After this, Graas settled in Los Angeles, finding work as a studio musician but also now able to work with kindred spirits on the innovative side of West Coast jazz, including Shorty Rogers, Jimmy Giuffre, Gerry Mulligan, Art Pepper, Buddy Collette, and Shelly Manne, all of whom were involved in efforts to blend jazz with elements of classical music.
Shelly Dass | Shelly Manne | Shelly Liddelow | Shelly Lares | Shelly Chaiken | Dave, Shelly, and Chainsaw | Shelly Woods | Shelly Lowenkopf | Shelly Liebowitz | Shelly Finkel | Shelly Beach, New South Wales | Shelly-Ann Fraser | Manne Siegbahn | Ben Shelly | Anne Manne |
In 1964 he founded Mainstream Records, where he both reissued his old material and produced new recordings from Shelly Manne, Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Haynes, Buddy Terry, and Pete Yellin.
Over the next two decades, he became one of the more popular studio bassists for jazz recording on the West Coast, appearing on albums by June Christy, Shorty Rogers, Shelly Manne, Buddy Rich, Buddy DeFranco, Marty Paich, Claude Williamson, Georgie Auld, Chet Baker, Bob Cooper, Harry Sweets Edison, Gerry Mulligan, Art Pepper, Bud Shank and Ella Fitzgerald.
He has played with many famous musicians including João Donato, Marcos Valle, Milton Nascimento, Gilberto Gil, Taiguara, Toninho Horta, Roberto Carlos, Gal Costa, João Bosco, Paulo Moura, Airto Moreira, Moacyr Santos, Ron Carter, Wayne Shorter, Shelly Manne, Peggy Lee, Cal Tjader, Sarah Vaughan, George Duke, Flora Purim, Egberto Gismonti.