John Graas, born October 14, 1924, was an American jazz French horn player whose early career began with competition success and studies at Tanglewood. He performed in the 1940s with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Claude Thornhill, and an Army band as a soloist at the White House. In the 1950s, he worked as a studio musician and composer in Hollywood, releasing albums under his own name including Jazz Studio 2: From Hollywood (1954), Jazz Lab, Vol. 1 & 2 (1955), Jazzmantics (1956), and Coup De Graas (1957). He collaborated with West Coast musicians including Milt Bernhart and Jimmy Giuffre. He composed the Jazz Symphony No. 1, which was recorded in 1956 and first released in 1958 as International Premiere in Jazz. Graas won the 1955 Down Beat poll award for various instruments and influenced jazz horn technique until his death on April 13, 1962.
