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David Grisman

David Grisman

Recording Artist · Active 1976–present · Hackensack, New Jersey · acousticdisc.com · Also a musician
Classic Bluegrass New Acoustic Jazz / Dawg

David Grisman's recorded output under his own name defined the hybrid style he christened “Dawg music” — an instrumental fusion of bluegrass, jazz, gypsy swing, Brazilian choro, and Eastern European folk. His Quintet recordings and the Acoustic Disc label he founded in 1990 anchor a catalog of more than forty albums as leader.

  • The David Grisman Rounder Album (1976) marked his arrival as a bandleader, featuring Tony Rice, Darol Anger, Todd Phillips, and Richard Greene on early versions of Dawg originals.
  • The David Grisman Quintet (1977), released on Kaleidoscope with the same core lineup plus Tony Rice on guitar, launched the DGQ and became a foundational new-acoustic recording.
  • Hot Dawg (1979) added Stephane Grappelli as guest; Quintet '80, Mondo Mando (1981), and the long-running DGQ discography followed on Warner Bros., Rounder, and eventually his own label.
  • Founded Acoustic Disc in 1990 as an artist-run audiophile label, releasing his own work plus recordings by Tony Rice, Jerry Garcia, Martin Taylor, and others.
  • Signature collaborative albums include Old & In the Way (1975, with Garcia, Rowan, Clements), Garcia/Grisman (1991) and its follow-ups, Tone Poems (1994) with Tony Rice, and the Pizza Tapes sessions with Garcia and Rice.
  • Later Quintet albums including Dawganova (1995), Dawg Duos (1999), and Dawgnation (2007) explored mandolin duets and world-music-inflected chamber jazz.
  • The DGQ lineup has rotated over four decades; alumni include Tony Rice, Mark O'Connor, Mike Marshall, Enrique Coria, Jim Kerwin, Joe Craven, and his son Sam Grisman.
  • Recorded with Jerry Garcia as a bluegrass duo on several releases, starting with the seminal Old & In the Way live album.

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