A severely underrated player during his lifetime, Grant Green is one of the great unsung heroes of jazz guitar. He combined an extensive foundation in R&B with a mastery of bebop and simplicity that put expressiveness ahead of technical expertise. Green was a superb blues interpreter, and while his later material was predominantly blues and R&B, he was also a wondrous ballad and standards soloist. He was a particular admirer of Charlie Parker, and his phrasing often reflected it.
Grant Green, one of my favorite musicians, not only guitarists.. as well put in a commentary in this loop he may certainly have been underrated... however thanks to the much availability of his music I think subsequent generations of musicians have been introduced to a real virtuosic guitar master, with a truly distinct signature sound.. perhaps Grant being on the scene when Wes as a recording artist was knocking cats out could be part of the reason as to why his popularity was affected... I don’t think he was a sellout as some critics deemed him... just a true creative master that employed all the components of jazz in everything he played and interpreted with a unique un-Wes-like single line, phrasing, an immediately identifiable sound, with a seemingly endless vocabulary..
In my top 5 jazz songs of all time list. The guitar solo and sax both solo begin with such an effortless sense of urgency and palpable intent. I normally like flashy drumming, but in this case the restrained simplicity is a plus.If only someone could make a mashup that overlays some of Linda Ronstadt’s vocals (from her spectacular version of this song) towards the end, I could die happy and unhurt...