Customer Reviews

Iron City

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What's so good about this album is that the trio that plays on it had a very clear understanding of each others playing abilities, and it gives them space to express themselves. There's a variety of styles, from the latin tinged "Samba De Orpheus", (my particular favourite), to the oft covered "Work Song". The title track gives listeners a good idea of how well Green and Patton share the work, and how explosively Ben Dixon on drums propels them along. The remastering is excellent, and at mid-price this is a "must have" for fans of both Green and Patton

This is Grant Green and Big John Patton playing in an organ trio, and it is similar to the other albums they did together (mostly upbeat bluesy jazz). The song "high healed sneekers" is particularly rockin'. I had never heard of this cd and saw it in a for sale bin for about $9. It is definitely a "find," regardless of the price.

This is an excellent soul jazz session from Grant Green, Big John Patton and Ben Dixon. It's more hard-edged than Green's and Patton's earlier Blue Note work like "Blues for Lou", but it's great nevertheless. Newcomers to jazz will be a bit confused because the 32jazz and Savoy re-releases do not list the original recording date or label. Some reviewers have said that it was originally a Muse release, but it was actually first released on a small label in 1967 (I don't believe that Muse even existed in '67) The original cover was a blue design and the sleeve resembled a 60's Prestige or Argo design. The orange Muse cover was not the original cover art. So it's been re-issued several times over the past several decades. Just some helpful information for collectors. Buy the new Savoy version- it's a steal at $9.99!

this album rocks! if you're a fan of organ jazz your collection needs this cd. grant was overlooked during his life for his great style & this disc is a great showcase of his fine guitar skills. next to "Solid" this is my favorite grant recording. at about 35 minutes it's well worth the low price.

Of fans of the "soul Jazz" side of Grant Green this probably THE session to have. To me, it sounds a bit "dark" at times - - If Big John's playing sounds a bit "different" by the way, its because its not really him. Its actually Larry Young playing organ... (I'm serious ! ! !) (The session he recorded immediately before this however was John Patton's Let 'Em Roll, then the next session would be with Sonny Phillips then Reuben Wilson... I don't think he recorded with John after that !) - - Dixon and Young's tight, funky yet minimalistic groove provide a great vehicle for the sometimes underspoken Green to do a lot of talkin' on that guitar of his...

Ben Dixon incidentally is still around. He did an album under his own name with Adam Scone recently which remarkably recaptures his classic sound(Say Yes To Your Best), then appears on a "straight Jazz" album with me on organ (James Spaulding on Alto). What impresses me the most about Ben Dixon is way his playing is so rhythmic yet creatively melodic at the same time, so when you play with him, you're really thinking about what he's saying and building off it... hence that classic symbiosis you hear on almost all of the sessions he plays on.

It's the dream team for organ aficianados, but somehow this album fails to live up to it's promise.

That's not to say it isn't worthy of your bucks, golly-gosh no!

But men who have achieved great deeds naturally encourage the expectation of greatness every time the needle hits vinyl, or laser hits silicon, if that's your poison.

My sky-high hopes were not realized, but just because this isn't "incredible", doesn't mean to say it's not "very good".
It is very good.

Pity they couldn't use the original Blue Note cover Photo...

Green's work here is phenominal. Its as simple as that. I origionally grabbed this one for High Heeled Sneakers, a song I'd heard performed by a retro-funk band in Boston. I was surprised to find the guitar-harmond organ-drums combo so effective in such a wide range of styles. The title song is pure jazz, through and through. I've tried performing it with my own rock trio, but its hard to capture the style that Green infuses into it. Samba de orpheus reminds me of lounge or elevator music. Even so, its still rather catchy. Old Man mosses is Green's musical taste on "Let my people Go". I was greatly impressed by the way he keeps the song intact but gives it his own style. High heeled Sneakers is a ladi back groove that just gets you moving. The only slow song on the cd, Motherless Child, is still a rolling ballad. The final song, entitled Work Song, is the best on the cd. It mixes swing (with a bass line played by Big joe Patton on the B3 harmond) and Greens traditional groove. Overall, for the cheap cover price, the CD is well worth the money. Any jazz fan should own it.

The real story of Grant Green's Iron City album is that in 1965 ( I think) he was playing at a club in Pittsburgh called the Hurricane Lounge which was well known as a home for organ trios. A mutual friend came to me and said that Grant needed money to cop and he would be willing to record an album in exchange for the money. I immediately called Gateway Studios in downtown Pittsburgh and scheduled time. When I showed up they were just about done and didn't have a title for the one original. Since we were in Pittsburgh I called it "Iron City." We were the distributors for Prestige Records in Pittsburgh so I called Joe Fields, who was Prestige's sales manager, and offered to sell him the master. Two years later Joe went to work for Buddah Records and they had a new jazz label which they called Cobblestone. Iron City came out as Cobblestone 9002 originally. This album was recorded between his Blue Note early releases and His Majesty King Funk on Verve and I personally never thought it measured up. But 45 years later it holds up pretty darn well.

What a hidden treasure, and a cheap one too! If you like the blues or you like funk and soul, or all of the above there's something for you here. Great lead lines and cookin' rhythm section! Enjoy a helpin' and you'll be looking to get some of Grant's Blue Note sides.

This trio is very energetic and burns soulfully thru this set of tunes. Grant Green always satisfies the listener with clever solos and innovative interpretations of standards. My favorite here is Work Song.