Biography of Grant Green

Grant Green is one of the great unsong heroes of jazz guitar. Green always claimed that he listened to horn players and not other guitar players, and it shows. No other player has this kind of single-note linearity (he avoids chordal playing). There is very little of the intellectual element to Green's playing, and his technique is always at the service of his music. And it is music, plain and simple, that makes Green unique. Green recorded during the late 50s and early 60s with players like Jimmy Forrest, Lou Donaldson, and with many organ combos, including those of Jack McDuff and Larry Young. Although he shared time and space with the very popular Wes Montgomery, Grant Green remained his own man. His music is immediately recognizable -- perhaps more than any other guitarist. The greatest example of Green's work can be found in the Blue Note boxed set -- a treasure. Green has been almost systematically ignored by jazz buffs with a bent toward the cool side, and he has only recently begun to be appreciated for his incredible musicality. Perhaps no guitarist has ever handled standards and ballads with the brilliance of Grant Green. Note: Also see Ike Quebec, Larry Young. ~ Michael Erlewine