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Hi ,
what are the best Green albums to get ?
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01-08-2013 08:02 PM
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Shucks...I wanna say "everything on blue note"
no collection should be without Idle Moments, Solid, Matador, and the Sonny Clark Sessions...after that, it comes down to personal favorites...and I got lots of 'em...
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Matador is great. Very nice playing and sound.
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Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
I concur! I would also like to add, Iron City, and Live in St. Louis 1959. And everything else on Blue Note....Greet Street, Street of Dreams, Grantstand etc...etc...
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I didn't know what album to choose, so I have them all.....
Last edited by Franklin52; 01-09-2013 at 04:18 PM. Reason: No incitement to illegal downloads, thanks
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This question seems to pop up at regular intervals, so you can get past responses from the links below, and an article which I've cut an pasted. Maybe it will be helpful 'til next time.
https://www.jazzguitar.be/forum/playe...ill-evans.html
Grant Green - can someone explain his popularity
GuitarPlayer: Grant Green
From that article:
Despite being Blue Note Records’ most prolific artist during its early-to-mid ’60s heyday, Grant Green remains an underappreciated hero of jazz guitar. With a style rooted in the bluesy bebop of Charlie Christian and Charlie Parker, Green was a lean and understated improviser who used his chops to serve the greater melodic good. During the ’70s, Green turned his attention to pop, funk, and boogaloo in an effort to gain wider commercial exposure. Although not entirely successful, the records made during this period are often cited as the precursors of acid jazz, and have been sample fodder for Madonna, Cypress Hill, Us3, and A Tribe Called Quest. When Green died suddenly of a heart attack in 1979, at age 43, he left behind a recorded legacy of 93 albums on which he appeared as either leader or sideman. No jazz guitar collection is complete without at least some of these titles.
Inspired
Green Street, 1961
Green’s threadbare reading of Monk’s “’Round About Midnight” pares the tune’s chordal complexity to its essentials, and his solo on “No. 1 Green Street” is a 13-chorus lesson on playing blues changes.
Born To Be Blue, 1962
Green shares the spotlight with old-school boppers Ike Quebec (sax) and Sonny Clark (piano), but what could’ve become a cutting contest instead went down as a model of group interplay and melodicism. Even when Green and Quebec solo simultaneously at the end of “Back in Your Own Back Yard,” the result is counterpoint not cacophony.
Idle Moments, 1963
Not only Green’s finest session, but also one of the hottest small-group dates of the hard-bop era. On the languid 15-minute title track, Green is the paradigm of taste and restraint. Then, he cranks it up a notch for the exploratory whole-tone and modal sections of “Nomad.”
Matador, 1965
Recording with half of John Coltrane’s legendary quartet—drummer Elvin Jones and pianist McCoy Tyner—as sidemen might have prompted a lesser musician to ape a pale ’Trane imitation, but Green keeps his cool, providing the icy chill to Jones and Tyner’s fiery heat. The jaunty, minor-keyed “Matador” is among Green’s finest compositions.
Required
Up at Minton’s, 1961
A sideman on this Stanley Turrentine live date, Green nearly steals the show. The eight extended cuts give both soloists a chance to flex their chops.
Feelin’ the Spirit, 1963
On this gospel-themed, funk-jazz album, Green engages Herbie Hancock’s piano in a heated call-and-response like a gospel preacher witnessing to his congregation. Amen.
Street of Dreams, 1964
This collaboration with Hammond maestro Larry Young is a dreamy and introspective masterpiece—moody and atmospheric without being static and boring.
Live At the Lighthouse, 1972
Airtight arrangements, spirited soloing, and pristine sound quality make this the finest work from Green’s booty shakin’ funk era.
Tired
Visions, 1971
Green’s attempt to crack the pop market finds him playing instrumental versions of tunes by the Carpenters, Chicago, and—of all people—Mozart. The arrangements are tastefully done, but leave little room for improvisation.
