, best known for playing tenor saxophone and for introducing the electrically amplified saxophone. He was also fluent on the electric piano and organ...

 and Les McCann

Les McCann

Les McCann is an American soul jazz piano player and vocalist whose biggest successes came as a crossover artist into R&B and soul.-Biography:...

. In addition, he has collaborated with guitarists Kenny Burrell

Kenny Burrell

Kenneth Earl "Kenny" Burrell is an American jazz guitarist. His playing is grounded in bebop and blues; he has performed and recorded with a wide range of jazz musicians.-Biography:...

, Joe Pass

Joe Pass

Joe Pass was an Italian-American jazz guitarist of Sicilian descent. He is generally considered to be one of the greatest jazz guitarists of the 20th century...

, and Tal Farlow

Tal Farlow

Talmage Holt Farlow was an American jazz guitarist. Nicknamed the "Octopus", Farlow's extremely large hands spread over the fretboard as if they were tentacles. He is considered one of the all-time great jazz guitarists. Michael G...

, as well as the drummers Ed Thigpen

Ed Thigpen

Edmund Leonard "Ed" Thigpen was an American jazz drummer, best-known for his work with the Oscar Peterson trio from 1959 to 1965...

 and Jack DeJohnette

Jack DeJohnette

Jack DeJohnette is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer. He is one of the most influential jazz drummers of the 20th century, due to extensive work as leader and sideman for musicians like Miles Davis, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett and Sonny...

, and trumpeters Donald Byrd

Donald Byrd

Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II, is an American jazz and rhythm and blues trumpeter. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd is best known as one of the only bebop jazz musicians who successfully pioneered the funk and soul genres while simultaneously remaining a...

 and Harry "Sweets" Edison, among others.

Gray has studied classical music extensively. His principal teachers were Joseph Guastafeste, longtime principal bassist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and cellist Karl Fruh, a highly regarded soloist and teacher. Under Mr. Fruh's guidance, he received Bachelors and Masters degrees in Cello Performance from Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University.

Touring

He tours extensively, performing at jazz festivals and clubs, including the Umbria Jazz Festival, the Montreal International Jazz Festival, The Montreaux Detroit Festival, the ECM Festival, the Poznan Jazz Festival, the Chicago Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, the Havana Jazz Festival, Rio São Paulo Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, Johannesburg International Jazz Festival, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Hollywood Bowl, Village Vanguard, the Blue Notes in Tokyo, Nagoya, New York and Milan, Ronnie Scott's in London, Zawinal's Birdland in Vienna, and the Ravinia Festival, with such jazz luminaries as Marian McPartland

Marian McPartland

Margaret Marian McPartland, OBE is an English-born jazz pianist, composer, writer, and the host of Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz on National Public Radio, NPR.-Early life:...

, 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...

, Nancy Wilson, Frank Morgan

Frank Morgan

Frank Morgan was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of the title character in the film The Wizard of Oz.-Early life:...

, Roscoe Mitchell

Roscoe Mitchell

Roscoe Mitchell is an African American composer, jazz instrumentalist and educator, mostly known for being "a technically superb—if idiosyncratic—saxophonist." He has been called "one of the key figures" in avant-garde jazz who has been "at the forefront of modern music" for the past...

, James Moody

James Moody (saxophonist)

James Moody was an American jazz saxophone and flute player. He was best known for his hit "Moody's Mood for Love," an improvisation based on "I'm in the Mood for Love"; in performance, he often improvised vocals for the tune.-Biography:James Moody was born in Savannah, Georgia...

, Larry Coryell

Larry Coryell

Larry Coryell is an American jazz fusion guitarist.-Biography:Coryell was born in Galveston, Texas. He graduated from Richland High School, in Richland, Washington, where he played in local bands The Jailers, The Rumblers, The Royals, and The Flames. He also played with The Checkers from nearby...

, Louis Bellson, Barry Harris

Barry Harris

Barry Doyle Harris is an American bebop jazz pianist and educator.-Biography:Harris left Detroit for New York City in 1960...

, Ramsey Lewis

Ramsey Lewis

Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr. is an American jazz composer, pianist and radio personality. Ramsey Lewis has recorded over 80 albums and has received seven gold records and three Grammy Awards so far in his career.-Biography:...

, Dorothy Donegan

Dorothy Donegan

Dorothy Donegan was an American classically trained jazz pianist primarily known for performing in the stride piano and boogie-woogie style. She also played bop, swing jazz, and classical music.-Life and career:...

