danasgoodstuff Posted May 29 Report Share Posted May 29 10 hours ago, Dub Modal said: By chance I came across this discogs review of Sunday Mornin' by Jenell Kesler(?), which somewhat parallels the original post of this thread. "Norman Weinstein said of the record, “Green had the misfortune of being saddled by his record company with painfully stupid concept albums that may have contributed to his depression and drug abuse. Imagine if Impulse Records had asked Archie Shepp to do a country and western collection or a cliche-laden gospel set? Green suffered these indignities and more. Sunday Mornin' suggests just how consistently great he would have been if Blue Note had permitted him to do no-nonsense, mainstream jazz sessions.” As to this comment, I can see both sides, yet we all don’t become drug addicted because of our jobs, and Green could have easily refused to lay down these tracks, and no, I don’t think this Sunday Mornin’ is a shining hour for Grant Green." There's more at the link. I have no idea if this critique is accurate at all. I think Weinstein is fantasizing to fit his narrative. Goin' West is an utterly joyful record, most likely inspired by Sonny's Way Out West. And Archie Shepp's gospel album Goin' Home is one of the best things in his discography, as is 4 for Trane which may very well have been Impulse's idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted May 29 Report Share Posted May 29 2 minutes ago, danasgoodstuff said: I think Weinstein is fantasizing to fit his narrative. Goin' West is an utterly joyful record, most likely inspired by Sonny's Way Out West. And Archie Shepp's gospel album Goin' Home is one of the best things in his discography, as is 4 for Trane which may very well have been Impulse's idea. THIS!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Dryden Posted May 29 Report Share Posted May 29 I would rather listen to any of Grant Green’s recordings made for Alfred Lion than the post-Lion funk made after Blue Note was sold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danasgoodstuff Posted May 30 Report Share Posted May 30 13 hours ago, Ken Dryden said: I would rather listen to any of Grant Green’s recordings made for Alfred Lion than the post-Lion funk made after Blue Note was sold. While I generally prefer the earlier era, I wouldn't go that far - I'd take most of the later era over Am I Blue. I particularly enjoy Green is Beautiful and all of the live dates made for BN. And comparisons like that seem pointless to me, the only real question to me is do I enjoy something enough to buy and keep a hard copy around the house. There might be two albums under Grant's name where I would answer 'no' to that question. More interesting to me is my observation that I really only hear one guy playing across all of Grant's various eras and settings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted May 30 Report Share Posted May 30 3 minutes ago, danasgoodstuff said: While I generally prefer the earlier era, I wouldn't go that far - I'd take most of the later era over Am I Blue. I think Am I Blue might be just about THE sleepiest jazz record I’ve ever heard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted May 30 Report Share Posted May 30 1 hour ago, Rooster_Ties said: I think Am I Blue might be just about THE sleepiest jazz record I’ve ever heard. It took me awhile to "get" it. But I finally did. I would now substitute "super chill" for "sleepy". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felser Posted May 30 Report Share Posted May 30 1 hour ago, danasgoodstuff said: The only real question to me is do I enjoy something enough to buy and keep a hard copy around the house. There might be two albums under Grant's name where I would answer 'no' to that question. The Main Attraction and Easy? Those are the two I have chosen not to own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danasgoodstuff Posted May 30 Report Share Posted May 30 2 minutes ago, felser said: The Main Attraction and Easy? Those are the two I have chosen not to own. I actually own both of those, although they aren't big favorites, I was thinking Final Comedown (where he hardly gets to play) and the first of the two Revenant live titles. 22 minutes ago, JSngry said: It took me awhile to "get" it. But I finally did. I would now substitute "super chill" for "sleepy". Idle Moments is 'chill', Am I Blue barely has a pulse, IMHO YMMV etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felser Posted May 30 Report Share Posted May 30 7 minutes ago, danasgoodstuff said: I was thinking Final Comedown (where he hardly gets to play) and the first of the two Revenant live titles. I forgot about Final Comedown - I also have passed on that one, especially at the prices it goes for. It's really a Wade Marcus soundtrack album, and I haven't heard it in 45 years, I like the Resonance sides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted May 30 Report Share Posted May 30 Super chilling super-slows the metabolism!!! 🤩 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlhoots Posted May 30 Report Share Posted May 30 2 hours ago, JSngry said: It took me awhile to "get" it. But I finally did. I would now substitute "super chill" for "sleepy". Agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danasgoodstuff Posted May 30 Report Share Posted May 30 3 hours ago, felser said: I forgot about Final Comedown - I also have passed on that one, especially at the prices it goes for. It's really a Wade Marcus soundtrack album, and I haven't heard it in 45 years, I like the Resonance sides. I found them to be decidedly a mixed bag, but I'll possibly pick them up if I see them cheap when I've got $ in my pocket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felser Posted May 30 Report Share Posted May 30 10 hours ago, danasgoodstuff said: I found them to be decidedly a mixed bag, but I'll possibly pick them up if I see them cheap when I've got $ in my pocket. That's how I got them, the label had a sale a few years ago, about which some board member notified us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted May 31 Report Share Posted May 31 The more I listen to Green the more I think that the main reason he does those repetitive riffs and runs is that he is mimicking horns and even horn sections. I listened to "Oh Baby" this morning and there are portions where Green and Patton are emulating sections in a swing orchestra backing the soloists and where Green's chords do so as well for Patton and other soloists. And Green's own solos sound as if they are structured and shaped similar to a saxophonist's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milestones Posted May 31 Author Report Share Posted May 31 I believe that Green said he was highly influenced by horn plays and adapted their techniques into his guitar playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Son Of Ice Bag Posted May 31 Report Share Posted May 31 Funny thing: Shazam does't recognize "So What" fron the album "Sunday Mornin'", says, it is "Besame mucho" from the album "The Latin Bit". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danasgoodstuff Posted May 31 Report Share Posted May 31 Yes, Grant did say that he listened to horn players mostly. He also said about playing different material, 'it's all blues'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted May 31 Report Share Posted May 31 His first gig was playing Gospel. He played in bar bands in St. Louis until he was 28. He was living in a racially segregated culture. It's not hyperbole to say that he played American Black Music (varieties of which there are many) and never did otherwise. As that man says, do the math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.