Guitarist and composer Dean Granros has resurged as a presence in the Twin Cities jazz scene over the past year. A mainstay since the early 1970s West Bank music boom, Granros draws from a number of influences, combining delta blues, classical, rock ‘n roll, country, western swing, and world music into a boiling cauldron of his own unique jazz broth. His musical role models range from Charles Ives and Olivier Messiaen, to Ornette Coleman, Thelonious Monk, Steve Lacy, and Anthony Braxton, to Jimi Hendrix, John Lee Hooker, and Mississippi Fred McDowell. Granros has been a pioneer of improvised music on guitar, and is considered by fans and notably musicians, to be one of the most brilliant musical minds in the upper Midwest. He has collaborated over the years with Dave King, Anthony Cox, Eric Gravatt, Lee Konitz, George Cartwright, Happy Apple, the Whole Earth Rainbow Band, How Birds Work, and countless other projects.

In September 2014, Granros joined guitarist Zacc Harris, bassist Chris Bates, and drummer Jay Epstein, all powerhouses of the Twin Cities jazz scene themselves, for what was supposed to be a ‘one-off’ performance at Jazz Central’s Bridge Series. The night turned out to be magical, as the dueling guitars of Granros and Harris kept driving the music further and further, powered by the juggernaut rhythm section of Bates and Epstein. The quartet decided to record an album, and the group Tall Tales was born.

After more than 40 years of performing and recording, Granros releases his first album as leader featuring his compositions, on Shifting Paradigm Records. With this release, Granros continues to pursue an inclusive vision that extrapolates the current and future from the past.