Search - Grant Green, Sonny Clark :: Complete Quartets With Sonny Clark

Delicate and Classic: A Standard for Jazz Playing

John Russon | Toronto, ON Canada | 03/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a wonderful album that shows the musical potential of the guitar as a single-note jazz instrument. Grant Green went on to play much "funkier" jazz, but this album has the clean elegant sound of classic jazz music. In that way it is reminiscent of one of the great jazz albums of the late '50s, the Sonny Clark Trio's self-titled album. The parallel is no suprise, since Grant Green is here playing with Sonny Clark. As well as offering a variety of delicate renderings of standard tunes (--I especially like "I Concentrate on You"--) this album demonstrates one important way that the guitar and piano can play together. (Both are chordal instruments, and can clash in a band, but here Green uses the guitar to play only single notes, more like a horn would normally do.) This is an excellent album that I listen to regularly without ever tiring of it."

Another Great Cuscuna Classic Release

Big H | Glos; UK | 01/08/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a double CD that I resisted for a long time, being slightly sceptical as to whether I might already have most of the tracks issued under Clark's name. Oh ye of little faith......should never doubt a Michael Cuscuna reissue!
The sessions covered include two using Louis Hayes on drums (December 23 1961 and January 31 1962) and one (January 13 1962) using what is probably a rare excursion by Art Blakey as a sideman during this period. Add the talents of bassist Sam Jones on all three sessions and you have unquestionable quality.
Strange, therefore, that most of the tracks have remained unissued outside Japan until now? Well, possibly not, given Green's prodigious recorded output around that time and the fact that for the most part the chosen tunes are either standards or well known jazzers. Of the 19 tracks on show here only three are Green originals - "Gooden's Corner", "Two For One" and "Hip Funk". It is something of a shame, however, that this music lay on the shelf for so many years and seems to only have been issued for the first time a response to Green's untimely death in 1979, and then mainly in Japan, with only the first five tracks on Disc 1 comprising an album called "Nigeria" issued elsewhere.
The music itself is unashamedly wonderful from the first track to the last. Green's swinging single line style was developed from his preference for listening to horn players rather than guitar players during his formative years, and is a style that relates perfectly to Clark's percussive drive. The treatment of such tunes as Gershwin's "It Ain't Necessarily So" and Porter's "What Is This Thing Called Love" contains more than enough to keep you interested after several plays without ever resorting to a more irreverent form of improvisation. Many gigging musicians might cringe at the inclusion of Mancini's "Moon River" in such a set (although it was a big hit at the time) but this particular 4/4 version is worthy of far more than background music in an elevator, again without ever venturing far from the original structure.
Little wonder then that this CD is worth 5 stars. Incidentally, for the sake of absolute historical accuracy, one further recorded example of a Green/Clark quartet session (with Butch Warren and Billy Higgins) is available as two additional tracks added to a recent Blue Note 'Connoisseur Series' CD under Green's name "First Session"."

You like Grant Green? Get this CD at all costs!

Glen Murley | Sagamore Beach, MA United States | 09/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have always loved Grant Green's music. Not a big fan of the sell-out years where he tried to cross over into commercial success. Wes did it, Grant never quite managed to do anything but "sell out" in my opinion. And the music suffered. But that's not this CD...



This CD is straight-ahead jazz. Pure, solid, grooving, dramatic, powerful, inspirational, and just a true pleasure to listen to. Every member in the band plays like they've known each other since the womb. So very, very tight. Grant and Sonny are almost too nice to each other. They both try very hard to accomidate the other and make sure they have space to play. And when comping, Sonny and Grant compliment each other in a way that only true chemistry can create.



Grant's sound is very typical on this one. Signature single-note lines, not many chordal phrases. When i say, "typical" I mean typical of his greatest playing. I easily put this recording up there with Idle Moments.



My favourite track on the CD is,"It Ain't Necessarily So." The interplay between Grant and Sonny will just make you beam with happiness. Every time Grant tries to hand the lead off to Sonny, Sonny eggs him on verbally with, "go, just go!" And Grant anwers with some heartfelt passion and always finds a way to push himself. Grant shows off his incredible ability to flawlessly drag his notes on this CD too. His playing always seems so simple, but he's really a smart and knowledgeable player.



This is one of my desert island discs. You just can't go wrong popping this set into the player. Never lets you down. Simply put, if you're a fan of Grant's more straight-ahead, non-funkified music, then you will probably want to pick this CD set up."