, Monty Alexander

Monty Alexander

Monty Alexander is a jazz pianist and melodica player. His playing has a strong Caribbean influence and swinging feeling, but he has also been influenced by Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Wynton Kelly, and Ahmad Jamal.-Biography:Alexander discovered the piano at the age of 4, taking classical music...

, Frank Wess

Frank Wess

Frank Wess is an American jazz musician, who has played saxophone and flute.-Biography:...

, Joe Williams

Joe Williams

Joe Williams may refer to:* Cyclone Joe Williams , Negro Leagues baseball pitcher, a.k.a. "Smokey Joe" Williams* Joe Williams , achieved prominence in the late 1950s* Big Joe Williams , delta blues singer...

, Doc Severinsen

Doc Severinsen

Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen is an American pop and jazz trumpeter. He is best known for leading the NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.-Early life:...

 and the Tonight Show Band, and Kenny Drew Jr.

In the Studio

Gray is an arranger and composer whose discography includes Solo + Quartet on Premonition Records; Gravity, a solo bass recording and One Look, featuring his piano trio's performances of original compositions, both on Graywater Records; the Ramsey Lewis trio recordings Appassionata, Time Flies and With One Voice; the Ramsey Lewis

Ramsey Lewis

Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr. is an American jazz composer, pianist and radio personality. Ramsey Lewis has recorded over 80 albums and has received seven gold records and three Grammy Awards so far in his career.-Biography:...

 and Nancy Wilson collaborations Meant to Be and Simple Pleasures; all on Narada/Virgin Records. Gray also arranged and produced the critically acclaimed CD, Django by Ferro. In addition, Gray's original composition for double bass and guitar, Five Movements, was commissioned and performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chamber Ensemble at Symphony Center in Chicago. His newest work, Larry Gray 1,2,3 ... , featuring his guitar trio's performances of his original compositions, on Chicago Sessions Records, was released in December 2008.

Gray has recorded with Ramsey Lewis

Ramsey Lewis

Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr. is an American jazz composer, pianist and radio personality. Ramsey Lewis has recorded over 80 albums and has received seven gold records and three Grammy Awards so far in his career.-Biography:...

, Nancy Wilson, Curtis Fuller

Curtis Fuller

Curtis DuBois Fuller is an American jazz trombonist, known as a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and contributor to many classic jazz recordings.-Biography:...

, Ira Sullivan

Ira Sullivan

Ira Sullivan is a bop jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, flautist, saxophonist and composer born in Washington, D.C.. An active musician since the 1950s, he may be best known for his extensive work with Red Rodney and Lin Halliday among others....

, Lin Halliday

Lin Halliday

Lin Halliday was an American saxophonist.Lin Halliday was born in De Queen, Arkansas and was raised in Little Rock, where he played the saxophone and clarinet in school. After he moved to Los Angeles in his teens to begin playing professionally, he began performing with saxophonist Joe Maini...

, Jodie Christian

Jodie Christian

Jodie Christian is an American jazz pianist, noted for bebop and free jazz. He is one of the co-founders of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians along with pianist/composer Muhal Richard Abrams, drummer Steve McCall, and composer Phil Cohran...

, Willie Pickens, Nicholas Payton

Nicholas Payton

Nicholas Payton is a jazz trumpet player from New Orleans, Louisiana.-Biography:The son of bassist and sousaphonist Walter Payton, he took up the trumpet at the age of four and by the time he was nine he was playing in the Young Tuxedo Brass Band alongside his father...

, Randy Brecker

Randy Brecker

Randal "Randy" Brecker is an American trumpeter and flugelhornist. He is a highly sought after performer in the genres of jazz, rock, and R&B, and has performed or recorded with Stanley Turrentine, Billy Cobham, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Sandip Burman, Charles Mingus, Blood, Sweat & Tears,...

, Bunky Green

Bunky Green

Bunky Green is an American jazz alto saxophonist and educator.-Biography:Vernice "Bunky" Green was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he played the alto saxophone, mainly at a local club called "The Brass Rail."...

, Bob Moses, Irish musicians Larry Nugent, John Williams

John Williams

John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...

 and Bohola

Bohola

Bohola is a fictional village which is in many irish legend stories Gallen, County Mayo, Ireland located along the N5 national primary road. It consists of 2 pubs, a post office and a Catholic Church. The village is located near Lough Conn.-People:...

