Green Street [Expanded]

Read About This Recording

In the 1960s, prior to the birth of the fusion era, three major jazz guitarists emerged: Wes Montgomery, George Benson and Grant Green. Green, a hard-swinging yet lyrical player who displayed a great deal of soul, stuck almost exclusively to hornlike single-note lines and played with the brilliance of a saxophonist.

Green was quite versatile throughout his career. Born in St. Louis and a professional by the time he was 13, he worked primarily in the Midwest until moving to New York in 1960 when he was 28. Discovered by tenor-saxophonist Jimmy Forrest, Green soon became the house guitarist for the Blue Note label. He recorded frequently as a sideman in settings that ranged from bop and hard bop to blues, soul jazz and sessions that bordered on the avant-garde. Green also led a steady series of rewarding albums of his own during the first half of the 1960s, sounding consistently creative whether heard with an organ combo or an all-star blowing set. After a little time off the scene, in the late '60s and 1970s, Green concentrated on more R&B-oriented sessions although his guitar was as distinctive as ever up until the time of his premature death in 1979.

Green Street, from 1961, has the guitarist showcased in a trio with bassist Ben Tucker and drummer Dave Bailey. He excels in this sparse setting, performing a variety of attractive originals, 'Round Midnight and Alone Together. The reissue also includes previously unreleased alternate takes of Green With Envy and Alone Together.

While all of Grant Green's Blue Note albums are well worth acquiring, Green Street is an excellent place to begin exploring the music of this classic guitarist.

-Scott Yanow

Contents

Remastered!

No. 1 Green Street; 'Round About Midnight; Grant's Dimensions; Green With Envy*; Alone Together*.

(*Bonus tracks.)

Grant Green, Guitar; Ben Tucker, Bass; Dave Bailey, Drums.