LUSH GREENERY

The early years of the 1960s were a special time for jazz guitar. Kenny Burrell, Wes Montgomery and Grant Green were all active and recording albums still prized by jazz aficionados. All were busy and in demand, none more so than St Louis born Green, who was unaccountably the least lauded of the three. Given his sparkling tone, endless invention and all round versatility, it is an oversight of history that remains perplexing. Perhaps Green’s extraordinarily prolific output was part of the problem. In addition to his own catalogue, he was a highly sought-after sideman, particularly by organists. Not just any organists, mind, the best. Green worked with Baby Face Willette, John Patton, Jack McDuff and Larry Young. 

Between Green’s sessions for others and his own extensive recording schedule there was so much Grant Green material that some recordings never saw the light of day. One such album was Nigeria, recorded in January 1962 but not released until 1980, soon after Green’s death. Since that time it has become acknowledged as one of the guitarist’s finest, and it’s easy to hear why.

Nigeria is a quartet LP, Green accompanied by Sonny Clark on piano, Sam Jones on bass and the legendary Art Blakey on drums. Blakey’s contribution is significant; there is nothing retiring or half-hearted about the legend’s drumming. His impetus and rhythmic exhortations lift this accessible and melodic album into a higher league. The opening cut, “Airegin” (the album title spelled backwards) is a Sonny Rollins tune introducing us to Green’s trademark single note guitar lines—bright as a mercury arc lamp and sharp as cut glass—and Sonny Clark’s subtle yet constantly swinging piano. The bass/drum backing is restrained, but Blakey lets us know he is fully present via a brief, energetic solo. 

The centrepiece of Nigeria is the second track, filling the remainder of the first side. Here we have one of the best ever interpretations of “It ain’t necessarily so” from the Gershwin musical Porgy and Bess. The Blakey rhythm sets an understated Latin-tinged tone while Green introduces the song’s melodic phrases in a fresh and unexpected way. When the quartet drop into a loping blues groove the joy is palpable. Grant’s solo on this piece is superb, switching moods and offering surging ebbs and flows that nail his jazz colours to the highest masthead. But it’s more than a guitar solo piece and you can hear Blakey’s excitement building through the performance. It’s Art you hear oh-ing and yeah-ing as he encourages first Green, then Clark. This great performance of a much-played standard offers us a masterclass in jazz testifying.

One of Grant Green’s skills is working sweetness and sorrow into the same piece. You can hear this on the opening track of side two, Cole Porter’s “I concentrate on you”. It is an unusual arrangement in terms of form, but a satisfying one. A willingness to try something new is also present at the beginning of “The things we did last summer”, where a surprising waltz time intro quickly settles down into a deftly nuanced ballad. The final piece, "The song is you", is a straight ahead bebop blow; Blakey is in his element, Sam Jones holds down the groove and Green and Clark do their thing over the top. Grant Green admired Charlie Parker as much as Charlie Christian and you can hear those influences on this Kern/Hammerstein piece.

So that is Nigeria, a shelved then dusted off gem that holds its own against anything from Grant Green’s classic Sixties period. The 2020 re-issue on Blue Note sounds superb and comes in a reassuringly solid gatefold sleeve. It’s a top quality package for a scintillating jazz LP.

© Bruce Jenkins—January 2025