A trailblazing trombonist and composer, Grachan Moncur III was a bold improviser whose searing, harmonically explosive style (rooted in blues and bebop, but reaching far beyond those traditions), helped to define the sound of edgy free jazz and post-bop. Moncur rose to prominence in the 1960s with his two landmark Blue Note sessions: 1963's Evolution and 1964's Some Other Stuff. He had already garnered attention on saxophonist Jackie McLean's classic Destination Out!, and would go on to record with adventurous avant-gardists like Archie Shepp, Sunny Murray, Beaver Harris, and others. While his solo output slowed in the '80s, Moncur remained a vital presence, teaching and working with luminaries like Frank Lowe and Big John Patton. He re-emerged with 2004's Exploration (a collaboration with arranger Mark Masters) and his final album, 2007's Inner Cry Blues, found him just as inspired and boundary-pushing as ever.