FERDE GROFÉ
Genres: Third Stream, Stride Piano, Jazz Related Soundtracks • United States

Composer Ferde Grofe, the Prince Minister of Jazz, was born Ferdinand Rudolph von Grofe (pronounced grow-fay) on March 27, 1892 in New York City. While still a child, Grofe’s family moved to Los Angeles, California. His father was an actor and baritone singer while his mother was a cellist and music instructor. Growing up in Los Angeles, Grofe attended public schools and studied with several music instructors, first his mother and then Pietro Floridia and Ricardo Dallera. He attended St. Vincent’s College under family pressure to study law but in 1908, he found work as a violinist at convention halls and as a pianist and arranger for various with dance bands. In 1909, he produced his first commissioned work, The Elks Grand Reunion March, for the Elks Convention in Los Angeles. This same year, Grofe was hired by the Los Angeles Symphony as a violist, a position he maintained for read more...