Search - Grant Green :: Green Street

Who knew?

Olukayode Balogun | Leeds, England | 02/23/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It pays to have the right kind of Amazon Friend. It was my good man Derek who told me all about Grant Green. I'd never heard of him before. Rather arrogantly, I admit, I was doubtful at first. My immediate thought was: I've been a jazz fan (and a fan of jazz guitar) now for many a year. If this dude is as good as you say he is, how come I never heard of him?



But I did some research and learned nothing but good things about him. Everyone's who's ever written anything about him has written in glowing terms, it would seem. It also caught my notice that none of his CDs on Amazon that I checked outij seem to have anything less than a five star average review rating. So I jumped on in and this 1961 recording is my first experience of the man.



My initial feelings were mixed. It was instantly clear that Green was an incredibly gifted guitar player and it's still difficult for me to understand why he was apparently eclipsed by the likes of Wes Montgomery and George Benson, while ironically being greatly admired by them. "The forgotten man of jazz guitar, forever usurped by even the peers who hailed him," is how one critic described him. But during the first couple of listens, he sounded to me like he was more intent on focusing on his technical ability to the detriment of injecting any warmth, passion or personality into the music. He's precise, most definitely, with not a note out of place but while (thankfully) the warmth, passion and personality I was looking for became more obvious the more I listened, especially on tunes like the TS Monk classic "'Round Midnight" and the self-penned "Grant's Dimensions", I'm not sure it was ever enough though.



I read that he was "inactive" due to "personal problems" during the period between 1967 and 1969, the same period Montgomery was enjoying huge success and Benson was starting to emerge as a rising star but that doesn't fully explain what happened since and is still happening now. I asked a couple of my friends who are into jazz (and into both Benson and Montgomery) if they'd ever heard of Green and they all said no, which is amazing because he apparently played on around 93 albums either as a sideman or leader, over 20 of those on the Blue Note label, including one called "Nigeria". Who knew?



Bottom line: I think Grant is great and I think he deserves ten stars for this performance. Ben Tucker (on bass) and Dave Bailey (on drums) provide solid accompaniment and Rudy Van Gelder's remastering giving the music real punch. That said, I still feel he's very intellectual on this album (though he does seem to let his hair down somewhat on the alternate takes of "Green With Envy" and "Alone Together"). I can sit back and listen in awe at his mastery of his instrument and his incredible improvisational skills but I'd still prefer a smidgen more emotion.



I will still get Matador though, as for one, THAT was the actual CD my buddy Derek praised so highly. I think I'll also get Grant Green Alive! and Idle Moments because I've read such good things about them both and I would also love to hear what "Nigeria" sounds like - if I can find it; apparently it was only ever available on Blue Note's Japanese label.



Besides, Green is definitely good enough to warrant further investigation. I sincerely hope though, that those albums move me a lot more than this one does. This one impressed me, a great deal, but didn't move me quite enough. Getting acquainted with Grant Green may not have been immediately rewarding but it promises to be very interesting. Respect due to Brother Derek and I think the more people check Grant Green out, the better. I've already told all my friends."

Linear, angular playing with no chords to muddy it up

Robert Greiveldinger | Milwaukee, WI, USA | 09/09/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been a fan of guitar-based jazz for years, but just came across this album by chance for the first time late last month when listening to Bobby Hutcherson's 'The Kicker" on Blue Note. On that recording, Mr. Green performs with a larger ensemble, wherein his guitar plays farther back in the mix to Mr. Hutcherson's vibes. But on "Green Street", Grant Green makes his own statement via his sparse, angular playing, which effectively fills the room, backed only my bass and drums. It is precisely this limited ensemble line-up that makes Green Street so wonderful, as you can focus on the guitar and how Grant Green plays it note-for-note, line-for-line, without really any chords to fall back on throughout the entire recording. Instead, the listener is treated to very linear playing, which develops and concludes as the music progresses; you feel as if the music takes you somewhere. This is especially the case considering that these takes are rather lengthy; extending themselves over eight, nine and ten minutes of more, in order to give full expression to Mr. Green's playing. In addition, and what I really appreciate about this album maybe more than anything, is that fact that almost all of the songs are original compositions by Grant Green himself, indicating that he had his own ideas about what he wanted to do with the music, and where he wanted to take it, without being confined by the stylistic cliches of worn-out "standards", which lend themselves to predictability for both the performer and listener.



This album is an excellent example of being able to do a lot with a little, and so the listener is not overwhelmed by the presence of unnecessary instrumentation. This is especially true in terms of the absence of piano accompaniment on this cd. The piano, by the nature of how it is usually played in most jazz settings, limits the playing possibilities of other melody-instruments, such as the saxophone, trumpet, or in this case the guitar, by requiring them to have to "play over" the chords the piano lays down as a foundation of the song. This need to play melody based on piano chords restricts the opportunity for other melody based instruments to "open up" and play what they want. As a result, other musicians are less "free" to improvise, which is one of the hallmarks of all great jazz (for other examples of this, please listen to Gerry Mulligan's piano-less quartets, or the piano-less records of Ornette Coleman).



Since Mr. Green is liberated from such chordal confines, he is free to let his melodic muse roam, improvising and stretching out at will, and giving Green Street a freshness and energy that make the collection stand out even today, when so much of this era's music has now been relegated (justifiably in many cases) to the realm of "museum jazz".

In addition, this is one jazz album that works really well played at high-volume.



Grant Green may not be one of the better-known names in guitar jazz, unlike Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery and Pat Metheny, but he deserves to be. If you are a fan of guitar jazz have not heard Green Street, you owe it to yourself to take a listen, as once you hear it, you will wonder how you got this far into jazz without having come across it before."

Blues on Green Street

Jack Baker | LeRoy,IL | 10/13/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Green Street is a really sharp trio album from guitarist Grant Green. He's joined on this session from April of 1961 by bassist Ben Tucker and drummer Dave Bailey. All of the songs except "'Round About Midnight" and "Alone Together" were composed by Green. The CD adds alternate takes of "Green With Envy" and "Alone Together".



This album is deceptively simple sounding, as the playing seems almost effortless, starting with "No. 1 Green Street", a solid blues piece that showcases Green's tone and economy. He acquits himself equally well on Monk's "'Round About Midnight", an unusual, wandering kind of piece. "Grant's Dimensions" is kind of a blues shuffle, backed by a meandering Tucker bassline. There's some choice fretwork by Green on this one. This is probably my favorite piece on the record. "Green with Envy" begins with a fantastic phrase that recurs in the piece, but there's some razor sharp and liquid fast stringwork throughout. Tucker turns in a solid solo performance here, backed by some magnificent chording from Green. The album closes with "Alone Together", appropriately ending on the most relaxed piece, a carefree sounding cover.



Green Street is simply a beautiful album, bluesy and mellow. Grant's style is very smooth and elegant, with just a touch of grit. It makes for great atmosphere music for rainy days and smoky nights. Grant and company are superb in all aspects on this one."