1. Grant Green - His Majesty King Funk (1965)


Don't be scared off by the His Majesty King Funk title; this is not Green's later commercial stuff. This is excellent Grant Green with Larry Young on organ, Harold Vick on sax, Ben Dixon on drums, and Candido Camero on conga -- essentially a classic four-piece. And this is soul-jazz with a deep groove. His Majesty King Funk is the last of five albums Green recorded with Young. Produced by Creed Taylor, it is the only album Green did for Verve and perhaps his last real jazz album before several years of inactivity, after which he became somewhat more commercial in his approach. The album includes the standard "That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day)."


01. The Selma March                                                                                                     
02. Willow Weep For Me                                                                                                  
03. The Cantaloupe Woman                                                                                                
04. That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day)                                                               
05. Daddy Grapes


Personnel: Grant Green (guitar); Harold Vick (tenor saxophone, flute); Larry Young (organ); Ben Dixon (drums); Candido Camero (bongos, congas).

Recorded in New York, New York on May 26, 1965. 
Originally released on Verve (8627).
Label Verve
Orig Year 1965





2. Grant Green - The Latin Bit (1962)


Grant Green, being known mainly as a soul-jazz guitarist, eventually gravitated into the popular boogaloo sound, a derivation of Latin music. The Latin Bit is the natural bridge to that next phase, though a bit premature for most in 1961-1963, even relative to the subsequent bossa nova craze. Pianist Johnny Acea, long an underrated jazzman, is the nucleus of this session, grounding it with witty chops, chordal comping, and rhythmic meat. The Latino rhythm section of drummer Willie Bobo and conga player Carlos "Patato" Valdes personify authentic, seasoned spice, while at times the chekere sound of Garvin Masseaux makes the soup too thick. At its collective best, the group presents a steady, serene, and steamy "Besame Mucho" and the patient, slow, slinky, sultry "Tico Tico." Just a small step below is a classy take on Charlie Parker's "My Little Suede Shoes," a premier jazz bebop (emphasis) tune with a Latin undertow and Green's tiniest staccato phrases, slightly marred by the overbearing constant chekere, but still classic. "Mambo Inn" is played inaccurately, but forgivable. "Mama Inez" ranks high for its calypso-infused happy feeling and wry stop-start lines. The straight-ahead hard bopper "Brazil" and lone soul-jazz tune, "Blues for Juanita," display the single-note acumen that made Green's style instantly recognizable. Tacked on the end are two selections with pianist Sonny Clark and tenor saxophonist Ike Quebec. While Clark is not known for Latin or soul-jazz, he's quite good, while Quebec, who emphasized Brazilian rhythms in the last years of his life, plays hip secondary harmonies on the bossa nova-flavored "Granada," but is in the complete background and a non-factor on the pop tune "Hey There." This CD always yielded mixed results for staunch fans of Green, but a revisit shows it to be a credible effort, even if slightly flawed in part.


01. Mambo Inn 
02. Besame Mucho 
03. Mama Inez 
04. Brazil 
05. Tico Tico 
06. My Little Suede Shoes 
07. Blues For Juanita - (bonus track) 
08. Grenada - (bonus track) 
09. Hey There - (bonus track)



Personnel: Grant Green (guitar); Ike Quebec (tenor saxophone); Johnny Acea (piano); Wendall Marshall (bass); Willie Bobo (drums); Carlos "Potato" Valdez (congas); Carvin Masseaux (chekere).

Producer: Alfred Lion.
Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna.
Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on April 26 and September 8, 1962. 
Digitally remastered by Ron McMaster.
Label Blue Note Records (USA) 
Orig Year 1962



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