Grant Green - Four Classic Albums (2012)

UK Import

2012 compilation of four albums by guitarist Grant Green, recorded in 1961-62, just as Green was coming on the scene. Another quality compilation from the British Avid label, who take full advantage of the length of copyright laws in Europe (50 years) and, might I add, make classic jazz releases quite affordable: I paid $11.98, new, for this 2 disc set.  Albums have been remastered and the original liner notes are included. Each disc pushes 80 minutes in length and the time just seems to fly by. Highly enjoyable.

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SUNDAY MORNIN' (1962)
6 tracks, 42 minutes

Don't be confused by the title, this isn't religious or gospel music (that would come later with the Feelin' The Spirit album). There is, however, a track titled Sunday Morning and my best guess would be that both are named for the fact that the album was recorded on Sunday, June 4, 1961. Laid back modal jazz with soulful, swinging grooves. Or, as the ad below notes, "all six selections in this LP contain striking evidence of Green's stature in the vanguard of the new wave of jazz guitarists."

Original 1962 liner notes written by Joe Goldberg, noted jazz author.

Green - guitar
Kenny Drew - piano
Ben Tucker - bass
Ben Dixon - drums

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard (★★★★): "Good solid jazz here"
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★½
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★

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

Tracks: Of the six tracks here, 3 are Green originals (Freedom March, the title track, Come Sunrise), a movie theme (Exodus), and two standards (God Bless The Child & So What). The only track that falls flat is Exodus.

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GRANTSTAND (1962)
4 tracks, 38 minutes

For this recording session, Green added a horn player to the organ trio with mixed results. I'm not referring to the playing, which is great, but at times the sound gets a little muddled with the addition. But overall, a fine representation of Green's soulful, blues-inflected guitar style from the early '60s.

Original 1962 liner notes written by Nat Hentoff.

Green - guitar
Yusef Lateef - tenor saxophone, flute
Brother Jack McDuff - organ
Al Harewood - drums

Reviews/ratings:

• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (9th ed., 2008): ★★★
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★

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

Tracks: Of the four tracks, two were written by Green. Both of those, the title cut and the multifaceted Blues in Maude's Flat, are quite good. I've never cared much for My Funny Valentine and even the fine performance here can't change my mind about it. Things wrap up with a brief, horn-free, tasteful take on Old Folks.

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GRANT'S FIRST STAND (1961)
6 tracks, 41 minutes

As the title implies, this is Green's debut album as a leader. Green's clean tone is the highlight of this organ trio soul-jazz outing.

Original 1961 liner notes written by Robert Levin, writer of liner notes for over 100 Blue Note albums.

Green - guitar
Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette - organ
Ben Dixon - drums

Reviews/ratings:

• DownBeat (★★★): "Green apparently has a good deal of potential"
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (9th ed., 2008): ★★½

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

Tracks: The opening track, a Green original titled Miss Ann's Tempo, swings hard - what an introduction! And then most of the remaining tracks live up to that intro, particularly Blues For Willarene. The weakest cut is the plodding 'Tain't Nobody's Business If I Do.

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REACHING OUT (1961)
6 tracks, 41 minutes

A mix of bluesy soul jazz on some tracks to straight ahead, swinging hard bop on others. Originally released as Reaching Out by The Dave Bailey Quintet on the Jazztone label in 1961 and reissued with altered sequencing under the title Green Blues by Grant Green in 1973 on the Muse label. Since he wasn't the leader on this session, there's no originals from Green on this one. And since it wasn't released on Blue Note, it has a distinctively different sound to it. Not bad, just different. The DownBeat reviewer (below) notes the out-of-tune piano used for the date; it's quite a distraction at times. It's Bailey's album and Frank Haynes takes the lead on tenor, but Green and bassist Ben Tucker steal the show.

Original 1961 liner notes written by Bailey and 1973 reissue liner notes by Mark Gardner.

Green - guitar
Frank Haynes - tenor saxophone
Billy Gardner - piano
Ben Tucker - bass
Dave Bailey - drums

Reviews/ratings:

• DownBeat (★★★½): "This collection has several things to recommend it, not the least of which is the work of Green"

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

Tracks: Of the six tracks on this album, today I'm digging the title cut, One For Elena, and Falling In Love With Love.

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Previously revisited for the blog:
Talkin' About (1965)
Green Street (1961)