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Johnny Griffin – “The Congregation”

Johnny Griffin – “I’m Glad There Is You”

Johnny Griffin – “I Remember You”

From “The Congregation” :  1957  :  Blue Note BLP 1580

“The Congregation” is a flat out hard-bop classic from one of the all-time tenor greats.  Often billed around this time in his career as “the fastest saxophone in the west”, this album downplays that aspect of his talent for a more laid back session that shows off his phenomenal tone and soulful playing.  The great Sonny Clark contributes heavily to the album on piano and the symbiosis between Clark and Griffin is evident throughout.  1957 was a busy year for Griffin, who joined  Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers for a few months before replacing Coltrane in Thelonious Monk’s quartet (with whom he appeared on two classic live albums, “Misterioso” and “Thelonious in Action” in 1958).  Legend has it that Monk pushed Orrin Keepnews hard to sign Griffin to Riverside Records, but Blue Note snatched him up first.  “The Congregation” was his third and final Blue Note recording, before he eventually ended up on Riverside where he would record a handful of classic recordings to start out the 1960′s.

Players:
Johnny Griffin – Tenor Sax
Sonny Clark – Piano
Paul Chambers – Bass
Kenny Dennis – Drums

The John Scofield Band – “Creeper”

The John Scofield Band – “Thikhathali”

The John Scofield Band – “Freakin’ Disco”

From “Up All Night” : 2003 : Verve Records

This is John Scofield at his funky and adventurous best, playing with some like-minded individuals who present the listener with music that both grooves and shows off the impressive chops of all involved.  Creeper starts off with a quiet theme but builds nicely as Scofield’s guitar plays over a nasty rhythm laid down by the band which then develops into a playful set of noise before returning to the original melody of the tune.  Thikhathali is a wicked jazzy take on Nigerian funk as only Scofield could put together.  Freakin’ Disco is a personal favorite of mine, with the players setting down a groove while the guitars fuzz and jam their way over and all around the place.  Any way you slice it, “Up All Night” is a new millennium classic that pushes jazz into new territory while still be mindful of it’s classic past.

Players:
John Scofield – Electric Guitar and Guitar Samples
Avi Bortnick – Rhythm Guitar, Samples, Loops
Andy Hess -  Bass
Adam Deitch – Drums

Horn Section on Thikhathali:
Craig Handy – Tenor Sax
Earl Gardner – Trumpet
Gary Smulyan – Baritone Sax
Jim Pugh – Trombone

Orrin Keepnews & Cannonball Adderley

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
January 11, 2011
By MARC MYERS

El Cerrito, Calif.

Orrin Keepnews can be prickly. The celebrated co-founder of the Riverside, Milestone and Landmark jazz record labels has been known to scare off the uninitiated with his blunt temperament. But when the 87-year-old greeted me at the front door of his ranch-style home here last month, he was borderline cuddly. “Cranky?” he asked, dismissing my description. “Impatient—I’ll go along with that, but not cranky.”

On Tuesday, the National Endowment for the Arts will honor the five-time Grammy winner with its Jazz Masters Award. For nearly 60 years Mr. Keepnews has produced a sizable chunk of jazz’s most enduring recordings—including classic releases by Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, Wes Montgomery and Sonny Rollins.

Mr. Keepnews was the creative force behind Riverside, the influential independent record label where he produced 300-plus LPs between 1954 and 1964. An accidental entrepreneur, he leveraged a simple idea: Find promising jazz musicians and inspire them to be original.

Today, he is keenly aware of his place in jazz history and role in preserving the music of geniuses at the height of their powers. “I have no musical training, which turned out to be my strong point,” he said. “When you subtract what I don’t know, you’re left with my taste, enthusiasm and respect for what jazz musicians were trying to do.”  Full Article…