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Grant Green: Sunday Mornin'
Green had the misfortune of being saddled by his record company with painfully stupid concept albums that may have contributed to his depression and drug abuse. Imagine if Impulse Records had asked Archie Shepp to do a country and western collection or a cliche-laden gospel set? Green suffered these indignities and more. Sunday Mornin' suggests just how consistently great he would have been if Blue Note had permitted him to do no-nonsense, mainstream jazz sessions.
The high points include a towering "God Bless the Child," where every note Green carefully chooses sings and sobs simultaneously. Equally remarkable is a sharply executed cover of Miles Davis' "So What," with the deeply inventive rhythm section of pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Ben Tucker, and drummer Ben Dixon taking economic but dramatically memorable solo spots.
The original tunes by Green are perhaps a notch lower in intensity, but they are highly engaging in their own modest way. "Freedom March" is a kind of strutting march which probably references the Civil Rights march common to the time it was originally recorded (1961). The "bonus" track on this remastereed reissue, "Tracin' Tracey," sounds like a Horace Silver composition, but Green and Silver often sounded like brothers. There's not a bad tune on this peerless set, and whatever your feelings about Green's place in jazz history, it's highly recommended.
Track Listing
Freedom March, Sunday Morning, Exodus, God Bless the Child, Come Sunrise, So What, Tracin' Tracey (bonus track).
Personnel
Album information
Title: Sunday Mornin' | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Blue Note Records