doublebass player, author
After a few years of playing campfire songs on the guitar, Grom is invited to play the base guitar in a bend. In music school, however, he is shown the doublebass, since they don’t teach the bass guitar. Despite the fact that Grom is a very talented professional handball player, he opts for the doublebass, much to everyone’s surprise. In line with the old Russian school, two of his left-hand fingers are sellotaped together, so they stay in place, while he is made to widen the distance between all his other four fingers by pushing against the neck of the instrument; any letting go does not escape the teacher’s watchful eye and he is punished with a slap across the elbow. At the same time, his right hand plays with the bow across the open strings.
When a schoolfriend comes to see him in his music school, he is first astounded and then lulled into sleep by the long-drawn-out tones. Drago Ivanuša, piano and accordion teacher at the same music school, senses the progress in the distressed pupil and invites him to play jazz standards. Since the teacher is an excellent motivator, Grom takes off the sellotape and picks up the double base with both his hands. Luckily, another friend is close by, Tao G. Vrhovec Sambolec, who introduces him to the great world of sound, music and art.
sploh.si/en/about-sploh/artists/tomaz-grom
Discography
· Oholo! – Šiba (Sploh, 2024)
· Šalter Ensemble – Tri dela (Sploh, 2024)
· Tomaž Grom and 111 artists ” “ (Sploh, 2021)
· Tomaž Grom and Zlatko Kaučič – Raztrgana folklora spomina (Sploh, 2021)
· Šalter Ensemble – Štiri dela (Sploh, 2021)
· Oholo! – Mnogobolje (Sploh, 2020)
· Tomaž Grom and Zlatko Kaučič – The Ear Is The Shadeow Of The Eye (Sploh, 2019)
· Tomaž Grom and Axel Dörner – Confined Movement (Sploh, 2019)
· Trojnik – Moje uho ima ostre robove (Sploh, 2015)
· Tomaž Grom – Sam, za … (Sploh, 2014)
· Michel Doneda / Jonas Kocher / Tao G. Vrhovec Sambolec / Tomaž Grom / Giuseppe Ielasi – Udarnik (Sploh, 2011)
· Tomaž Grom / Tone Pavček – Sonce in sončice po vsem svetu (Mladinska knjiga and Sploh, 2007)
· Tilt – Tilt (Sploh, 2006)
· Tomaž Grom / Seijiro Murayama – Nepretrganost (Sploh, 2010)
· Tomaž Grom / Tao G. Vrhovec Sambolec / Primož Čučnik – Dvojnik (Sploh, 1999)
· Tomaž Grom – La passion de Jeanne D’Arc (SyHaPA and Slovenska kinoteka, 1996)
Current Projects
· Solo: Tomaž Grom – double bass, electronics
· Šalter Ensemble: Jonas Kocher – accordion; Gaudenz Badrutt – electronics; Ilia Belorukov – saxophone; Estelle Beiner – violin; Alfred Lang – trumpet; Elisabeth Harnik – piano; Josef Klammer – drums, electronics; Samo Kutin – hurdy–gurdy; Irena Z. Tomazin – voice; Tomaž Grom – double bass, electronics
· · Oholo!: Andrej Fon – tenor sax, clarinet; Jure Boršič – alto sax; Marko Jenič – violin; Andrej Boštjančič Ruda – electric guitar; Jošt Drašler – double bass; Vid Drašler – drums; Tomaž Grom – double bass
· Kaučič, Grom: Zlatko Kaučič – percusions; Tomaž Grom – double bas, electronics
· With Irena Z. Tomažin – voice; Tomaž Grom – double bass, electronics
· Šalter Ensemble: Bertrand Denzler – sax; Tomaž Grom – contrabass, elektronika; Roko Crnić – el. bas, electronics; Robert Roža – elektronika; Marina Džukljev – piano; Jonas Kocher – accordion; Nenad Kovačić – percussion; Samo Kutin – hurdy-gurdy, Julien Mégroz – drums; Srđan Muc – el. guitar, elektronika; Irena Tomažin – voice, elektronika; Tena Novak Vincek – violine
· Tilt: Tomaž Grom – double bass; Tao G. Vrhovec Sambolec – live electronics (Max/Msp)
· Samo Gromofon: Andrej Fon – wind instruments, viktor, gajda, electric guitar; Samo Kutin – hurdy gurdy, objects; Tomaž Grom – double bass, electronics
· Oholo!: Andrej Fon – saxophone, clarinet; Jure Boršič – saxophone; Marko Jenič – violin; Andrej Boštjančič Ruda – electric guitar; Jošt Drašler – double bass; Vid Drašler – percussion; Tomaž Grom – double bass
Past Projects
· Cpg Impro: Primož Čučnik – objects; Ana Pepelnik – reading; Tomaž Grom – double bass (2006–2016)
· Murayama/Grom: Seijiro Murayama – percussion; Tomaž Grom – double bass (2010–2012)
· Alzheimer3: Matjaž Manček – electric guitar; Marjan Stanič – percussion; Tomaž Grom – double bass (2005–2008)
· Bast: Aldo Ivančič; Drago Ivanuša – accordion; Marjan Stanič – percussion; Boštjan Gombač – wind instruments; Tomaž Grom – double bass (2000)
· TG kvartet: Christian Webber, Žiga Golob, Tomaž Grom – double bass; Krunoslav Levačič – percussion (1997)
· Muskafiber: Drago Ivanuša – harmonica; Tao G.Vrhovec Sambolec – clarinet; Igor Bezget – electric guitar; Tomaž Grom – double bass (1996)
· Electroshock boogie trio: Zlatko Kaučič – percussion; Igor Bezget – electric guitar; Tomaž Grom – double bass (1996)
· Doug Hammond trio: Sonny Simmons – saxophone; Doug Hammond – percussion; Tomaž Grom – double bass (1995)
Film
· Don’t Think It Will Ever Pass (2023)
