Throughout jazz history, there have been magical pairings of musicians in recording studios. Sometimes the union was established jointly by the two musicians. At other times, producers brought them together. These couplings include Louis Armstrong and Jack Teagarden, Bix Beiderbecke and Frankie Trumbauer, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and John Coltrane, Shirley Scott and Stanley Turrentine, Sonny Stitt and Don Patterson, and Donald Byrd and Pepper Adams.
Add to the list guitarist Grant Green and pianist Sonny Clark. Their souls were in the same groove and they played off each other neatly. They also had a terrific juxtaposition—Green's pronounced, pointed attack pressed against Clark's smoothed out elegant approach. Both could swing.
They recorded four albums' worth of material together in 1961 and '62. The shocker is that none of the tracks were released by Blue Note until the 1980s. Which is baffling and criminal. The albums are Gooden's Corner (recorded in 1961 and released in 1980), Nigeria (1962/1980), Oleo (1962/1980) and Born to Be Blue (1962/1985). We can thank the late Michael Cuscuna, the Blue Note reissue producer in the late 1970s and '80s, for bringing these to light.
How about all the Green-Clark quartet collaborations?
Here's Grant Green: The Complete Quartets With Sonny Clark, without ad interruptions...
Other ad-free Backgrounders in my series:
- Sammy Davis Jr. Sings and Laurindo Almeida Plays, go here.
- Paul Quinichette: Moods, go here.
- Jimmy Forrest: Forrest Fire!, go here.
- Brazilian Jazz Quartet: Coffee and Jazz, go here.
- Art Blakey!!! Jazz Messengers!!!, go here.
- Sidney Bechet/Martial Solal, go here.
- John Carisi: The New Jazz Sound Of "Show Boat," go here.
- The Marty Paich Quartet, Featuring Art Pepper, go here.
- João Gilberto, 1998, go here.
- Bobby Timmons: Soul Time, go here.
- Gerry Mulligan: Jeru, go here.
- Ray Bryant: Alone With the Blues, go here.
- Leon Spencer Jr.: Bad Walking Woman, go here.
- Jimmy McGriff: Step 1, go here.
- Johnny "Hammond" Smith: Breakout, go here.
- Oliver Nelson: Taking Care of Business, go here.
- Quincy Jones: Americans in Paris, go here.
- Sonny Stitt: Tune-Up!, go here.
- Herbie Mann: Yardbird Suite, go here.
- Quincy Jones: Twilight Time, go here.
- Lou Levy Quartet: Jazz in Four Colors, go here.
- Johnny Alf: Rapaz de Bem, go here.
- Hank Mobley: Poppin', go here.
- Barney Kessel: Kessel's Kit, go here.
- Larry Young: Into Somethin', go here.
- Henry Mancini: The Jazz Sound From Peter Gunn, go here.
- Sonny Stitt: Night Crawler, go here.
- Maynard Ferguson: Around the Horn, go here.
- Frank Rosolino: Franky Speaking!, go here.
- Ben Webster: King of the Tenors, go here.
- Kenny Dorham: Una Mas, go here.
- Gigi Gryce: Nica's Tempo, go here.
- Charlie Parker With Strings: The Master Takes, go here.
- The Great Jazz Piano of Phineas Newborn Jr., go here.
- The Complete Chet Baker Sings, go here.
- Shorty Rogers Courts the Count, go here.
- Miles Ahead: Miles Davis +19, go here.
- Kenny Burrell, Jazzmen - Detroit, go here.
- Bill Watrous, In Love Again, go here.
- Gene Ammons, Boss Tenor, go here.
- Roy Eldridge: The Strolling Mr. Eldridge, go here.
- Clifford Brown and Max Roach with Sonny Rollins, go here.
- Fats Navarro: Nostalgia, go here.
- Hank Mobley: Hank Mobley Quintet, go here.
- Sandy Mosse: Relaxin' With..., go here.
- Maynard Ferguson: A Message From Newport, go here.
- Jimmy Raney: Two Jims and Zoot, go here.
- Zoot Sims Plays 4 Altos, go here.
- Jimmy Forrest: Out of the Forrest, go here.
- Jazz Studio 2, From Hollywood, go here.
- Billy Taylor: My Fair Lady Loves Jazz, go here.
- Hank Mobley: Soul Station, go here.
- Sylvia Telles, Lúcio Alves and Roberto Menescal: Bossa Session, go here.
- Horace Silver: The Horace Silver Trio, go here.
- Walter Davis: Davis Cup, go here.
- Wynton Kelly: Kelly at Midnite, go here.
- Jack Sheldon: Jack's Groove, go here.
- Herbie Nichols: Complete Masters, go here.
- Hank Mobley: Hank Mobley Quartet, go here.
- Mundell Lowe: Satan in High Heels, go here.
- Hal McKusick and Art Farmer: Quintet Sessions, go here.
- Os Poligonais: Os Poligonais, go here.
- Buddy Fite: Tasty, go here.
- Al Sears: Swing's the Thing, go here.
- A.K. Salim: Complete Savoy Recordings, go here.
- Rosinha de Valença, go here.
- Remo Rau, Evening at Cafe Africana, go here.
- Georgie Auld, Plays the Winners, go here.
- Complete Oscar Pettiford Orchestra, go here.
- East Coast - West Coast Scene, go here.
- O'Donel Levy: Black Velvet, go here.
- Sonny Rollins: Alfie, go here.
- Music to Listen to Barney Kessel By, go here.
