Search - Grant Green :: First Session

First Session
Grant Green
First Session
Genres: Jazz, Pop, R&B
 
  •  Track Listings (7) - Disc #1

Grant Green's discography has grown immensely since his death in 1979, with recent additions such as The Complete Quartets with Sonny Clark, Standards, and Blues for Lou providing more of the guitarist's early '60s Blue No...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Grant Green
Title: First Session
Members Wishing: 6
Total Copies: 0
Label: Blue Note Records
Release Date: 2/13/2001
Album Type: Original recording remastered
Genres: Jazz, Pop, R&B
Styles: Soul-Jazz & Boogaloo, Bebop, Funk
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 724352754823, 724352754854

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Grant Green's discography has grown immensely since his death in 1979, with recent additions such as The Complete Quartets with Sonny Clark, Standards, and Blues for Lou providing more of the guitarist's early '60s Blue Note recordings. He's emerged anew as one of the greatest jazz guitarists, a lyrical player whose hornlike lines could convey rare depths on bop, blues, and modal tunes. This CD goes deeper into the Blue Note vaults to present Green's first session as a leader. It's a quartet date from November 1960, recorded two months before Grant's First Stand, his first session to be released, and it places Green in the stellar company of pianist Wynton Kelly and bassist Paul Chambers, then members of Miles Davis's band, and drummer Philly Joe Jones, another Davis veteran. That it's taken over 40 years to surface might take listeners aback. Blue Note head Alfred Lion apparently thought the session below par, and that stellar rhythm section may have made Green slightly nervous. There are definitely a few ragged edges, with Green sometimes hesitant or slipping into licks that come too readily to hand, but his strengths are also apparent. His singing tone and soulful inflections are well in place, and there's already crystalline clarity and supple swing in his lines. The support is superb, however intimidating. There's a feeling of real rapport on the long slow blues of "Seepin'" and the contrasting grooves of the R&B-sourced "He's a Real Gone Guy" and the medium swing tempos of "Just Friends" and "Grant's First Stand." Often the tunes sound like they're one take from being masterful. The CD is rounded out with two previously unreleased versions of Dizzy Gillespie's "Woody 'n' You" recorded a year later with pianist Sonny Clark, bassist Butch Warren, and drummer Billy Higgins. First Session is an intriguing addition to Green's body of work, complementing his masterpieces such as Idle Moments and Feelin' the Spirit. --Stuart Broomer

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CD Reviews

An early session unshelved for fans of Green.
jazzfanmn | St Cloud, MN United States | 02/13/2001
(3 out of 5 stars)

"Grant Green heads two quartets from two seperate dates in late 1960. The first five tracks were the first Green ever recorded as a leader for the Blue Note lable and feature the all-world rhythm section of Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. The final two cuts, both takes of the bop standard "Woody 'N' You" were cut a couple of months after Green's "official" first release "Grant's First Stand" and feature Sonny Clark, Butch Warren, and Billy Higgins backing Green. Overall this cd is a fairly solid, if somewhat average set of performances. The leadoff track "He's A Real Gone Guy" is a classic example of Green's soulful, funky approach. The initial version of "Grant's First Stand" and a cover of Sonny Rollins' "Sonnymoon For Two" find the entire quartet digging in and swinging out, all propelled by Jones' drumwork. Green's original slow blues "Seepin'" provides a nice extended laid back groove for Grant to stretch out on. The final two cuts offer the listener who has gobbled up everything else featuring Green and pianist Sonny Clark more of a good thing. Green and Clark always seem inspired by each other's presence and every chance to hear the two on record is a treat. This is a cd for fans of Grant Green who must have all of the music by this underrated legend. Newcomers are urged to check out "Idle Moments", "the Complete Quartets with Sonny Clark", "Matador", or any of his work as a sideman such as Hank Mobley's "Workout" or Lee Morgans' "Search for the New Land" before checking out this cd."
Weak
Dave Clark | San Francisco, CA USA | 03/08/2003
(2 out of 5 stars)

"This session was not released earlier, as Alfred Lion had judged it to be less than what Green was capable of. In short, he called it right.For jazz guitarists and other fans of Green, you may want to buy this disc anyway: While not polished, the solos are good. Moreover, they're easy to deconstruct if you want to see just what Green was thinking over the changes.If you're just now discovering Grant Green, there are several other excellent albums to begin with. An excellent CD which also features recently re-discovered content is Standards."
Finally, Green's First
Michael B. Richman | Portland, Maine USA | 03/24/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD deserves five stars just for being available! After years of sitting in the Blue Note vaults, collectors like me can finally stop wondering and start listening to Grant Green's actual label debut. But in terms of musical content, this disc is probably only a four star effort. While the formidable rhythm trio of Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones are in top form, Green seems a bit overwhelmed on a couple of tracks, and the result falls short of the magical interplay that occurs on Hank Mobley's "Workout." The disc concludes with two takes of "Woody N' You" featuring another classic rhythm section -- Sonny Clark, Butch Warren and Billy Higgins (the backbone of Dexter Gordon's "Go" and Jackie McLean's "A Fickle Sonance" among others). Again, the results are more historically significant than musically. With that being said, overall I still enjoy this disc more than some Green discs that saw the light of day when they were recorded, such as "Sunday Morning," "The Latin Bit" or even "Feelin' The Spirit." But as the reviewer below indicates, those just discovering Grant Green would be far better served starting with "Idle Moments.""