Customer Reviews

Grant Green: Rediscovering the Forgotten Genius of Jazz Guitar

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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 ... 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

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.

I've been a record reviewer, feature writer, disc jockey and a professional guitarist for over 42 years and I'm probably the biggest Grant Green fan in the world! For years, I tried to gather any information that I could to learn more about one of my idols to very little avail. Alas, my forty year wiat is over! I have to take umberage with some of the negative comments that I've read about this book at Amazon, which compelled me to comment. I felt very comfortable with Ms. Green's writing style and her telling of the Grant Green story. If you are a diehard jazz fan and especially a Grant Green one then this book would be welcomed with open arms even if it were loaded with faults, which it is not! The only information available for years about this amazing artist were in the liner notes of his albums and a few, very few articles in jazz or guitar periodicals. Even if you are not a big fan of Grant Green's, this book gives you great insight in, not only the man but the period in which jazz truly excelled as America's Art Form, the 50's and 60's. True, there is a lot of text about heroin and his addiction but one has to realize that the role models for Green and other artists of his period were similarly involved and sadly suffered the same fate. All Ms. Green does in her book is tell his story the way she uncovered it, warts and all! She's right on in stating "Redicovering The Forgotten Genius Of Jazz Guitar" and she eloquently leads the way to this rediscovery in her book! Once read, not only will you be a Grant Green fan but a Sharony Andrews Green fan as well.

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.

I loved this book. Usually biographies don't interest me, they tend to be a little dry. But a book on Grant Green is a welcome to my shelves. The author gives a great, but brief, insight into the guitarist's life. She does this through stories from people who knew Green, this is the appeal of her novel. The discography section was a happy surprise. I get to see Grant Green through the eyes of the people who knew him the most. I just wanted more, that's all.The only question I have to the record labels: Why hasn't all of his music been re-released?

Pick up this book, put on the Idle Moments CD and enjoy. Good music biographies are rare, good writng in them even moreso. Ms Green tells a story about a jazz musician and a man in the African American world in the heyday of the Blue Note label. If you like music or cultural history, history of society and change, or just a good story, this is a book to relax with and to think about as you put it up and down while getting anther cup of coffee. I given copies to friends as a Holiday gift...no better endorsement than that! The book is also an urban travelogue in American jazz circle about an artist that was discovered by pickling up a album on a living room floor while visiting a boyfriend's home. And there is more to that story too. Thanks to Blue Note, Mosiac, and Sharony Andrews Green, Grant's music stays alive

This often inspiring biography not only provides a concise outline of the great guitarist's life, but also underscores the harsh economic realities of the era. Drummer Elvin Jones' comments at page 112 are particularly instructive. Regarding business practices at the esteemed Blue Note record company, Mr. Jones relates, "...it was easy for the record companies to make a lot of recordings because there wasn't a big outlay as far as money was concerned...but I don't think very many of the jazz artists received any of the benefits of the marketing process...it was a life-and-death struggle all the time."

These and similar anecdotes make this biography a must reading for those interested in the realities of the jazz business.

Being a big fan of Grant's unique guitar playing, I've always wanted to know a bit more about the man behind the music. As far as I know, this is the only book about him. The book doesn't go into a great amount of detail. The discography and selected reviews are worth reading. I'd say your best bet to understanding Grant Green would be to spend the money you would plunk down on this book on a good CD of his- Idle Moments, Green Street, The Complete Quartets with Sonny Clark. Then you can really get your money's worth...

When I bought the book I looked forward to some insite to the genius of the great guitarist. It is there,but the book suffers from many editing and content errors,the reviews are just the worst,for example Tobias Jundt states that the Green tune "Blues for Charlie" was written as a tribute to Charlie Parker,when the liner notes to the record state it was written for Charlie Christian. A disturbing error is on pages 170-171 when Idris Muhammad speaks about a recording he did with John Scofield,the book has his name mispelled "John Schofield",this is bad due to the fact Muhammad insists that the author check out the recording. There are too many herion stories that seem to be always included in any music related biography,and the author's personal life is elaborated too much in the book,but there is some interesting reading in some parts such as the blue note content,I would recommend this for a casual read but not for one who seeks technical jazz information.

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