, pop sensations Linda Eder

Linda Eder

Linda Eder is an American singer and actress. She made her Broadway debut in the musical Jekyll & Hyde, for which she received 1997 Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Nominations, as well as the Theatre World Award for Best Actress in a Musical...

, Dennis DeYoung

Dennis DeYoung

Dennis DeYoung is an American singer, songwriter, musician and producer best known for being a founding member of the rock band Styx, a tenure that lasted from 1970 to 1999.-Early life:...

, Jim Peterik

Jim Peterik

Jim Peterik is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the band Survivor and as vocalist and songwriter of the hit song "Vehicle" by The Ides of March...

 and Peter Cetera

Peter Cetera

Peter Paul Cetera is an American singer, songwriter, bassist and producer best known for being an original member of the rock band Chicago, before launching a successful solo career...

, and songwriter Michael Smith, among others. In addition, Gray can be seen on multiple episodes of the PBS series hosted by Ramsey Lewis

Ramsey Lewis

Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr. is an American jazz composer, pianist and radio personality. Ramsey Lewis has recorded over 80 albums and has received seven gold records and three Grammy Awards so far in his career.-Biography:...

, Legends of Jazz. He is a first-call studio musician, and his playing can also be heard on many commercial radio and television jingle and studio projects.
Gray has been featured as a solo recitalist on both bass and cello at various universities and venues throughout the midwest. His recitals are unique in their eclecticism, combining jazz, modern improvised music, and European classical repertoire. He was also the featured bassist in Amistad, produced by the Lyric Opera of Chicago. In addition to his work with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, he was principal bass of Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and has served as a substitute with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Gray recently collaborated with choreographer Lauri Stallings and dancers from Hubbard Street Chicago and the Joffrey Ballet, developing an original work for solo double bass and dancers.

Teaching

Gray is a dedicated teacher. In 2007 he joined the full time jazz faculty at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign where he is Assistant Professor of Double Bass in Jazz. He previously held positions at DePaul University, where he taught for nineteen years, and also at Northern Illinois University and the American Conservatory of Music. A dedicated educator, he remains active as a clinician at high school and college jazz festivals.

Discography

Album	Outfit	Date	Publisher
"1, 2, 3..."	Larry Gray Trio	2009	Chicago Sessions
Chet In Chicago	Chet Baker 1988	2008	Enja
Blue Quest	Zvonimir Tot Trio	2006	Grove Art
Visions of the Moment	Betty Joplin	2005	Preserved Moments Music
With One Voice	Ramsey Lewis	2005	Narada
Gravity	Solo	2004	Graywater Records
Russian Romance	Ella Leyla (Larry Gray, Cello and Bass)	2004	B-Elite Music
Time Flies	Ramsey Lewis Trio	2004	Narada Jazz/EMI Records
Up Jumped Spring	Curtis Fuller	2004	Delmark
Delicate Hour	Patty Morabito	2003	LML Music
Simple Pleasures	Ramsey Lewis with Nancy Wilson	2003	Narada Records
The Power Trio: Live in Chicago	Larry Coryell	2003	High Note Records
Meant to Be	Ramsey Lewis with Nancy Wilson (Larry Gray, arranger)	2002	Narada Records
We Are Not Machines	Bradley Parker-Sparrow (Larry Gray, Cello)	2001	Southport
Django by Ferro	Mike Ferro (Larry Gray, arranger/conductor)	2000	Denwa Records
Evening at Sea	Henry Johnson Quartet with Kenny Drew Jr.	2000	Chiaroscuro Records
A Jazz Christmas	Willie Pickens with Nicholas Payton	2000	Southport Records
The Windy Gap	Laurence Nugent	2000	Shanachie Records
Appassionata	Ramsey Lewis Trio	1999	Narada Records
Live at the Floating Jazz Festival	The Johnny Frigo Quartet	1999	Chiaroscuro
Pins and Needles	Frank Catalano with Randy Brecker	1999	Lakeside records
It's About Time	Willie Pickens	1998	Southport
Two for Two	Laurence Nugent	1998	Shanachie Records
Christmas in the Aire	Mannheim Steamroller	1995	American Gramaphone
Rain or Shine	Jodie Christian with Roscoe Mitchell	1994	Delmark Records
Where or When	Lin Halliday with Ira Sullivan	1994	Delmark Records
Solo and Quartet	Larry Gray Quintet (Larry Gray, composer/arranger)	1994	Premonition Records
Experience	Jodie Christian	1992	Delmark