この2枚組アルバムを購入するのは実は 2組目です。昨年夏に某所で購入したのですが、1枚目の LP にヒビが入っていた (しかも seller は交換に応じてくれなかった…とほほ) ため、もう 1組買う羽目になったのでした。

This is my 2nd copy I obtained recently – I bought the 1st copy in last summer at a certain auction site, but when I received the parcel, I noticed that the disc 1 was broken during the transit (what was worse, the seller completely ignored my e-mail to ask him for return…). So I had to find and buy another copy which was actually playable.

    

さて、このアルバムは、Grant Green が公式に残した録音のうち、最後から 3番目にあたるものです。1973年 3月14-15日、Watts Club Mozambique におけるライブ録音です。下のリストを見ても分かる通り、Grant Green の最後の輝きを (幸運にも) 記録したアルバムであると言えます。最後の 2枚のリーダーアルバムはかなり力が抜けてしまって安易なイージーリスニング風フュージョンですから…

This album became Grant Green‘s third last official recording in his entire life as a guitarist. This live recording was made on March 14-15, 1973 at the Watts Club Mozambique. As you can see in the below list, this album (very luckily) captures the very last period of Grant Green’s artistic peak, while on the other hand his last two leader albums were full of very dull easy-listening crossover sounds…

• …
• April 21, 1972 (live at the Lighthouse Club, Hermosa Beach, CA)
• Live At The Lighthouse / Grant Green (Blue Note BN-LA 037-G2)
• March 14 or 15, 1973 (live at the Watts Club Mozambique, Detroit, MI)
• The Real Thing / Houston Person (Eastbound 2EB-9010)
• Together – The Eastbound Jazz Years (Beat Goes Public BGPD-071)
• March 1976 (Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ)
  • The Main Attraction / Grant Green (Kudu KU-29)
• April 17-20, 1978 (NYC)
• Easy / Grant Green (Versatile MSG-2002)

    

    

で、肝心の内容ですが、この時代らしい Soul Jazz、Funk Jazz のオンパレード。リーダーの Houston Person も非常に好調にブリブリとやらかしてますし、Idris Muhammad のファンキーなドラミングも冴えまくってます。Green 参加の 6曲のうち “Since I Fell For You” を除いた 5曲で Muhammad さんがドラムスを担当しているのも好印象 (“Since I Fell For You” の Hank Brown さんは、ややステディに過ぎるきらいがある様に思います)。Jimmy Watson, Sonny Phillips, Jack McDuff という 3人のオルガンの聴き比べも面白いでしょう。あの時代の Soul/Funk っぽい Jazz が好きな人には文句なしにお勧めできる好アルバムです。

Talking about the musical contents – all tracks are what the Soul Jazz or Funk Jazz should be. The leader Houston Person plays very dirty, mellow and soulful tenor sax, while the amazing drummer Idris Muhammad doing the funky funky stuffs. Luckily, Idris Muhammad’s awesome drumming is featured on five out of six tracks which features Grant Green on guitar (on the rest track “Since I Fell For You”, Hank Brown replaces Muhammad – I feel Hank’s drumming sounds rather steady, though). Comparing individual characteristics among three different organists (Jimmy Watson, Sonny Phillips and Jack McDuff) is also interesting. Anyway, this double LP is highly recommended for anyone who like Souly and Funky Jazz music of the late 1960s – early 1970s.