dreadpirateroberts Much has been said about the original intended length of the title track, so I’ll just repeat it once – what a fantastic mistake! ‘Idle Moments’ as a fourteen minute bluesy exploration is cool – even silky – giving everyone a chance to stretch out and solo on a piece that I find myself chucking on repeat more often than not. Not to say that up-tempo numbers like ‘Jean De Fleur’ (or the rest of the album) aren’t enjoyable, but the opening cut sets a high bar.

The bluesy swing of the title track is returned to on ‘Django’ and ‘Nomad’ is another harder piece where Henderson plays a little rougher, taking the spotlight. Hutcherson is a distinctive voice on all pieces, and of course Green leads everything with his lovely tone but like many of the greatest jazz albums, there seems to be no lone virtuoso. As a listener, the pieces feel as though everyone gets a say, that everyone is working together so damn well.

Perhaps Grant Green’s defining album, and a rewarding listen for fans of cool and hard bop.

Warthur Opening with the superb, laid back, bluesy epic which is the title track, Idle Moments is a great hard bop album which takes in moods from the sedate (as on the title track) to the energetic (as on the album closer Nomad). But it's the opener which listeners will keep coming back to, with excellent solos from Grant Green himself, Joe Henderson and Bobby Hutcherson being particularly standout moments. According to jazz legend, it's twice as long as intended because they accidentally played the baseline melody twice, but I think it needed to be that long to really get deep into the mellow mood the band try to evoke with it. Superb stuff.

Matt Shelved by Alfred Lion the producer at Blue Note records when this session was recorded in May 1965 but not actually released until 1979 in Japan and internationally in 1990. "Matador" is the name given to the album and Grant Green was in red hot form at this time in his career with his previous session being "Idle Moments" and the next "Solid". He was doing a plethora of material at Blue Note and not all could be released as not to flood the market. Alfred Lion one of the main partners at Blue Note produced nearly all the sessions for the label till 1967 and with Francis Wolff decicided what to release and one does wonder why this session was never placed on the market much earlier. One of the reasons may have been the inclusion of "My Favourite Things" in the session to which many of us would say that this is the pick of the album but repititon was not one thing that Alfred would have liked in his Jazz and one has to admit that there are points within the solo from Grant on guitar that does head that way at times. Still wonderful album with excellent picking from Grant Green but what about the band having McCoy Tyner on piano and Elvin Jones on drums who one could say are experts at "My Favourite Things" having been on the classic recording of the tune with John Coltrane and recently just recorded "Crescent" and "A Love Supreme" with him as well. You would be going to find any better musicians and also while talking about those better musicians Bob Cranshaw is on bass for just another session at Blue Note and Bob has pretty much played with Sonny Rollins for the last 50 years.

The title "Matador" is first with Grant on guitar soloing in that order also with his usual beautiful sharp presicion with McCoy Tyner following with that delightful touch he has on piano over the repeated rythmn structure in this lovely quick driver of a number. "My Favorite Things" is next and like the previous "Matador" is over ten minutes in length providing plenty of room for the musicians to stretch out with their solos and Grant Green takes the lion's share in both. Like any great McCoy Tyner does not play this tune the same as he did with John Coltrane previously and he is playing a bit more fill with his piano interruptation. Grant Green's solo is the let down. Why in two sections repeat the same chord 20 times in a row and then put as through it again a minute later? One could not be blamed for thinking the record is scratched or your cd is faulty. McCoy is great to follow but for me it spoiled what could have been something close to that other Coltrane version. As the first tune was, "Blue Jeans" as another Grant Green composition within the album with quite a nice jaunt put within the composition's structure having a great little call and response intro between Grant and McCoy and Grant takes the first solo with a much better approach but at times he still has that repitition thing happening again. McCoy is wonderful to follow with his piano input and often I have heard his tone described as joyous which is perhaps the best description for the touch that he has on the piano keys whilst playing. The rythmn section of Bob Cranshaw and Elvin Jones are simply superb throughout with neither putting a foot wrong with Elvin showing his stuff on drums in the next , "Bedouin" being techinically the last track on the album with him placing a lovely subdued one near the end of the composition. Grant plays the most interesting solo from him on the album within this track with McCoy of course doing it superbly again as well. "Wives and Lovers" is the bonus track with Grant sounding like his guitar is getting plenty of pluck on this jaunty version.

I found when I first heard the album years back now I absolutely loved it but over time that repitition from Grant Green in "My Favorite Things and Green Jeans" is a bit much for this old free flowing Jazz Head. Alfred Lion never inteferred with the music and let the musicians have their run with results that are legendary in Jazz today and this is one album if not for that point that I have previously made and still one you will want if you are a Grant fan like myself.

Abraxas Blue Note-addict, Grant Green, released dozens of albums throughout the 60s showing clearly his evolution and diversity in different contexts, having played with lots of renowned musicians. In Street of Dreams we got the trio that played in Talkin’ About which is Larry Young on organ, Elvin Jones on drums and Green on guitar, plus the addition of vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson on this session.

