Morten Grønvad

THE END 2.0 THE END 2.0
New cd "BrainBuilders" out now ... Check out www.ethnotronic.com
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M o ' g r e e N / d ' S I G N 'd
-make your own space work...
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Morten Grønvad, Dec. 6th 1962.
Instruments: vibraphone, midi-vibes, marimba, percussion, keyboards, synthesizer/computer-programming. Musician, composer, arranger, producer.
Author of the method book Applied Percussion “a Hands-on-Experience.”
Educator at Center for Rythmic Music and Movement, Jyske Music-conservatory, Rythmic Conservatory, Royal Academy of Music, Rythmic Center.
Masterclasses at Ecole de Jazz et Musique Actuelle (CH), Freiburger Musikhochschule (D), Instituto del Superior Artes, Habana (Cuba).
Owner of publishing company/recordlabel Ethnotronic, and recording facilities Greenhouse FX Studio.
Biography
M.G. started playing professionally in 1980, as a percussionist in several groups, and teaching at local musicschools. In 1982 he met the American vibraphonist Mike Mainieri, who inspired him to take up the vibraphone as his main instrument alongside percussion.
Since 1983 M.G. has been the leader of several jazz/fusion-bands (... New Fairytales, Vibrations, The End...) who has been playing his original compositions. He has been a “sideman” in many bigbands (... Creme Fraiche, DanishRadioJazzGroup, New Music Orchestra, DR Big Band...), jazzgroups (... Instant Breakfast, Attilla Engin Group, Robin Kenyatta Group, Bo Stief 5, Bjarne Roupé Group, Fat Time...) as well as having contributed to numerous recordings (…Yasmin, (Rap artist) Lucas, Honey B and the T-bones, Master Fatman, Lars H.U.G., Maria Montell, Jacob Haugård, Shirtsville, Lis Sørensen, Nulle & Verdensorkesteret, Special/Acoustic Venture...).
M.G. has furthermore participated in television and radio programs as house bandleader in Danish National TV..s “Frank of Denmark” and as a featured soloist in many jazz TV shows, theatrical performances and performed solo percussion “World to World Percussion Festival”. As a composer he has delivered compositions to many artists in a variety of styles.
As a member of the Danish RadioJazzGroup and DR Big Band he has recorded and performed in Denmark, Germany and France. He has performed and recorded together with internationally known artists like John Patitucci, Ed Thigpen, Billy Brooks, Horace Parlan, Niels Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Adam Nussbaum, Danny Gottlieb, Arild Andersen, Jimmy Woode, Martial Solal, Peter Erskine, Emil Richards, Dave Pike and Joe Porcaro.
In 1989, being a resident guest at Freiburg Zelt Musik Festival, M.G. met the American saxophonist Robin Kenyatta, which led to an extended period of touring Europe. In 1991 M.G. and Robin Kenyatta recorded the cd “Ghost Stories”, the lineup being completed by bassist Reggie Johnson and drummer Ronnie Burrage (Defunkt).
In 1991 the album “Matter of Fact” with M.G...s group The End was released. The album , containing seven of M.G...s original compositions was on the Danish top 10 for a few weeks. That year The End was the Danish contribution at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival main event “Two Days of Giant Jazz” (alongside Dave Sanborn Group, Yellow Jackets, Michel Camillo a.o.).
In 1994 he recieved standing ovations with the trio Vibrations warming up for Kenny Garret Qartet w. Pat Metheny at a packed Freiburg Zelt Musik Festival.
During the Copenhagen, European Cultural Capitol, year 1996 M.G. toured with the collective “Pass the Butter” with a.o. legendary US trombonist Fred Wesley (James Brown, Maceo Parker), rapper Kuku Agami and saxophonist BBRixx.
Later in 1996 M.G. founded the band, “The Ethnotronic Beat Revolution” with musicians from UK, Cuba, Israel and Denmark. This eventually led to the realisation of M.G...s Ethnotronic Concept - fusing ethno worldbeats with electronics and jazz, and the founding of the record label/publishing company Ethnotronic.
The End..s second cd, “Global Village”, came in the summer 1996 and was released on Ethnotronic. It was received with very positive attention and widely acclaimed by the music critics.
