About

Grant Green’s Blue Note output was prolific through the early-60s producing more than 20 hard bop and soul jazz sessions as a leader for the label between 1961-1965. By the time the guitarist returned to the label in 1969 his musical style had evolved to embrace jazz-funk and R&B as heard on his albums Carryin’ On and Green Is Beautiful. After two searing live recording dates—Alive! and Live at Club Mozambique—Green returned to Van Gelder Studio in 1971 to record Visions.

Joining the guitarist were Billy Wooten on vibes, Emmanuel Riggins on electric piano, Chuck Rainey on electric bass, Idris Muhammad on drums, and percussionists Ray Armando and Harold Caldwell. Green’s distinctive tone and melodicism elevate this varied program which includes interpretations of radio hits by Chicago (“Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?”), The Carpenters (“We’ve Only Just Begun”), and the Jackson 5 (“Never Can Say Goodbye”), as well as a surprising reinvention of Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G Minor.

Other highlights of the set include the jazz-funk workout “Cantaloupe Woman” and an achingly beautiful rendition of Quincy Jones’ “Maybe Tomorrow,” which was later sampled on Kendrick Lamar’s 2012 track “Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst” from Good Kid, m.A.A.d City.

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal. — (via Label)
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Grant Green's early-'70s recordings for Blue Note are continually attacked by jazz critics for being slick, overly commercial sessions that leaned closer to contemporary pop and R&B than hard bop or soul jazz. There's no denying that Green, like many of his Blue Note contemporaries, did choose a commercial path in the early '70s, but there were some virtues to these records, and Visions in particular. Often, these albums were distinguished by hot, funky workouts in the vein of Sly Stone or James Brown, but that's not the case here. On Visions, the guitarist crafted a set of appealingly melodic, lightly funky pop-jazz, concentrating on pop hits like "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is," "Love On a Two Way Street," "We've Only Just Begun," and "Never Can Say Goodbye."

Supported by Billy Wooten, Emmanuel Riggins, Chuck Rainey, Idris Muhammad, Ray Armando, and Harold Caldwell, Green nevertheless turns in an elegant and dignified performance – after stating the melody on each song, he contributes typically graceful, memorable solos. Simply put, he sounds fresh, and his playing here is the best it has been since 1965's His Majesty, King Funk. Ultimately, Visions is a bit laid-back, and the electric piano-heavy arrangements are a little dated, but Grant Green never made a commercial pop-jazz album as appealing and satisfying as Visions. — (via AllMusic)

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Label: Blue Note
Series: Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 180g
Reissued: 2024 / Original Release: 1971
Genre: Jazz

File under: Blue Note Records
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