Grant Geissman

Grant Geissman (born April 13, 1953) is an American jazz guitarist and Emmy-nominated composer. He has recorded extensively for several labels since 1976 and played guitar on the theme for Monk and other TV series.

Career Geissman was born in Berkeley, California and grew up in San Jose. When he was 11 years old, Geissman began his first guitar lesson with his private teacher Mrs. Allen. After his private tutoring was completed, he began taking guitar lessons from local musicians, such as Geoff Levin (of the pop group People!), Don Cirallo, Bud Dimock, and Terry Saunders. Encouraged by these teachers to learn jazz standards and to improvise, he began playing in rock bands on weekends and also with small jazz groups and big bands. As a high school senior, he entered formal study with avant-garde guitarist Jerry Hahn, who introduced him to the music of Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Ornette Coleman.

After graduating from Prospect High School, Geissman attended De Anza College, where he played in both De Anza's jazz band He has appeared as a session musician on albums by Peter Allen, Sheila E., Miki Howard, Quincy Jones, Rodney Friend, Diane Schuur, Van Dyke Parks, and Luis Miguel.

Geissman reunited with Mangione in 2000 when they recorded the album Everything for Love (Chesky). A throwback to the jazz that first influenced him, he has described the sound of this album as "Wes Montgomery meets Horace Silver meets Jimmy Smith." he received an Emmy nomination in 2004 for another Passions song, "Momma, Gotta Let Her Go". In 2003, he was nominated for an Annie award for producing Van Dyke Parks' songs for HBO's Harold and the Purple Crayon. He has written additional music for films and television movies, including The Ponder Heart (2001), Call Me Claus (2001), Monday Night Mayhem (2002), Die, Mommie, Die! (2003) and The Mojo Cafe (2004). Dennis C. Brown and Geissman collaborated on the underscore for the hit CBS-TV sitcom Two and a Half Men. The show's theme, co-written by Geissman, was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2004.

Books Apart from his musical career, Geissman has written books about Mad magazine and EC Comics, including Collectibly Mad (Kitchen Sink Press, 1995); Tales of Terror! The EC Comics Companion, co-authored with Fred von Bernewitz (Fantagraphics, 2000); and Foul Play! The Art and Artists of the Notorious 1950s E.C. Comics! (HarperDesign, 2005). He has also compiled and/or written annotations for ten other Mad-related books, and he appears in Chip Selby's documentary, Tales from the Crypt: From Comic Books to Television (2004). In 2011, Geissman teamed with Russ Cochran to launch a publishing company, GC Press, to continue the hardcover EC Archives series originally published by Gemstone.

Discography As leader Good Stuff (Concord Jazz, 1978) Put Away Childish Toys (Pausa, 1983) Drinkin' from the Money River (TBA, 1986) Snapshots (TBA, 1987) All My Tomorrows (TBA, 1988) Take Another Look (Bluemoon, 1990) Flying Colors (Bluemoon, 1991) Time Will Tell (Bluemoon, 1992)

Reruns (compilation) (Bluemoon, 1992)

Rustic Technology (Bluemoon, 1993) Business As Usual (Positive Music, 1995) In with the Out Crowd (Higher Octave, 1998) Say That! (Futurism, 2006) Cool Man Cool (Futurism, 2009) Bop! Bang! Boom! (Futurism, 2012) Blooz (Futurism, 2022)

As sideman

With Paula Abdul Head over Heels (Virgin, 1995)

With Peter Allen Making Every Moment Count (RCA, 1990)

With Louie Bellson Live at the Concord Summer Festival (Concord Jazz, 1976) Sunshine Rock (Pablo, 1978) Matterhorn (Pablo, 1979)

With David Benoit This Side Up (Spindletop, 1985) Every Step of the Way (GRP, 1988) Inner Motion (GRP, 1990)

With Cheryl Bentyne The Lights Still Burn (Paddle Wheel, 2003) Moonlight Serenade (King, 2003) Let Me Off Uptown (Telarc, 2005) The Book of Love (Telarc, 2006)

With Pat Boone Just the Way I Am (Lamb & Lion, 1979)

With Vikki Carr Esos Hombres (CBS, 1988)

With Marla Gibbs It's Never Too Late! (Forever 30, 2006)

With Josh Groban Illuminations (143, 2010)

With Dan Hill Real Love (CBS, 1989)

With Julio Iglesias Tango (Columbia, 1996) Divorcio (Columbia, 2003)

With Chuck Mangione Feels So Good (A&M, 1977) Children of Sanchez (A&M, 1978)

With Clair Marlo Let it Go (Sheffield Lab, 1989) Behaviour Self (WildCat!, 1995)

With Liza Minnelli Gently (Angel, 1996)

With Van Dyke Parks and Gaby Moreno ¡Spangled! (Nonesuch, 2019)

With Diane Schuur Pure Schuur (GRP, 1991)

With Ringo Starr Ringo Rama (Koch, 2003)

With Kelly Sweet We Are One (Razor & Tie, 2007)

With Robbie Williams Escapology (Chrysalis, 2002)

With Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks Orange Crate Art (Warner Bros, 1995)