First Session
Encyclopedia
First Session is an album by American jazz guitarist Grant Green
featuring performances by Green recorded in 1960 and 1961 but not released on the Blue Note
label until 2001. The album features the first recordings made by Green for Blue Note which were held back from release in favour of a later recording date which appeared as Grant's First Stand
(1961). Also included on the album are two takes from a later 1961 session.
Grant Green
Grant Green was a jazz guitarist and composer....
featuring performances by Green recorded in 1960 and 1961 but not released on the Blue Note
Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
label until 2001. The album features the first recordings made by Green for Blue Note which were held back from release in favour of a later recording date which appeared as Grant's First Stand
Grant's First Stand
Grant's First Stand is the debut album by American jazz guitarist Grant Green featuring performances by Green recorded and released on the Blue Note label in 1961...
(1961). Also included on the album are two takes from a later 1961 session.
Reception
The Allmusic review by Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr. awarded the album 4 stars and stated "Whatever hesitation Green may have felt as a first time leader, the warmth and immediacy of his style arrives in full bloom. First Session is a lively portrait of a jazz great, surrounded by the best musicians in the business, getting his feet wet. Don't miss it".Track listing
- All compositions by Grant Green except as indicated
- "He's a Real Gone Guy" (Nellie LutcherNellie LutcherNellie Lutcher was an African-American R&B and jazz singer and pianist, who gained prominence in the late 1940s and early 1950s...
) - 5:19 - "Seepin'" - 11:46
- "Just FriendsJust Friends (1931 song)"Just Friends" is a popular song that has become a jazz standard. The song was written in 1931 by John Klenner with lyrics by Sam M. Lewis. Although introduced by Red McKenzie and His Orchestra in October 1931, it first became a hit when singer Russ Columbo performed it with Leonard Joy’s...
" (John Klenner, Sam M. LewisSam M. LewisSam M. Lewis was a Jewish-American singer and lyricist, born in New York City, New York as Samuel Levine-Biography:...
) - 6:36 - "Grant's First Stand" - 8:50
- "Sonnymoon for Two" (Sonny RollinsSonny RollinsTheodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins is a Grammy-winning American jazz tenor saxophonist. Rollins is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. A number of his compositions, including "St...
) - 6:16 - "Woody 'N You" [Take 4] (Dizzy GillespieDizzy GillespieJohn Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
) - 5:55 - "Woody 'N You" [Take 7] (Gillespie) - 5:55
- Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ on November 26, 1960 (tracks 1-5) & October 27, 1961 (tracks 6 & 7).
- "He's a Real Gone Guy" (Nellie Lutcher
Personnel
- Grant GreenGrant GreenGrant Green was a jazz guitarist and composer....
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Sonny ClarkSonny ClarkConrad Yeatis "Sonny" Clark was an American jazz pianist who mainly worked in the hard bop idiom.-Biography:...
(tracks 6 & 7), Wynton KellyWynton KellyWynton Kelly was a Jamaican-born jazz pianist, who spent his career in the United States. He is perhaps best known for working with trumpeter Miles Davis from 1959-1962.-Biography:...
(tracks 1-5) - pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Paul ChambersPaul ChambersPaul Laurence Dunbar Chambers, Jr. was a jazz bassist. A fixture of rhythm sections during the 1950s and 1960s, his importance in the development of jazz bass can be measured not only by the length and breadth of his work in this short period but also his impeccable time, intonation, and virtuosic...
(tracks 1-5), Butch WarrenButch WarrenEdward "Butch" Warren is an American jazz double bassist who plays in the hard bop genre. He was especially active in the late-50s and the 1960s.-Biography:...
(tracks 6 & 7) - bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2... - Billy HigginsBilly HigginsBilly Higgins was an American jazz drummer. He played mainly free jazz and hard bop.Higgins was born in Los Angeles, California. Higgins played on Ornette Coleman's first records, beginning in 1958...
(tracks 6 & 7), Philly Joe JonesPhilly Joe JonesJoseph Rudolph Jones was a Philadelphia-born United States jazz drummer, known as the drummer for the Miles Davis Quintet.Philly Joe Jones was often confused with another influential jazz drummer, Jo Jones...
(tracks 1-5) - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....