The Original Jam Master, Vol. 1: Ain't It Funky Now!

Performer: Grant Green
Producer: Francis Wolff; George Butler
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Grant Green (guitar); George Marge, John Leone, Phil Bodner, Romeo Penque (woodwinds); Claude Bartee (tenor saxophone); Joe Newman , Joe Wilder, Victor Paz, Blue Mitchell, Jimmy Sedlar (trumpet); Jim Buffington (French horn); Harry DiVito (trombone); Dick Hickson (bass trombone); Emanuel Riggins (electric piano, Clavinet, organ); Clarence Palmer (electric piano); Shelton Laster (organ); Gary Coleman, William Bivens (vibraphone); Chuck Rainey, Jimmy Lewis , Wilton Felder (bass guitar); Greg Williams, Idris Muhammad, Stix Hooper (drums); Bobbye Porter (congas, percussion); Joseph Armstrong, Candido Camero (congas); Richard Landrum (bongos); King Errisson, Ray Armando (percussion). The first installment of the three-volume set documenting Grant Green's final years at Blue Note is a tasty, seven-track compilation from the often underrated, cool-toned guitarist. By 1969, Green was turning away from the bop-inspired direction that had dominated his earlier recordings for the label, and was moving deeper into the territory of soul-jazz, R&B, and funk. As the title of this compilation suggests, AIN'T IT FUNKY NOW is packed with serious grooves, and Green charges headlong into the rhythmic fray with help from drummer Idris Muhammad, conguero Candido Camero, trumpeter Blue Mitchell, and saxophonist Claude Bartee, among others. A glance at the track list tells listeners all they need to know. The title cut is an extended workout on James Brown's 1969 jam, while the Meters' "Ease Back" is given a smooth and sassy reading. Green and company also reinvent the Isley Brothers' "It's Your Thing," Kool & the Gang's "Let the Music Take Your Mind," and the Stylistics' "Betcha By Golly, Wow" (the latter from a live recording that emphasizes the ballad's swaying lyricism). Green's fluid style is front and center throughout, lending a touch of sophistication to the down-and-dirty proceedings on this well-compiled set.

JazzTimes (p.117) - "Idris Muhammad lays down some sever boom-bap, augmented by Candido and Richard Landrum, proving he's just about the funkiest jazz drummer ever."

St. Louis-born guitarist Grant Green was a giant of what came to be known as soul-jazz. His singular style incorporated the influences of Gospel, blues, and R&B, and defined a unique post-bop language for electric guitar. His classic early-1960s Blue Note recordings are high-water marks of both the soul-jazz sound and of jazz guitar in general. Drug abuse sadly hampered his later career; he died in 1979, but his son, the jazz guitarist Grant Green, Jr., continues his legacy.

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