Guitarist Grant Geissman stands among the foremost figures in jazz, fusion, and instrumental pop, having first drawn widespread notice during the 1970s while performing as part of flügelhornist Chuck Mangione’s ensemble. His arrival came in Berkeley, California, in 1953, after which he spent his formative years in the San Jose vicinity, developing an early passion for music through exposure to surf ensembles alongside the Beatles, Cream, Wes Montgomery, and B.B. King. Teenage years brought formal guitar instruction centered on jazz standards, followed by deeper engagement with the catalogs of Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and Ornette Coleman. High-school graduation led him into De Anza Junior College’s music curriculum under the guidance of Dr. Herb Patnoe, who also oversaw Stan Kenton’s celebrated jazz clinics and offered Geissman teaching duties at the summer sessions. That opportunity prompted a 1973 relocation to Los Angeles, where one semester at Cal State Fullerton preceded a transfer to Cal State Northridge as a classical guitar major. Immersion in the Hollywood jazz circuit soon followed, yielding engagements with Gerald Wilson, Louie Bellson, Tony Rizzi, and further notable players.
A recommendation from an acquaintance secured Geissman an audition in 1976 with bandleader and flügelhornist Chuck Mangione; the connection proved lasting, placing him on Mangione’s breakthrough 1977 release Feels So Good, which featured the guitarist’s solo on the title track. The album achieved substantial commercial success, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the easy listening chart while receiving a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year. Building on that momentum, Geissman maintained his association with Mangione through tours and further recordings, appearing on Children of Sanchez, Fun and Games, and An Evening of Magic, Live at the Hollywood Bowl.
Geissman launched his solo career in 1978 with the Concord album Good Stuff. Merging jazz, funk, blues, and pop elements, the record aligned with the rising smooth-jazz genre and reinforced his standing within the Los Angeles studio community. Subsequent session work included dates with Gordon Goodwin, Mark Winkler, David Benoit, Keiko Matsui, and additional artists. A return to solo projects arrived in 1983 via Put Away Childish Toys, followed by Drinkin’ from the Money River in 1986. Further releases encompassed 1987’s Snapshots, 1988’s All My Tomorrows, and 1989’s Take Another Look.
Throughout the 1990s, Geissman sustained a sequence of acclaimed crossover-jazz albums, among them 1990’s Flying Colors, 1992’s Time Will Tell, 1993’s Rustic Technology, and 1998’s In with the Out Crowd. Session appearances during the decade extended to projects by Rodney Friend, Sam Riney, Peter Allen, Sheila E., Diane Schuur, Miki Howard, Quincy Jones, Van Dyke Parks, and numerous others. Parallel to his recording activity, Geissman entered film and television scoring, contributing to soundtracks for Dawson’s Creek, Boy Meets World, Monk, and additional series. Recognition arrived in 2004 with an Emmy nomination for co-writing and recording the theme to the sitcom Two and a Half Men.
Rejoining Mangione in 2000 produced Everything for Love. Geissman then resumed solo output with 2006’s Say That!, followed by Cool Man Cool in 2009. His fifteenth studio album, Bop! Bang! Boom!, appeared in 2012. The following year he collaborated with Lorraine Feather on Attachments, and in 2016 he supported Manhattan Transfer vocalist Cheryl Bentyne on Lost Love Songs.
