Street of Dreams [Original recording remastered]

Grant Green | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 24, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B001PCJFWQ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #94,800 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Pairing Grant Green's deep blues feeling with the adventurous Larry Young on organ and Elvin Jones on drums may have seemed a strange strategy in 1964. But the trio went on to anchor three Green albums and one Young album that have all become classics. Street of Dreams adds vibist Bobby Hutcherson to the mix and the quartet unveils extended explorations on four standards of varying vintage. The rarified air of their inventions harkens back to Green's classic Idle Moments album. This beautiful album is remastered by Rudy Van Gelder for the first time in the CD era.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hypnotic stuff from a fine band, April 16, 2001

By 

N. Dorward "obsessive reviewer" (Toronto, ON Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Street of Dreams (Audio CD)

Perhaps it's a bit odd that while the 1950s and 1960s threw up many notable guitarists--Montgomery, Galbraith, Puma, Hall, Ellis, Lowe, Pass, &c--they mostly tended to the quieter end of the spectrum: the guitar wasn't frequently encountered in the tough-as-nails, abrasive music known as hard bop. The only two guitarists to have made much of an impact at Blue Note, the home of hard bop, were Kenny Burrell & Grant Green. Green was a guitarist blessed with the ability to make just about anything sound good; even something as unpromising as "Moon River" (on _The Complete Quartets with Sonny Clark_) in his hands becomes convincing & impeccable jazz. His playing was supremely melodic, unornamented & relaxed; his sound was delicate, but surprisingly adaptable to even the toughest of hard bop contexts. He recorded in a lot of settings; at the time Blue Note seemed mostly interested in his more commercially-oriented work (gospel, blues, organ trio, Latin, pop standards), & it was only after Green's untimely death in the late 1970s that a lot of Green's most important & grittiest work was released, like a pair of albums with McCoy Tyner & Elvin Jones in the rhythm section, or a clutch of discs with Sonny Clark on piano. Unfortunately, as the 1960s wore on like many jazz musicians (& especially guitarists--think of Montgomery & Benson) Green more & more turned to commercially-oriented music; but his numerous mid-1960s discs amply document a figure who is as much a neglected master as, say, Sonny Clark or Herbie Nichols (though like them he is finally getting his due).

This album was released during Green's life, fortunately, & remains one of his best. The band features Larry Young on organ, Bobby Hutcherson on vibes & Elvin Jones on drums. If at a casual glance the setlist looks more "commercial" than an album like _Idle Moments_ (Green's finest album as a leader), given that it is dependent on standards rather than originals, don't let that fool you. The best of these four long, relaxed performances is a version of "Lazy Afternoon", reworked into a 5/4 groove, the theme given a tranced, elongated reading. But all four tracks are memorable, unfolding gently, with an almost mesmerizing shimmer. Despite its being on the Blue Note label, this disc is as introspective of mood as a contemporary Bill Evans trio date.

The players on this disc crossed paths several times again. The Green/Young/Jones axis frequently appeared in Van Gelder's studio: they also recorded Green's _Talkin' About_, Young's _Into Somethin'_ (with Sam Rivers), & Green's _I Want to Hold Your Hand_ (with Hank Mobley; the title track is another fine instance of Green's ability to make compelling jazz out of unlikely material)--if none of these discs quite touches _Street of Dreams_ they are still all rewarding listens. Bobby Hutcherson was also a key component of _Idle Moments_, which stands as Green's greatest achievement on disc.

29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Velvety Tumescence, December 19, 2005

By 

My Uncle Stu (Atlanta) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Street of Dreams (Audio CD)

This is one of my top ten favorite jazz albums. It captures a certain feel of West Coast Cool. It's mellow music but there is complexity and brilliance to Green's guitar work that gives the music an intricacy and vigor worth listening to over and over again. Smooth but not flaccid. But this album would be an important part of your jazz collection even without appreciating the cryptic subtleties that lend it weight. It works just as well on a simpler level, purely on it's charming, hypnotic sound. Green's guitar solos float buoyantly over the smooth sounds of Larry Young's organ work, accented by Bobby Hutcherson's vibes and an appropriately restrained Elvin Jones on drums. Don't believe me? Sample track 3, Streets of Dreams, and see.

It's rare to find such a beautiful blending of instruments. Musicians complimenting each other with such generosity of spirit and such clarity of sound and vision, it will shame away every negative emotion tucked away in your subconscious. It's like a colonic hydrotherapy for the soul, but without the risks of intestinal perforations and flash edema. Less invasive too, wouldn't you say? For best results, go get a deep tissue massage, then rush immediately to your local osteopath for some vigorous thoracic and lumbar adjustments. Then, drive home, take just a pinch of Xanax and a baby dose of chloral hydrate. Take a hot shower, pour yourself a tall Tanqueray on the rocks, and put the album on. Dim the lights. Fire up a lava lamp if you've got one. If you must smoke, I would go with a light Maryland pipe tobacco, unsweetened, mixed with just a smidgen of smoky Cyprian latakia. Please do not operate heavy machinery while listening to this music.

You're welcome.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Life "Street of Dreams", February 25, 2009

By 

Michael B. Richman (Portland, Maine USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Street of Dreams (Audio CD)

This RVG reissue is a bit of a head-scratcher as the original CD is still readily available, but it's a classic so I won't complain. Recorded on November 16, 1964, Grant Green's "Street of Dreams" is the third of four Blue Note albums featuring the guitar-organ trio of Grant Green, Larry Young and drummer Elvin Jones. The first album, Grant Green's "Talkin' About," featured only the aforementioned trio, but on the other three dates, a different musician was brought in for each session to form memorable quartets. Larry Young's "Into Somethin'" featured Sam Rivers on tenor sax, Grant Green's I Want to Hold Your Hand (see my review) included Hank Mobley, and "Street of Dreams" benefited from the contributions of Bobby Hutcherson on vibes. The combinations the "Street of Dreams" quartet came up with are truly magical -- Green's smooth licks and perfect passes, Young's probing but never overpowering organ, Hutch's delicate yet percussive vibes compliments, and Elvin's poly-rhythmic stickwork combine to form some truly magical playing and improvising. This is by no means your typical organ soul jazz title, but is instead a modern jazz masterpiece. It is one of the those albums I never tire of listening to, particularly at sunset. Ahhh, to live on the "Street of Dreams."