Favorite Grant Green album?

**Fretplayer** · 07-19-2018, 09:50 PM

What is your favorite Grant Greene album? Why?

**mr. beaumont** · 07-19-2018, 10:22 PM

Solid.

Shows a bit of all Grant could do.

**Binyomin** · 07-20-2018, 12:37 AM

Matador has McCoyTyner and Elvin Jones, including a version of My Favorite Things with the guitarist in the Coltrane role.

TH · 07-20-2018, 07:08 AM

The complete quartets with Sonny Clark and Grant Green. Classic Blue note. Great tunes, great performances and some of the finest playing from Sonny on piano and Grant. Art Blakey on drums. I love the range of tunes and the things the chemistry of these two brought out in each other. It feels like their work is overlooked, but luckily their complete output was collected and reissued on Mosaic and Blue Note reissue.
David

TH · 07-20-2018, 07:35 AM

Speaking of which, have you seen the latest issue of JazzTimes? Cover feature is Grant Green, closing page is Ben Monder talking about his most influential guitarists and their music. The guitar issue.

David

TH · 07-20-2018, 07:54 AM

Originally Posted by djg

too many:

- holy barbarian
- first stand
- grantstand
- reaching out
- street of dreams
- here 'tis (donaldson)
- good gracious (donaldson)
- latin bit
- complete sonny clark
- with gloria coleman
- complete george braith
- complete booker ervin-horace parlan
- live at mintons
- search for the new land (morgan)
- workout (mobley)
- steppin out (vick)
- green street
- all the gin is gone (forrest)

Could you say a little to the OP's question of Why? It'd be helpful for me anyway. Thanks
David

**Dana** · 07-20-2018, 10:38 AM

Pretty hard to pick one, but I'll go with Iron City.

While Grant could play bebop, hard bop, latin, etc., I personally feel that he pioneered the soul jazz / acid jazz idiom that's the inspiration for some of the 'jam' bands of today like Soulive, Lettuce, New Mastersounds, etc. Guitarists like Eric Krasno and Eddie Roberts have styles that come right from the school of Grant Green.

Here's a track from the album.

**wintermoon** · 07-20-2018, 11:26 AM

I'll go w/Reaching Out. Honorable mention to Idle Moments and Solid.

**jameslovestal** · 07-20-2018, 12:29 PM

Originally Posted by TruthHertz

The complete quartets with Sonny Clark and Grant Green. Classic Blue note. Great tunes, great performances and some of the finest playing from Sonny on piano and Grant. Art Blakey on drums. I love the range of tunes and the things the chemistry of these two brought out in each other. It feels like their work is overlooked, but luckily their complete output was collected and reissued on Mosaic and Blue Note reissue.
David

I agree with what is said here, and all I can add it is has a great mix of standards and Grant blues \ riff based melody tunes. This is a CD I take with me when I travel since there is a lot of music in this 2 CD set.

PS: I also find this to be a great 'period' for Grant and his playing style. A nice balance in his solos; not repeating too much or using the same riffs and not into that funk period.

**Doctor Jeff** · 07-21-2018, 07:52 AM

Originally Posted by Dana

Pretty hard to pick one, but I'll go with Iron City.

While Grant could play bebop, hard bop, latin, etc., I personally feel that he pioneered the soul jazz / acid jazz idiom that's the inspiration for some of the 'jam' bands of today like Soulive, Lettuce, New Mastersounds, etc. Guitarists like Eric Krasno and Eddie Roberts have styles that come right from the school of Grant Green.

Here's a track from the album.

Put on your red dress baby
'Cause we're going out tonight
Put on your red dress baby
'Cause we're going out tonight
You better wear some boxing gloves
In case a fool might wanna fight

Put on your high-heel sneakers
Wear your wig hat on your head
Put on your high-heel sneakers
Wear your wig hat on your head
I'm pretty sure now baby
'Cause you know, you're gonna knock 'em dead

**kevmoga** · 07-24-2018, 08:07 PM

Agreed^, this one sums it up for me.

**kevmoga** · 07-24-2018, 08:09 PM

Oops - Thought I was responding to complete quartets album post - that's the one for me.

**MarkRhodes** · 12-13-2018, 05:35 PM

Originally Posted by Dana

Pretty hard to pick one, but I'll go with Iron City.

While Grant could play bebop, hard bop, latin, etc., I personally feel that he pioneered the soul jazz / acid jazz idiom that's the inspiration for some of the 'jam' bands of today like Soulive, Lettuce, New Mastersounds, etc. Guitarists like Eric Krasno and Eddie Roberts have styles that come right from the school of Grant Green.

Here's a track from the album.