The Main Attraction, 1976
Green gets off some fierce blues-scale runs, but far from being the main attraction, he seems a bit lost in the over-produced title track.
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I hate the idea that this exists, and I'm kinda dissapointed you even mentioned it. Originally Posted by Little Jay
Last edited by Franklin52; 01-09-2013 at 12:09 PM. Reason: Delete part of quote
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I think the best Grant Green recording is "The Complete Quartets with Sonny Clark" on Bluenote. Especially if you don't own any of his recordings yet.
His playing on "It Ain't Necessarily So" is fantastic.Last edited by ryboplicity; 01-09-2013 at 10:13 AM. Reason: poor grammer, more coffee needed.....
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My fave is Idle Moments, as much for Joe Henderson as for Green. Takes a special guitarist to hold his own in that company and Green did.
I also like his collaborations with Larry Young: Street of Dreams with Green as the leader and Into Somethin under Young's name
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Yes this is a pretty sad state of affairs. If I can't afford to buy my music, I'm not going to steal it. And the fact that somebody on a MUSIC board would make a post pointing out the availability of stolen music is just incredibly distressing. Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
Last edited by Flyin' Brian; 01-09-2013 at 11:47 AM.
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[QUOTE=Jimmy blue note;284683]
....
From that article:
Despite being Blue Note Records’ most prolific artist during its early-to-mid ’60s heyday, Grant Green remains an underappreciated hero of jazz guitar. With a style rooted in the bluesy bebop of Charlie Christian and Charlie Parker, Green was a lean and understated improviser who used his chops to serve the greater melodic good.
....W
hen Green died suddenly of a heart attack in 1979, at age 43.
....[
/QUOTE]
Interesting...I never really thought of him as a bebop player - I feel he was more of a bluesy melodic guy. Also, I'm not sure his death was that sudden (unlike Wes). He was a junkie for a long time, which is a big reason why he recorded so often - to pay for his habit. His biography by his daughter-in-law makes for a good read. Green Street is one of my favorite albums.
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the first one I bought many years ago was on Muse records titled 'Green's Blues' and is still my favorite one to this day. it was originally released as Dave Bailey Quintet -Reaching Out and reissued on Black Lion
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Hmm, yeah I guess you're right... But don't worry, whenever I stumble upon a Grant Green album that I don't have as a legal original, I buy it! I like to have the original albums anyway.... That's why I still have three cabinets full of legally bought cds.... And my vinyl collection is even still growing. Because somehow music on a hard disc does not feel the same as holding a real album in my hands, with a nice shiny cover, a booklet.... Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
Well, this was to clear my conscience I guess. Since most Grant Green albums I buy are up for grabs in the 10 bucks corner, I sincerely hope that Grant had his artist's rights well covered with Blue Note, so that at least his heirs can still profit from his legacy.
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I really like these compilations. They're the more funky side of Grant Green. For more straightforward jazz I like Idle Moments and Grant's First Stand.
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Pingu's mind must be reeling at this point with all these great records mentioned. In addition to all the classic GG everyone has already mentioned, I'll throw in a more obscure one I found used a few months back, called Talkin' About. This is one with Larry Young and Elvin Jones, and it's pretty smoking. The tunes are lesser known (check out "I'm An Old Cowhand", also recorded by Sonny Rollins), but interesting and well-played.
For compilations, I agree with the suggestion about the Sonny Clarke stuff. The is also another box set called Retrospective that looks interesting.
Pingu, to narrow down your choices, I would suggest maybe using the tunes and the other players on albums as part of your criteria. Also maybe sample some stuff on Itunes, Youtube, etc. and then buy. One persons essential might be your no-so-much, and vice-versa.
Matt
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in addition to Idle Moments, Born to Be Blue, Grantsrand, and the Sonny Clarke recordings, I've also found a lot to like in The Latin Bit, and I think Alive has some awesome tracks on it, although not your traditional fare.
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