In 1997 Ethnotronic released M.G...s method book Applied Percussion “a Hands-on Experience” , which deals with the aspects of playing percussion in contemporary rhythmic music – a new concept in the educational field.
During a six months stay in Los Angeles in 1997 M.G. studied with percussionists Emil Richards and Alex Acuña as well as arranger and pianoplayer Claire Fischer, and soon found himself playing club gigs in the L.A. area.
In 1998 M.G. entered the producers stage and he has since then produced many albums for various Danish and international artists, mainly in the jazz/world idiom.
In 2000 the album “Well, Obviously” with the Danish state rythmic ensemble, Ensemble New was released. The album featured M.G. in 8 of his original compositions as both musician and producer. Ensemble New toured in 1999 and 2000 around Denmark and Norway.
In 2000 M.G. 's percussion and vibes playing became one of the leading instrumental voices of Chilean, Venezuelan, German, Danish techno/latin act, Señor Coconut y su Conjunto, touring Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, UK and Mexico.
In 2001 M.G. recorded an album as a member of the German group Nonplace Foursome lead by techno producer Bernd Friedmann and completed by legendary “Can” drummer Jaki Liebeszeit and guitarist Joseph Suchy.
Later in 2001 he produced “A Global Affair” with the danish jazzband "Nulle & Verdensorkestret".
In 2002 M.G. recorded the second album of Senor Coconut called Fiesta Songs. Following the release of the album he toured with the band in Canada, UK, Scotland, France, Norway and Germany and performed at the MTV production “Isle of MTV” in southern France.
In 2003 M.G. produced the world/pop/fusion album “Timi Timi” with Ghanesian bassist David “Osibio” Saskura.
The second album of Nonplace Foursome was recorded in 2003 and featured M.G. on vibes and midi-vibes. 2003, 2004 and 2005 also led to many performances with the Danish Radio Big Band, advancing M.G. to be the bands first call percussionist.
In 2004 M.G. recorded an album with danish piano player Poul Reiman, swedish drummer Niclas Campagnol and american bassist John Pattitucci.
2004 was also the year when M.G., pursuing his new latin jazz project “Gringo Starr” - El Vibraphonista Peligrosa, performed with Cuban allstars Calixto Oviedo (timbales), Alexander Abreu (trumpet) and conguero Eliel Lazo. This led M.G. to travelling to Cuba in the spring of 2005, where he amongst other activities studied the art of Bata-drumming and gave vibraphone masterclasses at the Habana University Art Faculty, Institudo del Superior Artes.
In 2005 the second album with Burnt Friedmann and Jaki Liebeszeit, Secret Rhythms 2, was released. Also the album with English vocalist [Japan] David Sylvian’s project Nine Horses: Snowborn came out, where M.G. appears alongside Robert Fripp and Ryuichi Sakamoto.
Leading into 2006 M.G. released the single Helping Hand composed and performed by M.G. together with singer Sahra da Silva in a collaborative effort to raise money to support the victims of the earthquake disaster in Pakistan. The song is still downloadable from the homepage of Danish Red Cross.
In 2007 M.G. has kept his main focus upon writing and producing new material for a.o. the updated edition of THE END 2.0, as well as co-writing material with saxophonist Jens Haack for a scheduled release of the jazz/electronica duo "GrønHaack".
In spring 2008 Morten Grønvad performed with the legendary Icelandic jazz/funk band Mezzoforte celebrating the band's 25 anniversary.
In August 2008 THE END 2.0 released their long awaited new cd "BrainBuilders" highlighting 9 original compositions by Morten Grønvad. With the release came a new line-up featuring Morten Grønvad on midi-vibes, percussion and keyboardes, Swedish saxophoneplayer Thomas Frank, Cuban bassplayer Yasser Pino and Swedish/Italian drummer Niclas Campagnol.
As a percussionist M.G. is fiery, imaginative, - always on the move for new sounds and sound colors. As a vibraphonist his expressiveness ranges from lyrical romanticism to explosive energy bursts. Since 1985 MG has been one of the very few vibes players utilizing “Space Age” technology and through his midified vibraphone he conjures up previously unheard soundtextures.
2 0 0 8 p r o m i s e s t o b r i n g m o r e n e w , e x c i t i n g a n d s u r p r i s i n g m u s i c f r o m t h e b a r s a n d s k i n s o f M . G .