Exploration
Born in 1937, the trombonist was raised in Newark, NJ, where he still lives. His father, bassist Grachan "Brother" Moncur, and his uncle, saxophonist Al Cooper, were stalwarts of the swing era, and his home was frequented by such luminaries as Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughn, and James Moody. Grachan was sent to high school at the famous Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina, known for its fine music program. In 1958, he joined Ray Charles’ orchestra and the next year moved on to the Jazztet of Art Farmer and Benny Golson. Farmer encouraged the young musician to write and showed him how to notate his work. After the Jazztet disbanded in 1962, Moncur freelanced with such upcoming jazz stars as Jackie McLean, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, and Bobby Hutcherson, leading to his celebrated Blue Note Records association. Moncur’s two classic albums as a leader for the label (Evolution and Some Other Stuff), as well as his many appearances as a sideman, established him as!  an upcoming star, both as soloist and composer.