Customer Reviews

Idle Moments

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're never heard Grant Green's guitar work before, this is the place to start. Not only because Green is playing at his finest, but so his is his all-star supporting cast which includes Joe Henderson on tenor sax, Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, and Duke Pearson on piano. The Pearson penned title-cut may be my single favorite recorded cut in jazz history. Each of the aforementioned soloists does some incredible work. The piece is laid-back and languid, but with incredible soul. The rest of the tunes vary in tempo but most have the same lazy, smoky feel to them while sounding fiercely inspired.

Idle Moments also happens to sound incredible in its newly remastered edition by the legendary Rudy Van Gelder. Its one of the best sounding discs in the series even. Those of you who own the original Blue Note release should definitely consider the upgrade.

Highly recommened for anyone with an interest in jazz or those looking for a place to develop one.

It is hard to tell how this CD would sound without the wonderful, 15 minutes long title track. Certainly the magic of this track is a big part of the CD's success.
Idle Moments is one of those rare moments in recorded music when the musicians and the music become one, uniting in spirit around the musical fire. This needs to be heard, to understand the potential of improvised music to express love and unity.
But the rest of the CD does contain elements that make it special as well.
As a saxophone player I love the way in which Joe Henderson follows the lead of Grant Green, demonstrating that a sax player does not have to be in front in order to play beautifully.
Bobby Hutcherson's part in every recording he has played on has been crucial - here his sound and tasteful playing is one of the main ingredients to the overall success. Duke Pearson contributed the title track as well the fast tempo Nomad. His playing is sensitive and group oriented throughout.
A lot has been written on Green's special playing and his leadership - he deserves all compliments. The drummer and bass players share in this celebration of ego-less group spirit that makes this music so special.
The lesson that this music taught me is that when talent and mutual love and understanding join forces, the result is outstanding. This should be the aim of every musician. And to think that most of the musicians here were in their twenties when they reached this high level of musicianship - it is a testimony to their greatness and to the power of the group to elevate its member.
Needless to say - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !!!

I've never really been more than of a casual fan of this style guitar playing. I love some of the Hendrix-influenced jazz guitar that came later, and I definitely have an appreciation for acoustic jazz guitar players of an earlier era, but I never really got into any be-bop/hard-bop/soul-jazz players. That is, not until I heard Grant Green's Idle Moments.

I'm sure that this is an album that I will come back to as long as I live. Everything comes together here. The wistful title cut is one of the most evocative jazz tunes I've ever heard. Both Joe Henderson and Bobby Hutcherson sound much more subdued than I've ever heard them - but still as intense as ever. Actually, every player seems to know exactly when to stop playing. This album reminds me of Somethin' Else by Cannonball Adderly in terms of the mood and also the way it affected me as these tunes came together for me.

Honestly, I've heard so much jazz from this era that I wondered if there was another similar "straight-ahead" album out there that could affect me the way that some of these great jazz albums have in the past. I suppose that this is one of the great things about music; no matter how much you've absorbed there is ALWAYS more out there. Oh, and perhaps in part to RVG remastering this album sounds as if it was recorded yesterday rather than 1963 (actually, the sound quality is better than most albums recorded yesterday). This is music that just makes me feel happy to be alive, and I would recommend this to anyone who loves music of any kind.

There has been so much great music that was produced before my time, that I fear I'll never be able to hear it all. Grant Green is one of those who escaped my attention until a recent introduction to his music by a friend who had also just been introduced to Green. When explaining his sound, he mentioned how Green influenced Wes Montgomery and the early play of George Benson. That got me on board, and taking my friend's advice I bought Idle Moments.

What an incredible choice! The laid-back and seductive sound of Green and his sidemen will grab you at once with its cool sophistication. I particularly enjoy the work of Bobby Hutcherson whose vibe virtuosity adds so much to the sonic ambience of Idle Moments and complements the understated urbanity of Green's play.

My favorites? I like the whole album, but particularly enjoy the title cut and both takes of the mood-setting Django.

While this is listed as a "Grant Green" album, it is as much an album for his sidemen as it is for him. All have the chance to shine and all do in a manner which presages the CTI jazz albums of the late 60s and early 70s. If you like not "smooth jazz" but "cool jazz", then Grant Green deserves a hearing and Idle Moments makes a great place to start.

