In & Out

Johnny Griffin | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 27, 2000)
• Original Release Date: June 27, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Dreyfus
• ASIN: B00004TJA1
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #347,190 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Pianist Martial Solal and tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin have more in common than their status as septuagenarian French immigrants--Solal moved to Paris from his native Algeria in the 1940s, and Griffin settled in southern France in the '60s. Each plays in a unique style, unimitative and unimitated, informed by a virtuosity rarely heard on their respective instruments. Big words, but the facts remain.

Although he boasts an ambidexterity reminiscent of Art Tatum, Solal uses it in a far more understated way, pencil-sketching the fills and fillips of an arrangement where Tatum would have used tempera flourishes. And Griffin--on this recording, especially--can rise above the fireworks riffing of his hard-bop contemporaries; his colossal technique allows him to develop an idea further than many other saxists could take it, at which point he essentially turns his style into the substance of his improvisations. The 8 tunes on this relatively short (47-minute) disc show a matchup that results in at least Griffin's finest work in years. And why not? Performing with the sensitive, constantly inventive Solal must be like playing a jazz concerto grosso as he turns the keyboard into a chamber orchestra of varied colors and voicings to support Griffin's solos, then expands his own brilliant statements to provide echoes and cues for his partner.

On "Neutralisme," a raffish tone poem by Solal, they volley solo snippets with the telepathic empathy of the great jazz partners from Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines through Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, and Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul. Solal has mesmerized listeners for nearly half a century, but a paucity of U.S. releases has kept him out of the mainstream limelight. In & Out will serve as a splendid introduction for Solal newbies, a reminder of his restless and inspiring creativity for the rest of us, and delightful proof of Griffin's powerful command of line and emotion. --Neil Tesser

From Jazziz

The duo album In & Out should inspire renewed wonder that there hasn't been more of a fuss - at least, not in the U.S. - about the Algerian-born, Paris-based pianist Martial Solal. The album pairs the 72-year-old Solal with his contemporary and fellow repatriated Frenchman, the diminutive tenor saxist Johnny Griffin, whose colossal technique remains unabated from his days on the hard-bop front lines (even as his sensibilities have mellowed). But Griffin's is a common name in American jazz households; Solal's is not, despite that fact that he has sculpted one of the few unique, 20th-century piano personae, unimitative and unimitated. Solal's ambidexterity rivals that of Art Tatum or Oscar Peterson, but he uses it in a far more understated way, having pared away the flourishes of those forebears.

Solal's clear-eyed, sometimes stark poetry recalls the language of his countryman Albert Camus, but his philosophy does not; in his music, Solal achieves an unsentimentalized beauty that helps salve the existential angst Camus depicted. On his own, Griffin will coast when he can, but throughout this relatively short disc (47 minutes), Solal challenges him with inventive miniature orchestrations, and Griffin responds with some of his best work in years. For example, on the tour-de-force "Neutralisme," they trade phrases with the telepathic empathy that has characterized great jazz partnerships from Armstrong & Hines through Shorter & Zawinul.

--- Neil Tesser, JAZZIZ Magazine Copyright © 2000, Milor Entertainment, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a brilliant duo, August 18, 2001

By 

p dizzle "p dizzle" (augusta, georgia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In & Out (Audio CD)

the NEW YORKER magazine always sings praises of johnny griffin when he returns from europe for a stand in the clubs of new york, usually along the lines that mr. griffin comes to town rarely, but when he does he scares all the other tenor players mightily. here's evidence. mr. griffin has been around for nearly 50 years and his longevity has afforded him growth and depth every artist should have the opportunity to get. he has worked with nearly everybody of note, but his time with thelonious monk and a brief but stellar tenure at blue note showed his early strength and power. after going to europe, we in america haven't had much chance to hear his further development. but here's a good chance to get an update. now in his seventies, mr. griffin still has his tough tone, but he can also caress a ballad. a duo set is hard because neither soloist can hide, and both must work in tandem. this duo succeeds amazingly well. they push each other to explore each song, to find their nuances and to then paint their own interpretations. neither mr. solal nor mr. griffin overdoes the hystrionics, focusing instead on the depth and feeling of each song. you know you are in for a treat right from the start with "you stepped out of a dream." it swings. it sings. the warmth and amicabilty of the whole set is immediately apparent. from there it simply flows straight through and as the tribute to mr. monk ("well, you needn't") comes to a close, you are ready to start all over again. this is jazz played by masters. get it.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid., August 2, 2000

By 

bruce horner - See all my reviews

This review is from: In & Out (Audio CD)

It's great to find that Griffin is still at or near the top of his game. This album was recorded in France in 1999 and he sounds great, as does Solal, who sounds just as good here as he ever did. One is reminded of Stan Getz with Kenny Barron, or the Webster/Tatum session. While perhaps not QUITE on a par with those masterpieces, you get the feeling that this is an album that will age well. The liner notes put it as well as I ever could: "The musical duo...is always a challenge. An extremely demanding format that won't abide the slightest lapse of attention or presence, it can only succeed in a context devoid of any notion of obedience or authority. What's at stake is the whole fragile art of conversation, with no safety net, no sleight of hand, and no escape hatch. You have to know how to leave your ego at the door and listen--generously and receptively--to your partner." Very true, and Martial Solal and Johnny Griffin succeed splendidly.