Documentary: Grant Green

At his peak in the early 1960s, Grant Green was one of the most soulful, swinging jazz guitarists recording. Unfortunately, many of his albums weren't released until after his death in 1979. The business reasoning remains puzzling but the decision by Blue Note clearly had nothing to do with his playing. Green appeared on many albums as a sideman, and I suppose the label didn't want to saturate the market. In addition, tastes were shifting to soul-jazz and boogaloo. In hindsight, holding back Green's albums seems almost cruel.

If you're unfamiliar with Green, start with the two-CD set called The Complete Quartets With Sonny Clark, a 1997 compilation album. So you have a sense of Green's genius, here's Gooden's Corner...



Yesterday, jazz author Carl Woideck sent along a link to a Grant Green documentary. Instead of focusing on the music, the film is more about his son's bluesy search for his father's past and those who shed light on his life as a guitarist and a friend. The 2017 film runs just over and hour and was directed by Charles F. Cirgenski and Sharony Green, the former wife of Greg Green, a musician who now goes by Grant Green Jr. and is featured in the film.

Here's Part 1...



Here's Part 2...



And here's Part 3...