I love that record too. I like it now and it would have liked it as a teenager (had I heard it.)
I think Bill Jennings was also great at this style of music.
Duke Robillard does a boogaloo version of "Hi Heel Sneakers." Fun tune.

**coolvinny** · 12-13-2018, 06:20 PM

Green Street

**Bflat233** · 12-13-2018, 10:15 PM

Super tough choice - his body of work is massive! I would have said The Complete Quartets until Funk in France was released and it has captured my imagination. It lacks the Rudy Van Gelder studio production quality, but to hear him playing live - it's captivating - and the tunes cover the span of his career - from his early straight ahead days at Blue Note to funk. I haven't heard Slick yet, but it's on my Christmas list. So are two tickets to the Grant Green Tribute Tour, featuring his son, Grant Green, Jr.

**rmpmcdermott** · 12-14-2018, 11:53 AM

I'm going to upset a lot of people and say Live at The Lighthouse. "Windjammer" is just sooooo good.

**Jason S** · 12-14-2018, 04:07 PM

I love the "Live at the Lighthouse" record. Love Wilton Felder's bass playing on it. So funky. I saw him live around that time. My band plays Jan Jan from this record. And sometimes Windjammer.

**jameslovestal** · 12-14-2018, 09:23 PM

Originally Posted by rmpmcdermott

I'm going to upset a lot of people and say Live at The Lighthouse. "Windjammer" is just sooooo good.

Funny but when I was in my early 20s (about 30 years ago), Live at The Lighthouse was the reason my jazz guitar circle (a group of 4 guys that grew up together learning to play jazz guitar), decided to stop listening to Green: We were getting into Joe, Wes, Tal, Jimmy, Kenny, etc,, and while we liked Green's Blue Note recordings we found the playing on this live session to be somewhat pedestrian and over repetitive.

Of course about 10 years later I re-discovered Green and he is one of my favorites, but I'm still not a fan of this jam \ live session.

My favorite Green album is that 2 disc set with Sonny Clark (due to the mix of Green blue based original tunes and standards).

**princeplanet** · 12-15-2018, 10:27 AM

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

Solid.

Shows a bit of all Grant could do.

It does, and always makes me wonder why he didn't do more bop and less boogooloo
or "blueboneing"...

**rmpmcdermott** · 12-15-2018, 11:15 AM

Originally Posted by jameslovestal

Funny but when I was in my early 20s (about 30 years ago), Live at The Lighthouse was the reason my jazz guitar circle (a group of 4 guys that grew up together learning to play jazz guitar), decided to stop listening to Green: We were getting into Joe, Wes, Tal, Jimmy, Kenny, etc,, and while we liked Green's Blue Note recordings we found the playing on this live session to be somewhat pedestrian and over repetitive.

Of course about 10 years later I re-discovered Green and he is one of my favorites, but I'm still not a fan of this jam \ live session.

My favorite Green album is that 2 disc set with Sonny Clark (due to the mix of Green blue based original tunes and standards).

Repetitive maybe, but I wouldn't call anything on this record pedestrian. It was definitely a different era for Green, though.

**Little Jay** · 12-15-2018, 03:12 PM

I am a huge GG fan; I have all his albums and most (well.. a lot at least) of his work as side man too.

My favorite album might be a surprise: The Latin Bit! Why? Because it has that ‘feel good sound’ that makes me smile ;-) Corny tunes a plenty on that album, but you’ll find yourself whistling them long after listening. And it’s so darn groovy! Entertaining in every way!

Believe it or not but I am seriously considering getting a group together to play all them tunes of that album....!

Full album on youtube:

Grant Green - The Latin Bit (full album) - YouTube

**vinnyv1k** · 12-25-2018, 04:14 PM

All his Blue Note recordings are wonderful. Sunday Mornin.....another must have. I love his version of Exodus.

**gggomez** · 12-25-2018, 05:18 PM

Grants First Stand. Solid. Green With Envy

So tough, Grants First Stand. Just so swinging, the energy the blues. Miss Ann’s Tempo it is so alive I can just imagine experiencing that live and the crowd going nuts.

Solid accompanied by Henderson and Tyner and Cranshaw and Elvin Jones. Are you serious? What a combination, what a privilidge to hear these all time greats together.

Notwithstanding the above greatness the intimacy of the trio on Green With Envy that does it for me. It is a guitar album. It is almost rock n roll in parts, it’s sounds like a bunch of mates blowing. Each instrument is so clear in the mix, Tucker and Bailey blossom. GG’s sound is really warm. It is a really rhythmic album. Green With Envy is a show stopper.

Actually I change my mind Solid is ridiculously good. It is jazz at its best.