Grant Stinnett Page

Grant Stinnett is an emerging international artist. He has performed at numerous festivals, workshops, and concert tours with national artists such as Michael Manring, Celso Pixinga, Sergio Groove, Ebinho Cardoso, and Jim Stinnett. Grant's highly acclaimed Solo Bass recording, Grant Stinnett, was released in January of 2014 and has reached the ears of tens of thousands in a few short months.

Grant creates beautiful, engaging music while expanding the technical limits of the instrument. Noted for his ability to blend musicality with mastery of the instrument, Grant’s performances are a unique venture into a world of captivating melodic and harmonic depth.

“I have striven to recreate the sounds that move me the most, and when I do that well, people seem to get lost in that world with me. My solo CD is an example of that attempt. I recorded and produced every song on that CD specifically to recreate the effect of my live performances. Some of my heroes whom I try to emulate are Michael Hedges, Ed Sheeran, Hans Zimmer, and Pat Metheny.“ -Grant

Run of The Angels is closely identified with Andy McKee and Michael Hedges with its uplifting, inspirational chordal movement. “I really love Andy McKee’s music and his ability to create beautiful textures in unique ways on his instrument. I spent several years learning this style of music from Michael Manring." Another original composition in the same style is Groovy Tap which is described by Grant as, “a happy and moving tune that always makes me want to dance at first, then takes a turn for the serious.”


Grant’s depth of musicality is displayed in his songs Ocean and Spring with their soulfully sung melodic lines and haunting chordal movements in the bass. “Spring has evolved over time to become a mournful lament of a beautiful thing once lost. Only when an audience member tells me that they cried during this song do I feel that I’ve correctly performed it. Ocean, on the other hand, is meant to symbolize the defiance of a limitation, and the achievement of freedom by mastering something to the extent that you no longer feel constrained.” These heart-felt songs show off the beautiful combination of Grant’s voice and bass while demonstrating the emotional extremes that he traverses.

Grant grew up in the forests of New Hampshire, USA. He remembers hearing his father transcribing the great jazz bassists when he was young, and his mother always encouraging him to strive for excellence. Grant had no particular interest in music until the age of 14. “That’s probably because I heard people practicing and playing music all the time when I was a kid, and it wasn’t anything special to me,” says Grant. At 15 years old, Grant started learning to play bass and was immediately recognized as a serious talent and dedicated musician. That summer Grant attended the Berklee Five-Week Program and distinguished himself. “That was the first time I performed in front of thousands of people, and I had to learn quickly how to avoid being nervous.”

“I was fortunate to be able to perform and record with such masters as my father, Jim Stinnett (Professor at Berklee College of Music), Michael Manring, Celso Pixinga, Rob Gourlay, Thiago Espirito Santo, Ney Neto, Felipe Andreoli (bassist with Angra), Ebinho Cardoso, Ben McKee (bassist with Imagine Dragons), Steve Bailey, Brent Rusinow (bassist with Allen Stone), Joe Hunt, Dom Moio, and other great artists and heroes of mine.” Grant’s list of recordings is quite extensive, including over 25 CDs and dozens of educational videos, some of which are wildly successful and have gained hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube.

One of the turning points of his professional career was when Grant met Celso Pixinga. “Celso is like the uncle I never had and one of the greatest friends I could ask for. He has done so much for me to help build my name in Brazil. Besides my father and mother, Celso has had the most influence on my success, along with our mutual friend Ney Neto.” Grant also attributes a large portion of his musical ability to his father’s influence and direction. “My father, Jim, has guided me and always helped me push to become a better player and performer.”

Grant looks forward to the future with enthusiasm. “I’ve been exploring more and more ways to create beautiful music with my instrument, and I’m always working to become a better player by stealing ideas from my heroes. I’m so excited about the next few years. I’ll be traveling more, writing more, and playing more than ever. So much fun!”

Grant continually releases videos and music that expands the paradigm of the modern jazz bassist. Future projects in the coming months promise to raise the visibility of Grant Stinnett in the Jazz and World Music scenes, making it possible for many new fans to discover the beauty, sincerity, and joy of his playing and singing.