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Gordon Grdina
Gordon Grdina is a Vancouver based Oud/Guitarist whose sound is a combination of his interests in mainstream jazz, free-form improvisation and Arabic classical music. A protégé of jazz great Gary Peacock, he is a well-respected contributor to the jazz and world music scenes constantly being sought out for projects that need a fresh sound. On Guitar Gordon leads the Vancouver groove trio Loose Acoustic www.looseacoustic.com which has recorded two critically acclaimed CD’s with Skrank Records. They are currently managed by Turner Music and Events and are mixing their next Cd release with Maximum Jazz. In 2003 the Grdina Trio was released on Plunge records www.plungerecords.com a chamber/free-jazz group that has since developed into Box Cutter a genre bending modern Jazz quartet featuring Francois Houle. Spool is releasing their debut cd unlearn in October 2006 East Van Strings is a guitar/oud, violin, viola and cello quartet that is inspired by Bartok, Berg and Arabic Taqasim. The other members of the ensemble are Jesse Zubot, Peggy Lee, and Eyvind Kang. They are currently preparing for their debut CD In August 2006 Songlines released "think like the waves" Wwith Gary Peacock bass and Paul Motian drums and Gordon Grdina performing on Guitar & Oud. There are 14 of Gordon's original compositionss that combine his varied influences. He plays the Oud in the Arabic/Persian/Indian ensemble Sangha, www.sanghamusic.com . They are currently supporting their debut Cd “Omid.” Last year Maqam an oud, violin, bass, and percussion ensemble that explores Iraqi folk melodies from a contemporary improvisational perspective was formed. They are performing locally in preparation for their CD. Quotes …Gordon brings to any project stylistic variation, a sense of spontaneous improvisation, and a joyful enthusiasm. Already a multifaceted musician, I find his playing to be of an exploratory nature and his ideas very musical. I feel that he is now at the beginning of a successful career…Gary Peacock …nice sounds, nice tunes, nice playing… Brad Shepik …harnesses progressive energy in ways that most cannot… Roman Sokal (Exclaim) ...covers a whole lot of ground in celebrating the timeless virtues of subtle, intuitive interplay and celebrates the eternal joy of conclusively making its point without raising its collective voice...Nic Jones(All About JAzz) ...This album is the product of his musical conception, a combination of mainstream jazz, free-form improvisation and Arabic classical music. The resulting music is one of the most refreshing styles of jazz I've ever heard...
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Gordon Grdina & Christian Lillinger: Duo Work
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by Glenn Astarita
This album features a collaboration between Gordon Grdina on guitar and MIDI-guitar, and Christian Lillinger on drums. The project highlights their combined efforts in composition and improvisation, with most pieces jointly composed by Grdina and Lillinger, except for tracks 1, 5, 8, and 12, credited to Grdina alone. This is an enthralling exploration of sound and collaboration. It opens with the cacophonous track Song One" setting the tone for the entire recording. Grdina's use of MIDI guitar adds ...
read moreGrdina/Lillinger: Duo Work
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by Troy Dostert
One would be hard-pressed to find a more versatile guitarist than Gordon Grdina, who somehow manages to try something different with each release. And he is no slouch in terms of productivity either; with at least a dozen releases since 2020, this is an artist who requires multiple palettes. His sensitivity on the oud is one of his most remarkable traits; witness his superb playing on the Persian-inspired The Marrow (Attaboygirl Records, 2024) with vocalist Fathieh Honari as proof. As ...
read moreNew Releases From Gordon Grdina, John Surman, Moppa Elliott , And More
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by Bob Osborne
On the show we feature two tracks from the new album from John Surman . There are also dual releases from Moppa Elliott and Gordon Grdina. Other featured albums are from Diego Rivera, Albert Vila, Tim Berne's Sunny Five, Ada Rovatti, Cliff Korman, Guillaume Gargaud and Eero Savela, Mary Halvorson, and Brian Dickinson.Playlist Show Intro 00:00 John Surman, Rob Luft, Rob Waring, Thomas Strønen Hawksmoor" from Words Unspoken (ECM) 00:58 Gordon Grdina & Christian Lillinger Encounters" from Duo ...
