Three days after arriving in the United States in 1992, Mario Grigorov was trying out some instruments in a piano store when Bob James walked in, was very impressed, and soon signed him to Reprise. Before that remarkable event took place, Grigorov had had extensive classical training in Bulgaria, Iran, East Germany, and Austria. By the time his family relocated to Australia, Grigorov was becoming much more interested in jazz and rock. He had a successful composing and recording company, doing a great deal of scoring for films and television, but felt dissatisfied from an artistic level. Grigorov moved to the U.S., met James, recorded Rhymes With Orange for Reprise, and went out on tour. A virtuoso player, Mario Grigorov infuses his complex but generally melodic improvisations with strong indications of both his classical background and his Bulgarian heritage. ~ Scott Yanow