Tag Archives: Grant Green

Listening Room – “Idle Moments”

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After posting “Shades of Green” the other day, I figured I would preview some vintage Grant Green.  The guitarist is in prime form on this 1963 Blue Note release.  The Duke Pearson penned title track is a stone-cold classic, as is the sextet’s take on the Modern Jazz Quartet’s timeless Django.  Green and Pearson are joined by Blue Note stablemates Joe Henderson and Bobby Hutcherson, and while this is a rather large group session for Green at this point in his career, the players and song selection result in one of the great records of the hard bop era.

Idle Moments
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Released 1963 :  Blue Note Records  :  Catalog # BLP 4154

Players:
Grant Green – Guitar
Joe Henderson – Tenor Sax
Duke Pearson – Piano
Bobby Hutcherson – Vibes
Bob Cranshaw – Bass
Al Harewood – Drums

Grant Green – Idle Moments from “Idle Moments”

Grant Green – Django from “Idle Moments”

Listening Room – “Shades of Green”

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This RARE album from Grant Green is a soulful and groovy burner of a record.  Joined on the vibes by Billy Wooten, the pair keep the music in the cut even on the spacier and mellower tracks.  Made up mostly of standards both new and old (although the one Green original California Green is probably the strongest track), this is definitely not the sound that made Grant Green a soul-jazz legend, but it is a still a nice under appreciated gem.

Shades of Green
This album is currently out-of-print.

Released 1971  :  Blue Note Records  :  Catalog # BST 84413

Players:
Grant Green – Guitar
Joe Newman – Trumpet
Joe Wilder – Trumpet
Victor Paz – Trumpet
Jimmy Sedlar – Trumpet
Billy Wooten – Vibes
Emmanuel Riggins – Electric Piano, Clavinet
Wilton Felder – Electric Bass
Harry DiVito – Trombone
Dick Hickson – Bass Trombone
Jim Buffington – French Horn
Phil Bodner – Woodwinds
Romeo Penque – Woodwinds
George Marge – Woodwinds
John Leone – Woodwinds
Nesbert “Stix” Hooper – Drums
King Errisson – Conga
Harold Caldwell – Percussion

Grant Green – California Green from “Shades of Green”

Grant Green – In The Middle from “Shades of Green”

Listening Room – “Workout” & “Another Workout”

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Workout

Another Workout

Hank Mobley – Uh Huh

Hank Mobley – Smokin’

From “Workout” : 1961 : Blue Note Records

Hank Mobley – Out of Joe’s Bag

Hank Mobley – Gettin’ and Jettin’

From “Another Workout” : 1961 : Blue Note Records

One of my all-time favorite jazz records, “Workout” was recorded for Blue Note in 1961 when Hank Mobley was coming into his own as a player and composer.  Mobley assembled a young group of players including Wynton Kelly and Paul Chambers, as well as the young guitarist Grant Green who added a great sound to Mobley’s four originals on the record.  Highlights include Uh-Huh and Smokin’.

“Another Workout” was recorded later in the year in 1961 and has the same players as “Workout” with the exception of Green.  For whatever reason, and not uncommon for Blue Note sessions in the 1960′s, “Another Workout” didn’t see the light of day until 1985 and didn’t really get a proper release until the RVG Edition was released in 2006.

Players:

On “Workout”

Hank Mobley – Tenor Sax
Grant Green – Guitar
Wynton Kelly – Piano
Paul Chambers – Piano
Philly Joe Jones – Drums

On “Another Workout”

Hank Mobley – Tenor Sax
Wynton Kelly – Piano
Paul Chambers – Piano
Philly Joe Jones – Drums

Listening Room – “Along Came John”

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Along Came John

John Patton – Along Came John

John Patton – Spiffy Diffy

As much as this album grooves, it’s hard to believe that this was “Big” John Patton’s debut album as a leader of his own group.  Released in 1963 on Blue Note and featuring the soul-jazz powers of Grant Green, Fred Jackson, Harold Vick and Ben Dixon this is as fine an example of Hammond B3 driven jazz that you will come across.

Players:
John Patton – Hammond B3 Organ
Harold Vick – Tenor Sax
Fred Jackson – Tenor Sax
Grant Green – Guitar
Ben Dixon – Drums

Listening Room – “Blue & Sentimental”

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Ike Quebec – “Blue & Sentimental”

Ike Quebec – “It’s All Right With Me”

From “Blue & Sentimental” : 1962 : Blue Note Records

Another piano-less session, this 1962 Blue Note album by Ike Quebec is considered one of his finest.  This was considered somewhat of a comeback period for Quebec and he couldn’t have picked a better group to help him interpret his signature mix of blues and ballads, with Grant Green in great form and one of the best rhythm sections of the day.

Players:
Ike Quebec – Tenor Sax
Grant Green – Guitar
Paul Chambers – Bass
Philly Joe Jones – Drums