read moreGordon Grdina: Everything Old Is New Again
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by Doug Collette
Guitarist and oud master Gordon Grdina's imagination is as deep as it is broad. As a result, there are those titles in his rapidly expanding discography that, like this pair on Attaboygirl Records, bear some measure of resemblance to previously released titles. Such an impression is nonetheless deceptive, as is the reappearance of names like the Canadian's band, The Marrow, or his frequent collaborator, percussionist Christian Lillinger: such participation constitutes legitimate extension of previous works. But that observation may also ...
read moreGrdina Maneri Lillinger: Live at the Armoury
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by Doug Collette
In recent years, Gordon Grdina has proved himself to be as passionate as he is prolific, not to mention versatile. Further affirmation aplenty of all those virtues, the forty-five minutes of Live At The Armoury stand as a showcase not only for the Canadian's adept management of shared moments of spontaneity, but also for that of his collaborators. During these kinetic interactions between Grdina and his two kindred spirits, viola player Mat Maneri and drummer Christian Lillinger, the ...
read moreGordon Grdina's The Twain feat. Dōjō and Kōichi Makigami: Gordon Grdina's The Twain feat. Dōjō and Kōichi Makigami
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by Doug Collette
Any music lover impressed with the prolific output of multi-instrumentalist Gordon Grdina over the last few years would no doubt describe his work with The Twain as a wondrous discovery. Three hour- long sets were recorded at Tokyo's GOK Studio in 2019, then edited down to a final approximately seventy minutes for a late 2022 release. It is certainly worth waiting for, if for no other reason than it both illustrates and reaffirms the broad grasp of the Canadian's musicality ...
read moreGordon Grdina: Intuitive Idiosyncrasy
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by Doug Collette
Prolific as is Gordon Grdina, he never falls prey to pointless repetition. When the Canadian multi-instrumentalist/composer/bandleader does deign to return to familiar realms, it's with a purpose, so he and his collaborators all bring fresh viewpoints and open minds in order to nurture that spirit of the moment air of continuous surprise. And Grdina relishes the intimate direct communication available in a small combo as much as the more expansive multi-leveled dialogues available in a large(r) ensemble. Thus, it's only ...
read moreEnter the "Gordon Grdina and Mark Helias - No Difference" Giveaway at All About Jazz!
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All About Jazz
All About Jazz members are invited to enter the Songlines Recordings Gordon Grdina and Mark Helias - No Difference giveaway contest starting today. We'll select FIVE winners at the conclusion of the contest on January 21st. Click here to enter the contest (Becoming a fan of Gordon Grdina at AAJ automatically enters you in the contest.) Good luck! Your Friends at Songlines Recordings About No Difference Vancouver-based guitarist and oud player Gordon Grdina has been involved in many ...
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Gordon Grdina Fuses Arabic And Avant On August 14 Songlines Release, Her Eyes Illuminate
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GoMedia PR
Oudist, With His Band Haram, Interpret Popular and Folk Music by Celebrated Iraqi and Egyptian Artists of the Last Century Vancouver guitarist/oud player Gordon Grdina's music is all about call-and-response across every possible artistic pre-conception. His last record on Songlines, by his East Van Strings quartet (The Breathing of Statues, 2009), included intense, concentrated avant-garde pieces inspired by Bartok, Webern and Berg side-by-side with spacious excursions around Arabic modes. Although he's perhaps best known as a guitarist, Grdina was already ...
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Gordon Grdina, Gary Peacock and Paul Motian - Think Like the Waves (2006)
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Something Else!
By Mark Saleski In his essay, Listening To Music," composer John Cage offers a possible definition of music and a framework for its evaluation: I have talked with several musicians who have seriously claimed that music is not made of sound, but rather of the relationships of the sounds, and that in order to appreciate it we must understand its structure." The implication is that only the trained musician (or person well-versed in music theory) can properly decide what is ...
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Photos
Music
Song One
From: Duo WorkBy Gordon Grdina
Break the Branch
From: Gordon Grdina's The Marrow with...By Gordon Grdina
Palimpsest
From: PathwaysBy Gordon Grdina
Boiling Point
From: Boiling PointBy Gordon Grdina
Longa Nahawad
From: Night's Quietest HourBy Gordon Grdina
Impending Discomfort
From: KlotskiBy Gordon Grdina
Resist the Middle
From: ResistBy Gordon Grdina
Traure
From: Life is a Gong ShowBy Gordon Grdina
Nomad
From: Nomad (Gordon Grdina)By Gordon Grdina