Photograph by Nicholas Chase.
Mel Graves
Jazz Program Director
Office Location: Ives 62
Office Phone:(707) 664-2134
E-mail Address: mel.graves@sonoma.edu
Fall 2007 Office Hours: M F,
12pm-1pm, W 4pm-5pm
What I Do at SSU
I am director of the jazz studies program. I book our jazz concerts and workshops. I also teach jazz theory, jazz improvisation, jazz ensembles, jazz composition, jazz arranging, bass, melodic jazz sight reading and special courses on the music of various jazz masters.
My Bio
Mel Graves is a graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (1969) and U. C. San Diego (1974). He is an established composer in both contemporary art music and jazz having received several grants and commissions from the National Endowment for the Arts (3), Kronos Quartet (3), Thomas Buckner (6 including a two hour work for voice, Turtle Island String Quartet and a five piece jazz ensemble), Chamber Music Northwest (2), Meet The Composer (3), California Arts Council, Twin Pines Wind Quintet, Jazz In The City which is now called San Francisco Jazz Festival (a two hour work for Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Henderson, the Denny Zeitlin Trio and the Kronos Quartet), and many others. His most recent CD “Homage” (2006) is available on the New York City label Mutable Music.
Mel Graves is also an accomplished contrabassist who can be heard on more than 50 recording projects. Mel has performed with Mose Allison, Jerry Hahn, James Newton, Odean Pope, Dewey Redman, Kenny Werner, Kenny Wheeler, Tom Harrell, Eddie Harris, Dave Liebman, Larry Coryell, Bill Watrous, Blue Mitchell, Betty Carter, Hampton Hawes, Bennie Wallace, Ray Anderson, Eddie Moore, Paul McCandless, Steve Smith, Joe Henderson, Denny Zeitlin, Jon Jang, Lee Konitz, Art Lande, Babatunde Lea, Ernie Watts, Roscoe Mitchell, John Abercrombe, Carl Allen, Jay Clayton, Herb Pomeroy, Richie Cole, Julian Priester and many others. “Emotion In Motion”, “A Day Of Love” and “Ear Shot” are under his own name. Mel Graves has been the director of Jazz Studies at Sonoma State University since 1982.