I was born in 71 so I'm just discovering all this jazz stuff at the ripe age of 34 in 2006 but this CD is just... well it's just freaking great. Makes me wish I was 29 in the 60's in NY. I'm discovering a lot of jazz preparing my mother's iPod for xmas (shhhh.....) so I'm trying to buy alot of the the jazz she has in albums and buying this and listening to this makes me realize, damn... my parents must have been pretty cool if they had this album back in the day. Anyway, pretty much all the reviews are 5-star so this review is for the young folks that are teetering... just buy it! If you don't like it you can always resell it for about what you paid cause someone that appreciates music will buy it.

Idle moments is by far Grant Greens best album. That not to say that his other music (the matador, standards, alive) isn't any or as good. This Cd just stands out a little more than his others, there something about it that is special. It could be the fearsome sextet which features Joe henderson on tenor saxophone ,Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Duke Pearson on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass and Al Harewood on drums. Together they all sizzle whether it's on the on the magnum opus title cut , on the swinging Jean de fleur or on the mid tempo django. Maybe it's the remastering which is also excellent. All of the music on this Cd sounds crystal clear almost like they are plaing in the same room with you. But I believe it's the playing of Grant green which is exceptional as usual. He swings when he has to and can still give you the listener shivers with his patent single note playing. Like I said this is Grants best and shouldn't be missed by fans of jazz music and especially not by Grant Green junkies. A must have.

All of a sudden Grant Green is everywhere. There are several new books about him; everything he ever recorded seems to be back in print----which is all well and good, but what about Jim Hall? NEVERTHELESS, this is a truly wonderful album. The 15-minute title track is alone worth the price of admission. Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, and Duke Pearson are all given plenty of room to stretch out and the result is entrancing rather than boring. The rest of the album is almost as good, and the RVG remaster sounds so damn good that it's actually worth the extra money!

In as much as I agree with most of the comments by others who have reviewed this disc, I see no reason to repeat them.I'd rather speak to the fact that Idle Moments represents one of those occurences when everything works "perfectly"; the compositions,the interplay and chemistry between the musicians,the georgous nature of the solos......EVERYTHING!!!

I've been listening and loving Idle Moments for the past 35 years. It never fails to inspire me with its swing and unpretentious beauty.---- Does it get any better than Joe henderson's solo on the title track??? I don't think so.

Do yourself a favor and allow this Grant Green masterpiece to become a part of you ,as it has me.

Among Grant Green's umpteen recordings for Blue Note, this is probably the best. (Though it gets some stiff competition from Matador and a few others.) His beautiful, relaxed improvisation on the gorgeous title track is a perfect instance of "every note in its right place" (Miles would have been proud). Vibes player Bobby Hutcherson and tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson were still relatively unknown when this CD was recorded but they play like old pros, while bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Al Harewood provide a sturdy, swinging support to the music.

Idle Moments is one of the finest jazz guitar albums ever recorded and an essential part of any collection. Kenny Burrell's Midnight Blue is also up there. If you want to hear more of Grant Green's playing, pick up Matador (with McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones) and Larry Young's Into Somethin' (with Sam Rivers, Larry Young, and Elvin Jones).

I'm a jazz guitar player. Not great, not too bad either. My listening is tuned into Kenny Burrell, Jim Hall, Pat Martino, Pat Metheny, and Wes Montgomery (though I still don't "get" this guy). I ashamed to admit that until yesterday, I did not own ANY Grant Green music even though I'd seen him as part of a CTI musicians tour back in 1976. I seriously didn't know what I was missing!

Idle Moments is a wonderfully rich CD. All the guys show up and the chemistry is fantastic (just read the Duke Pearson liner notes as he describes how the title track at a whopping 14:50 ended up being selected as the "master" take despite its length). There are few releases that I can say I feel are perfect. Obviously Kind of Blue and A Love Supreme, perhaps Blues and the Abstract Truth come to mind. Well This session is on par with say that great Oliver Nelson release I just noted. I used the adjective wonderfully rich to describe this music, that's the only thing I can think of. I can tell you that as much as I know about jazz and jazz guitar (which after 30 years of serious listening and playing I think I know quite a bit) I'm now going to have to rethink everything as far as who the "mutha" players are. Everybody likes to talk about Wes and his soul but I have to tell you that after hearing Idle Moments, I prefer Grant to Wes. does that make me some sort of jazz guitar heretic?

If you like nice, laid back jazz with exceptional musicianship then you want Idle Moments. Green is fantastic but so are Pearson, Hutcherson, and Henderson... especially Henderson. I have to rethink that guy too. I always thought he was a 2nd tier player... WRONG!