[SACD-R][OF] Grant Green – Idle Moments - 2010 (Jazz)

1.Idle Moments
2.Jean De Fleur
3.Django
4.Nomad
5.Jean De Fleur(alternate take)
6.Django(alternate take)

This 1963 Blue Note session (released in 1975) was 1 of the many great albums of jazz, hard bop, soul jazz & even funk put out by one of the under-appreciated masters of jazz guitar, who died at age 43 in 1979. Green’s style is quite distinctive – a swinging, loose, bluesy groove. He often recorded in smaller groups with B3 organ or in the typical B3 trio. The organist on some of his Blue Notes was the also unsung Larry Young.

There are no timings at all on the SACD, but it’s been best known for its long title & 1st track which runs 15 minutes, a slow & most-involving blues piece. Its length was reported to have been an accident, with the musicians repeating the melody twice & confused about whether a chorus would be 16 measures or 32! But when Blue Note’s Alfred Lion listened to it he decided to make it the initial take & title of the album. When completed the album of mostly ballads was way too short, even for an LP release, so Lion included alternate takes of 2 of the 4 tracks – Jean de fleur (a Green original) & John Lewis’ masterpiece Django. Django aficianados will go nuts to have not just 1 but 2 versions of the great tune by this superb guitarist & group. The alternate take of Django is also much longer: 13 minutes; so this is not an alternate take that sounds just about like the other one. Green loved the tune & had wanted for years to record it. It stresses a bluesy feeling & Cranshaw on bass with Harewood on drums aptly support the several terrific solos during its course.

The notes are by pianist on the session Duke Pearson & give a welcome in-person view of what went on in the studio during the recording session. The original Rudy van Gelder recording was mastered for SACD by Kevin Gray & Steve Hoffman & authored by The Super Audio Center’s Gus Skinas. The CD layer is very good but the SACD even more transparent & natural-sounding. Another Blue Note classic on SACD by Grant Green will be released at the same time: Green Street.

Originally released in 1963.

Bob Cranshaw, bass
Grant Green, guitar
Al Harewood, drums
Joe Henderson, sax (tenor)
Bobby Hutcherson, vibraphone
Duke Pearson, piano