· Can’t Wait For You To Come (2021)
Performance / Multimedia
· Let’s work! (2022–2023)
· iMštrument (2012–2023)
· Šift (2018–2021)
· Obetavno! (2016–2017)
· Duša, šum, ventil in žica (2014)
· Mir vam dam! (2012)
· Mogoče je napočil čas, da si vzameva trenutek … (2012)
· Skladba za harmoniko (2011)
· Pozabljeno, prezrto (2010)
· Ništrc (2008)
· When I Grow Up I will Be a Show (2007)
· Bruto (2006)
Curator
· Sound Disobedience, music festival (2012– )
· Confine aperto, improvised music cycle (2005–2017)
· Zvokotok, composed music cycle (2014–2018)
· Neforma, music – dance cycle (2010–2014)
Workshops
· With Sound About The Dance – Accademia Dell’Arte Arezzo (2017–2020)
· Raziskava Refleksija (2009–2020)
· Z zvokom o plesu (2013)
· Maksimatika (2006–2008)
Awards
· Nagrada Prešernovega sklada (2025)
· Vesna za najboljši celovečerni film (Ne misli, da bo kdaj mimo), Festival slovenskega filma, Portorož (2023)
· Vesna za najboljšo izvirno glasbo (Ne misli, da bo kdaj mimo), Festival slovenskega filma, Portorož (2023)
· Prix de la création sonore, prize for music (Babičino seksualno življenje), Festival Format court, Paris (2023)
· prize Mathieu Hoche for the best documentary (Babičino seksualno življenje), Festival International Music&Cinema, Marseille (2022)
· Župančičeva award for music (2022)
· special mention, best documentary (Komaj čakam, da prideš), Eastrn Europe Film Festival (2023)
· public award (Komaj čakam, da prideš), Europa Film Festival (2023)
· Grand prix (Komaj čakam, da prideš), Festival neodvisnega filma (2022)
· award Ostrenje pogleda (Komaj čakam, da prideš), FEKK (2021)
·Prize for creative composition of sound in the performance Opera za tri groše (director Tomi Janežič and production Kraljevsko gledališče Zetski dom Cetinje and Srpsko narodno pozorište Novi Sad) at various levels of the entire performance (2014)
·Ksenije Hribar Prize – for Sound and Music Design in the Last Two Years (2015)
·Zlata ptica for Music (2007)
We Point Out
iMštrument (2012–)
iMstrument is a collection of sound and video recordings of musicians who are developing their own individual musical language and an audiovisual experimental instrument. Selecting the source, turning on and off, defining volume and rendomness are parameters that allow the user to play music. An ever-unrepeatable composition is constantly formed in front of eyes and ears.
iMstrument is a continuously evolving creation, combining original and live music. It is taking place at the intersection of technologically processed contemporary sonority and the elementarity of clean sounds in connection with digitized recording. It is a meeting place of the absent technologically reproduced performers and the immediate presence of the user.
www.sploh.si/en/music/projects/imstrument
Concept: Tomaž Grom
Recording and video editing: Ana Čigon
Processing, coding: Vasja Progar
Interface design and production: Tilen Sepič
Sound and visual appearance:Daichi Yoshikawa, Franz Hautzinger, Lee Patterson, Samo Kutin, Seijiro Murayama, Olivier Toulemonde, Jonas Kocher, Andrej Fon, Vitja Balžalorsky, Dimitra Lazaridou Chatzigoga, Ute Kanngiesser, Jennifer Allum, Tristan Honsinger, Sebi Tramontana, Axel Dörner, Tomoko Sauvage, Mike Majkowski, Liz Allbee, Birgit Ulher, Audrey Chen, Henrik Munkeby Nørstebø, Noid, David Stackenäs, Dirar Kalash, Burkhard Beins, Andrea Neumann, Tom Jackson, Onno Govaert, Mikko Savela, Jošt Drašler, Susanna Gartmayer, Michel Doneda, Lê Quan Ninh, Jean-Luc Guionnet, Ana Kravanja, Bertrand Denzler, Carlos Zingaro, Wilbert De Joode, John Butcher, Joëlle Léandre, Hans Koch, Martin Küchen, Paul Lovens, Pascal Niggenkemper, Xavier Charles, Vid Drašler, Mohammed Abdul Monem, Irena Tomažin Zagoričnik, Mazen Kerbaj, Sharif Sehnaoui, Raed Yassin, Agnes Hvizdalek, Sven-Åke Johannson, Christine Abdelnour, Michael Zerang, Pascal Battus, Elisabeth Harnik
Executive producer: Špela Trošt
iMštrument was presented in: Slovenia, Serbia, Germany, Italy, USA, Sweden, Austria, Croatia and Switzerland.
“[A]s if Grom is playing from inside the bass, deft pizzicato on the entrails, hammering out inharmonics from the scroll to the tailpiece. Grom approaches the contrabass with that sort of totality, and utility, as if it were sentient, and in his regard and respect for the beast, he intends to use every part of its eviscerated form.”
Jesse Goin: Brutal Vnemo, Crow with no Mouth, 2014
“As a matter of fact, like a wise driving instructor who holds back unless needed, only rarely do Grom’s voluminous string stops or cranked narrow string slices re-orient the improvisations.”
Ken Waxman, Jazz Word, 2015
“He’s an active player, rarely interested in silence or allowing notes to soak into the space, more likely to be nimbly scurrying about but never descending into mere flash.”
Brian Olewnick, olewnick.blogspot, 2014
Video