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Title: Grant Green: Rediscovering the Forgotten Genius of Jazz Guitar by Sharony Andrews Green ISBN: 0-87930-698-X Publisher: Backbeat Books Pub. Date: 09 January, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.73 (11 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A definitive look at the life of guitarist Grant Green
Comment: Grant Green was one of the finest jazz guitarists of the 1960's, a versatile player schooled in bebop who became greatly in demand for hard bop, soul jazz and funk dates; he recorded dozens of dates for the Blue Note label in the 60's, both as a leader and as a prolific sideman. After largely switching to r&b/funk by the end of the decade, his star faded. Heroin weakened his health and Green ended up dying of a heart attack in 1978 when he was 43. Sharony Andrews Green, the guitarist's daughter-in-law for a time in the 1990's, has put together the first book ever on Grant Green, a colorful biography that is quite definitive. She interviewed many of Green's relatives, friends, associates and fellow musicians. Her often conversational style is quite appealing and she tells stories from several different angles. One learns not only about Grant Green's music but the many contradictions in his religious beliefs, habits and personal life. Green comes across as a bit inconsistent in spots partly because he is seen in this biography as being many different people, depending on who is doing the reminiscing. There are some minor faults with some misunderstood names and too many pages of "Selected Reviews" at the end of the book by Tobias Jundt of Switzerland (these should not have been included at all). But there is also a complete discography, lots of new information about the guitarist's life and Sharony Green expertly separates facts from fiction, telling us more than we ever knew before about the great guitarist. A great book! One looks forward to Sharony Andrews Green's future projects.
Rating: 4
Summary: needs some more critical perspective
Comment: Sharony Green is trying something interesting here, a biography which is also something of an autobiography. She does a nice job of letting the various people who knew Green speak, and you do get an interesting sense of the man from the book. I have two criticisms. The first is that it goes on and on about how forgotten and unappreciated Green is, which gets tiring after a while. After all, most people who read this book will already think green was a great guitarist. And the guy is one more records than anybody but Milt Hinton--he was hardly unappreciated. He was never as famous as Wes or Benson, but they were more marketable than Green was
The other annoying thing about the book is that it goes on and on about how Green was ripped off. It's true that the white controlled industry is doubly tough on African Americans, and musicians get exploited frequently. But Green never lacked a gig--he worked ALL the time. He had more work in a year, more high quality work, with first rate musicians, than some people get in a decade. So he had money--he was well paid by the standards of his profession. He blew it all in addiction--his sad end came through his own doing. He was a lousy father and husband, and pissed his success away. I don't know why, and the book can't say--maybe nobody can. It'd be easy and wrong to understate the power of racism to twist and warp lives, but it's hard to pity Green in some ways. He never lacked for work or recognition in his lifetime, he had prodigious gifts, stunning intelligence and fire (i've spent all afternoon working on his solo on "Speak Low," and I'm more amazed as I go along), but he did himself in, which was maybe nore of a tragedy than if he was done in by racism
It's an interesting and evocative book, that conveys a good sense of the world Green came up in and the world of jazz in the 50s and 60s Worth a read for any jazz fan or lover of Green's great playing
Rating: 3
Summary: Fair amount of info, not much insight.
Comment: While a good book, and admittedly the only source out there from which one can gain much info about Grant Green, the style is a bit cramped and extremely subjective making it a tough read. Sharony Green conveys a good deal of information about Grant, but at the same time presents it in a stale and not very insightful style. There is a wealth of unwarranted speculation that does little to forward a view of Grant Green, and instead of "Rediscovering the Lost Genius" of Grant Green, the reader feels more as if the author feels a need to validate Grant Green. For that, just pick up "Idle Moments" or "Matador" or any of the other great Green recordings. This validation seems a bit irreverent and at times, didactic.
That being said, the subjectivity of the book lends a viewpoint that is worth noting and there is a vast amount of information regarding Grant collected in the book, though at times it is less than completely accurate (eg. At one point, the author refers to Grant's "I Want to Hold Your Hand" recording as a collection of Beatle and other pop tunes. In fact, the title track is the only pop tune on the LP). The book's discography approaches a comprehensive survey of the recordings available, and the reviews offered at the end of the text are particularly helpful. If this book were part of a larger literature devoted to Grant Green it would be a valuable addition, but as the only extant source for info on Grant Green it misses its mark.
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Title: Essential Jazz Lines in the Style of Grant Green for Guitar by Corey Christiansen ISBN: 0786662743 Publisher: Mel Bay Publications Pub. Date: 08 January, 2003 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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Title: Wes Montgomery by Adrian Ingram ISBN: 0950622494 Publisher: Hal Leonard Pub. Date: July, 1993 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title:Idle Moments ASIN: B00000IL2A Publisher: Blue Note Records Pub. Date: 20 April, 1999 List Price(USD): $11.98 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $10.99 |
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Title:Matador ASIN: B000005HDH Publisher: Blue Note Records Pub. Date: 04 April, 1990 List Price(USD): $11.98 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $11.98 |
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Title: Blue Note Records: A Biography by Richard Cook ISBN: 1932112103 Publisher: Justin, Charles & Co Pub. Date: May, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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