Search - Johnny Griffin :: Blues for Harvey

LIVE CLASSIC OF EXPATRIOT JAZZ

A. K. L. | Steilacoom, WA USA | 07/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A hidden gem that leaves you wondering how this one got away. Thank the lord its still available. It's a 1973 session from the expatriot shrine, Copenhagen's 'Jazz Door' at the Cafe Montmartre, where so many superb sessions were recorded with tenors like Dexter Gordon, Don Byas, Ben Webster, and later Stan Getz. The piano is deftly and richly played by the expatriot American legend, Kenny Drew, who appears in almost all of the recordings noted above. He virtually became the club's resident accompanist. He and the Grif are in peak form. In fact, this could well be Grif's finest work. Incidently, it's dedicated to Grif's buddy, Harvey the Montmartre bartender, featured with the tenor in a cool photo. The audience is attentive and intelligently into it, a wonderful presence and not a distraction. The ambiance is live and intimate. All the cuts show Grif's brilliant dexterity and inventive phrasing, and his tone has deepened to a rich gritty burgundy. The unusual 'Soundtrack Blues' is worth the price of the CD, a dark meditation at once chant-like and gut-wrenching. Add this one to your collection while it lasts: its an unsung classic among tenor quartets."