Street of Dreams (Grant Green album)

Occupation

• Guitar: Grant Green
• Vibraphone: Bobby Hutcherson
• Organ: Larry Young
• Drums: Elvin Jones

Street of Dreams is a jazz album by Grant Green, taken by Rudy Van Gelder in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on 16 November 1964 and released in 1966 on Blue Note Records. The 2008 album was reissued as remastered CD in the RVG Edition of the label.

The album

Grant Green was recorded in different occupations in the 1960s from the Blue Note label; so with Ben Dixon and Baby Face Wilette (1961 ), with Sonny Clark and Sam Jones, and finally with Larry Young and Elvin Jones in November 1964. As with the previous album Idle Moments worked here also with vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson. With the Coltrane musicians Elvin Jones ( and McCoy Tyner ) Green had met already in the ( remained unpublished ) Matador session in June 1964.

Vibraphone and bring together the Hammond organ in a jazz combo, goes back to the tradition of cooperation by Lionel Hampton and Milt Buckner and had been continued by Johnny " Hammond " Smith and Johnny Lytle. In a trio with Larry Young and Elvin Jones Green first played in September 1964 ( first unpublished ) Album Talkin 'About! ( Blue Note BLP 4183 ) a. The collaboration with Jones and Young sat Green after the recording of Street of Dreams with some New York club appearances and in March 1965, the Blue Note album I Want to Hold Your Hand continued, before he left the Blue Note label, a pursue more commercial direction. Young and Jones continued their collaboration continued in the Unity Album ( 1965).

Street of Dreams contained no original compositions of the organist and the musicians involved, but only cover versions of then popular songs such as Charles Trenet's " I Wish You Love ," which was made ​​popular by singers like Gloria Lynne and previously Keely Smith in the 1960s. Also, " Lazy Afternoon" was a pop song from the 50s; the title track " Street of Dreams" was a standard by Victor Young, and finally "Somewhere in the Night ". The song was originally by Vivian Blaine in the film musical Three Little Girls in Blue ( 1946) sung and made ​​famous by the version by Ella Fitzgerald; He was popular since the late 1950s in the United States as the " Naked City Theme" from the eponymous television series and by the jazz singer Teri Thornton.

After the mood -creating Introduction Larry Young Green plays the first song " I Wish You Love ," which he adds a slight Latin touch in the background. Leonard Feather points out the effects of background accompaniment by vibraphonist Hutcherson and mentions three aspects in Grant Green's playing:

Finally Feather points out the connection to Charlie Christian as a model Greens: " If Bob had ever numbers with a rhythmic Latin background taken, this would be comfortable here the way how they would sound like. " To the following " Lazy Afternoon", hardly as a jazz instrumental piece, but only from the pop music of the early 1950s known Green is an unconventional characteristics, by playing it in 5/4-Takt; a second solo plays Hutcherson. In contrast was the Victor Young- number " Street of Dreams" in jazz an established standard; here the musicians create any Latin rhythm, more of a straight -ahead style of play that swings in the Orthodox 4/4-Metrum. Feather indicates greens triplets at some points of his solos, as he continues on to Larry Young's solo takes up its intense game and. The theme of "Somewhere in the Night " will be presented by Youngs introduction of Grant and Hutcherson in unison playing style; the closing cadence of the piece played in moderate pace reminds Feather of Django Reinhardt

Assessment

For Allmusic, Steve Huey Street of Dreams rated only three stars, but praised the wonderfully wonderfully light and moody atmosphere of the session, in which Hutcherson is the perfect complement, he beisteuere its clear, shimmering tone with modal playing position. The musicians played with either the Soul - jazz touch of Talkin 'About still have the drive to a romantic approach; she was rather introspective and ließend: "So lacking any kind of fireworks and funky grooves; the music is rather like a piece of what it hard do to make out the highlights of this album.

Richard Cook and Brian Morton lifted in the Penguin Guide to Jazz forth particularly the impressive opening track, " I Wish You Love " and praise the overall quality of this session. They regret that it would be no further, previously unreleased material.

Chis May went to All About Jazz about the role of organist Larry Young and drummer Elvin Jones at this session that will bring a " potentially turbulent duo " Grant Green and Hutcherson in rather a mild groove. Compared with Idle Moments, which was largely determined by the arrangements of pianist Duke Pearson, Street of Dreams WOULD more like a Blowing Session - simple topics serve as a vehicle for solos; set the selection of songs " but a wealth of structural and harmonic respects free".

The pieces

• Blue Note BST 84253

The cover design is by Reid Miles and the cover photo by Jim Marshall.