Grant Green

Grant Green was one of the all time greats of jazz guitar.  His flame burned brightly for a time, but he is to a certain degree a “forgotten” star.

Green’s approach to the guitar was like that of a horn player.   He played single note lines that were melodic and improvisational.  His playing was free flowing and swung with a soulful spirit and deep grooves.  He presented a crisp, uncluttered sound with impeccable phrasing.  To top it off, there was a searing intensity to his art.

Grant Green was born in St. Louis in 1931 (although many sources say 1935) and came of age playing in jazz and R & B groups, with local players such as Sam Lazar, and Jimmy Forrest, with whom he made his first record, in 1959.  He came to the attention of Lou Donaldson, and when Green was encouraged to move to New York, Lou introduced him to Blue Note Records.

Grant recorded prolifically for Blue Note.  From 1960-1965, Green made over twenty sessions as a leader, but many were not issued during his lifetime.  Recordings that are now considered masterpieces were “left in the can” and only posthumously released.

These albums included swinging sides with pianists such as Sonny Clark and McCoy Tyner, organ groups with progressive Larry Young and other B-3 players, and classic records such as “Idle Moments” with Joe Henderson, and “Grantstand” with Yusef Lateef.  Green also made numerous memorable appearances as a “house guitarist sideman” on discs of all the Blue Note greats.

After an absence from the scene in the late 1960's to recuperate from health issues, Green moved to Detroit and from that base re-emerged in 1969 in the funk rock soul-jazz genre, mastering that groove, and for several years he was a sensation in that zeitgeist.  However, later in the 1970's he had medical ailments and hospitalizations, and died young in 1979.

originally broadcast January 5, 2025

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