Grant Green - Talkin' About (1965)

Japanese import

I bought this hard bop CD simply based on a recommendation heard on a podcast. Add to that recommendation the fact that I've loved Green's playing since I first heard his Idle Moments album and this purchase was an easy call. And while it's Green's album, organist Larry Young steals the show throughout and Elvin Jones swings hard. Overall, a great trio making "a terrific album that ranks in Green's uppermost echelon."

Leonard Feather's original, informative liner notes are available here.

Green - guitar
Larry Young - organ
Elvin Jones - drums

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard: "Green plays a real cool jazz guitar"
• CashBox: "a listening treat for jazz buffs of most persuasions."
• Downbeat (★★★½): "Green...plays with taste and built-in swing"
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000) (★★★½): "Green plays rich and simple by turns"
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: Two originals (both written by Young) plus three standards, including a popular tune from the time taken from the musical Funny Girl, People. And while the band certainly makes the three standards interesting, it's the two originals that are my favorites.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Green Street (1961)