Another fine take Robert! Grant Green is one of my favorite jazz guitarists. He has that ability to play blues, Latin, ballads et al with soulful feeling.
Great as always, Robert! I read everywhere that Grant Green is underrated, but he's always been a favourite within my family, and I think everyone can recognise his biting, midrangey tone!
That's very true. When drafting the essay, I did mention Michael Cuscuna but eventually deleted it. It's because of him that many of those Blue Note gems that were locked in the vault can now be enjoyed, including both Grant Green sessions you mentioned. 'Matador' is, in particular, amazing.
Incredibly interesting read. I’ve long been curious about what went into the decision to release or shelve music. Was it money (cost of printing/distribution, royalties, lack of commercial appeal)? Limits of the LP media? Was it artistic differences?
What we’ve seen excavated from the vaults of Blue Note, Motown, and Stax alone makes for an intriguing alternate history, not to mention the vaults at other labels (Dylan’s bootleg series or the Elvis FTD releases are two such examples). For better or worse, the CD era and (more recently) EU copyright laws have resulted in a catalog deluge over the past four decades.
Thanks so much! I think it was partly the sheer volume of music that Alfred Lion recorded (often, I think, so that the musicians could be paid) and also that sometimes the music didn't fit the narrative of an individual musician. Both seem to be factors in why almost everything Green recorded with Sonny Clark never saw the light of day for years.
Another reason, of course, was that the session never gelled - two Green sessions, one with Kenny Dorham and Charles Davis from 1961 and one with John Gilmore in 1964, seem to be still locked up (and probably always will be) because of that.
Really nice piece, Robert. I'm not as familiar with Green's work as I should be--usually I hear him most when he crosses over into other artists' sessions. You gave a nice summary here and I'm playing "It Ain't Necessarily So" right now. You aren't kidding--this is an amazing track.
Thanks so much! It's off-the-charts good, not only in terms of the playing, but in how Blakey urges everyone on. I don't think there's another Blue Note track in which you can hear the inspiration in the Van Gelder Studio as clearly (not a surprise perhaps as Van Gelder was deeply fastidious in recording).
mmm I needed that kind of sounds today ✨ such a great issue!
Thank you, Stygi! Glad to be of service.
Another fine take Robert! Grant Green is one of my favorite jazz guitarists. He has that ability to play blues, Latin, ballads et al with soulful feeling.
An incredibly versatile player who made a lot of great, interesting music.
Great as always, Robert! I read everywhere that Grant Green is underrated, but he's always been a favourite within my family, and I think everyone can recognise his biting, midrangey tone!
Thanks so much. I've never thought of Green as underrated myself. His approach is unmistakable, at least to my ears.
Great review, Robert
Re: 'Idle Moments'
Don't forget 'Solid'!
[also, 'Matador'...
All hail Michael Cuscuna!
That's very true. When drafting the essay, I did mention Michael Cuscuna but eventually deleted it. It's because of him that many of those Blue Note gems that were locked in the vault can now be enjoyed, including both Grant Green sessions you mentioned. 'Matador' is, in particular, amazing.
Incredibly interesting read. I’ve long been curious about what went into the decision to release or shelve music. Was it money (cost of printing/distribution, royalties, lack of commercial appeal)? Limits of the LP media? Was it artistic differences?
What we’ve seen excavated from the vaults of Blue Note, Motown, and Stax alone makes for an intriguing alternate history, not to mention the vaults at other labels (Dylan’s bootleg series or the Elvis FTD releases are two such examples). For better or worse, the CD era and (more recently) EU copyright laws have resulted in a catalog deluge over the past four decades.
Thanks so much! I think it was partly the sheer volume of music that Alfred Lion recorded (often, I think, so that the musicians could be paid) and also that sometimes the music didn't fit the narrative of an individual musician. Both seem to be factors in why almost everything Green recorded with Sonny Clark never saw the light of day for years.
Another reason, of course, was that the session never gelled - two Green sessions, one with Kenny Dorham and Charles Davis from 1961 and one with John Gilmore in 1964, seem to be still locked up (and probably always will be) because of that.
Really nice piece, Robert. I'm not as familiar with Green's work as I should be--usually I hear him most when he crosses over into other artists' sessions. You gave a nice summary here and I'm playing "It Ain't Necessarily So" right now. You aren't kidding--this is an amazing track.
Thanks so much! It's off-the-charts good, not only in terms of the playing, but in how Blakey urges everyone on. I don't think there's another Blue Note track in which you can hear the inspiration in the Van Gelder Studio as clearly (not a surprise perhaps as Van Gelder was deeply fastidious in recording).