The unision of B3 Hammond Organ and jazz guitar is not something new at all, but Grant Green probably made my favourite album featuring this unision, which is this. But that's only telling half of the story, since actually I love this album also because of the combination of vibraphone and organ, the former playing the upper keys while the organ does the lower register, as a whole creating a fantastic sound which isn’t common in jazz (or elsewhere).

Street of Dreams is in its essence a dreamy and night-mood album, as the title suggests. And that's actually surprising since Larry is not actually known for being a calm organist, neither is Jones' drum-kit accustomed to playing gently nor much of Bobby's vibes.

What is also surprising is that all four compositions are covers, mainly popular early 50s songs (sang). But Green & Co. really make these compositions their own, as great jazz musicians are known of doing. It's in the case of 'Lazy Afternoon' that the band even turns the original 4/4 into a 5/4 tune! But mind you, it's a slow-paced 5/4 unlike 'Take Five'. Yes, the four compositions are mainly slow-driven tunes with no real need of power; it's the whole subtlety and dreaminess that makes this album so enjoyable, and of course the exquisite solos of each of the members.

Although many will object of considering this a great Green record, since the guitarist's classic features are not present, I still think this is an excellent album, and like I said at the beginning, one of the best in combining guitar and organ, even though those particular instruments don’t actually show-off, they’re simply joined as one within the whole flow of the album.

Matt Accidental Jazz classic as the the tune "Idle Moments" was supposed to run for only seven minutes but things went a little astray with Grant Green's directions from Duke Pearson and he kept playing which was quite lucky for us Jazz fans as they created his most memorable recording. Grant Green is doing album number fifteen for the label at this time with the album being recorded over two sessions in November 1963 but if not for the extension to "Idle Moments" in the first take they would not have needed to return to shorten two of the tracks so they could fit on the album. They did re-record the title in its original planned time of only seven minutes but the takes were just not as good which meant to make the first take the master was the only other option. Blue Note with this release have provided the first versions of "Jean De Fleur" and "Django" in their full length as bonus tracks and they are at the end. The band could not have been any better with Joe Henderson on tenor saxophone, Bobby Hutcherson is a little out his usual space as he had been playing more on the Avante Garde side with the label but here shows he is good at anything with his superb vibraphone touch. Duke Pearson is on piano and actually directing the muscians in the session as would be expected after taking over from his predecesor Ike Quebec . The rythmn section is Bob Cranshaw on bass who is a regular at the label and the same can be said for Al Harewood on drums with both appearing as sideman in many recordings for the label from this period. Late at night is the time to hear "Idle Moments" and it was actually recorded after midnight so the band have that vibe right in place with some beautiful relaxing bluesy Jazz.

Duke Pearson who composed the composition opens on piano but Grant just glides in and takes over with the slow theme and solos with some of the loveliest dreamy picking with plenty of space, so you can hear every chord. Underneath all this Al Harewood is using brushes and not sticks to keep everything nice and laidback on drums. Lengthy solos from all with Duke doing a beautifiul low key solo on piano as all do, with Joe Henderson on bluesy tenor following along with Bobby Hutcherson's low key vibes completing the composition giving the tune that perfect touch with a beautiful display of just the right, spaced, low key touch in this fifteen minute masterpiece. "Jean De Fleur" will bring you out of the last tunes dream with its quick up tempo time and Grant plays one of those real quick pickers drenched with that blues influence that he seem to exhude with every strum. Since the tune was shortened Joe and Bobby on their respective turns do not get as long but do not worry you will know Joe is there with his quick fire solo and Bobby provides a heap of energy but listen he does not get drawn in to overplay and keeps beautiful space and time on vibraphone with great restraint. The following "Django" is back to the late night feel with its time a little quicker than the title but restrained all the same with Grant soloing first with Bob Cranshaw and Al Harewood keeping that beat and time in the rythmn section. Joe Henderson does not know how to play a boring solo and he always there with that energy of his in this one too. Bobby and Duke finish things with the band all coming in to this complete little shuffler off. "Nomad" is the closer and if you think, "where is some great blowing from Joe's tenor", then this is the one for you, he puts down one of his trademark quick changers with great ripping feel and placement. Bobby on vibes does not drop the standard and Grant, well he must have been needing to tune up his guitar after this one with some real tricky picking on this up tempo composition. The Alt takes which are the last two on the cd reissue are actually a bit better than the masters as you hear Joe and Bobby do a bit more with their turns because of the original time span planned for the numbers.

Another compulsory Blue Note aquisition one of Grant Green's finest on the label. If you are after something that is very similar in late night style his Quartet sessions with Sonny Clarke recorded in December 1961 and January 1962 or maybe Stanley Turrentine and his gruff tenor "Blue Hour"sessions with The Three Sounds might just suit your late night relaxation as well.