Search - Grant Green :: Born to Be Blue

Ike "Coleman Hawkins" Qubec doing fine.....

Anders Jonasson | Bankeryd Sweden | 06/13/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The mix of musicians on this recording first starts to make you wonder... does this really work.. and the answer is yes. Of course it is so that Quebec is so heavily influenced by Hawkins that at times you wonder if it is not Hawkins that are playing, anyway, Quebec plays nice and it works out nicely together with Green.It seems that Green was at the best of moods when recording this, his soloing is very "boppish" light, bouncing and not to mention "Swinging", good example of this is "Somedxay My prince will Come! and "Back on your own backyard". When I first heard "if I should loose you" I had to laugh when listening to Greens solo. "he is playing jokes" some odd licks, and at one place a repeated lick (like he aleays use to do) but this time it did not seem to be to go deeper into the groove,but rather to surprise the lister,even though . I have listened to Green almost every day for 30 years, I thought that ther something wrong with my CD player. I also like what Louis Hayes are doing, he keeps the music swinging, his light touch is delicate, and he does not sound like a stone crusher."

Green Was "Born To Be Blue"

Michael B. Richman | Portland, Maine USA | 11/05/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The editorial review does a wonderful job of describing the contents of this fine session, so I thought I'd just offer a small anecdote. It has always amazed me which sessions of Grant Green's Alfred Lion decided to release in the 1960s. Some of Green's most lasting achievements in my opinion -- "Solid," "The Matador" and this title, "Born To Be Blue" -- sat in the Blue Note vaults until the mid-70s, while inferior titles (for my money anyway) like "The Latin Bit" were issued in the era in which they were recorded. I think the reason for this was Lion saw Green as a potentially profitable crossover artist, and as a result only Green's more commercial recordings were originally released. But to Lion's credit, he did have the foresight to record Green in a variety of settings to showcase his diverse talents. And his ability to play the blues has never been better demonstrated than on "Born To Be Blue.""

Green: Born to be Blue

R. Spence | Houston, Texas | 01/02/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Born to be Blue is one of Grant Green's best outings along with Idle Moments and Street of Dreams. His guitar tone has a pristine jewel-like opulence which fits the standards he covers (as well as one original) beautifully, and his always groove-laden playing ranges from a probing lyrical marcato to smooth single-note runs. Ike Quebec (saxophone) plays first-rate solos throughout, especially on the title-cut and 'My One and Only Love'. Ike is a very straight ahead saxophone player--(contrast to Joe Henderson [also great] in some of Grant Green's more adventurous settings)--and as one reviewer aptly put it: not unlike Coleman Hawkins. Born to be Blue is very accessible, yet the playing is far too intelligent and imaginative to delve into any muzak-ish schmaltz. I'm a huge fan of post-bop progressive jazz . . . i.e. Andrew Hill, Eric Dolphy, Sam Rivers etc . . . and I found Born to be Blue to be quite engaging on many levels. Hence it is a recording palatable to both myself and my (or practically anybody's) grandparents.

Question to other reviewers or listeners: Has anyone noticed a scratchy or staticky(sp?) sound on some of the percussion tracks. I'm trying to determine whether it is my copy or the recording in general. It is not a big enough liability to detract any stars from my review, nor does it detract from my enjoyment of the cd."