GRANT GREEN
Blues For Lou (Blue Note)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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This disc is the result of producer Michael Cuscuna's Herculean efforts to catalog the history of Blue Note sessions. Along the way, a number of those sessions were discovered to have gone unreleased for some very good reasons. Even Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, who Grant Green himself dubbed 'the Gods of Jazz', weren't, it turned out, infallible. In and amongs the less than desirable, though, was some material for which a public release is long overdue.

Blues For Lou is a good example of something which has been hidden too long. Guitarist Grant Green fronts a trio that includes John Patton on organ and Ben Dixon on drums for a mixed set of tunes that range from a bop version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The Surrey With The Fringe On Top" to straight ahead takes on a pair of songs that Patton brought from his years with R&B star Lloyd Price, including the hit "Personality" and a Price B-side, "Have YOu Ever Had The Blues."

There's a relaxed feel around the whole album that gives me a sense that the players knew this wasn't bound for an immediate release, so they didn't have to knock themselves out trying to impress with hot licks and precision. There's a glitch or two to be heard among the whatever-we-call-them-now-that-they're-not-grooves-anymore. But that's part of the charm here. It's the feel of a late night jam between good friends, not a commercially calculated effort or a furious cutting session. And, hey, it's Grant Green, and you've never heard it before. What else do you need to know?

Track List:

The Surrey With The Fringe On Top * Blues For Lou * Big John * Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying * Look At That Girl * This Girl Of Mine * Personality * Have You Ever Had The Blues

© 2000 - Shaun Dale