Grant Green Feelin' The Spirit CD

Grant Green shows his spiritual side on FEELIN' THE SPIRIT, a deeply moving collection of traditional gospels revamped with a swinging groove. Although this is a jazz session, Green is certainly observant of the gospel tradition and plays here like he was born to testify. Backing up the guitarist is the trio of Herbie Hancock, Butch Warren, and Billy Higgins. Rounding out the group is percussionist Garvin Masseaux who performs solely on tambourine, one of the traditional instruments of the church.

The uplifting bounce of "Just A Closer Walk With Thee," a work traditionally taken as a dirge, starts the session with a soulful smile. Green and Hancock both shine brilliantly on the bossa-fied "Joshua Fit De Battle Ob Jericho," a stunning piece that lends itself to some spirited rhythms. The deep blues of "Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen," on its own a melancholy tune, is given a smoky treatment that echoes the style of Billie Holiday. The date's most moving piece, however, is the ancient "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child," which Green and company plays with such somber conviction as to bring the congregation to its knees. Indeed, with this session, everyone will feel the SPIRIT.

Broadening his musical palette, Grant Green detoured into a number of "theme" sessions in 1962 -- the light Latin jazz of Latin Bit; the country & western standards of Goin' West; and the best of the bunch, the old-timey gospel album Feelin' the Spirit. For Feelin' the Spirit, Green takes five traditional, public-domain African-American spirituals (plus the CD bonus track "Deep River") and gives them convincing jazz treatments in a quartet-plus-tambourine setting. Green's light touch and clear tone match very well with the reverent material, and pianist Herbie Hancock is tremendous in support, serving the needs of the music and nailing the bright gospel style perfectly. Similarly, Green's playing never gets too complicated or loses sight of the melodies, yet he never runs short of ideas -- which goes to show that Feelin' the Spirit is indeed a labor of love. Opening with a jaunty "Just a Closer Walk With Thee," Green and Hancock work up an impassioned gospel fervor on "Go Down Moses," which is loaded with soulful, bluesy trade-offs. Yet overall, the mood is fairly reflective, with Green's interpretations of "Joshua Fit de Battle ob Jericho," "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen," and "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" pointing up the suffering and sorrow behind these standards -- with the implication that suffering still continued into 1962. That's not to say Feelin' the Spirit is a depressing album, though; it's simply infused with the spirit of the blues, which is part of the reason these songs translate so surprisingly well despite their harmonic simplicity. Green, Hancock, bassist Butch Warren, and drummer Billy Higgins keep the grooves flowing throughout, making Feelin' the Spirit a rousingly successful experiment. [The RVG Edition of the album was remastered in 2004 by Rudy Van Gelder.] ~ Steve Huey

Additional Tracks

Liner Note Authors: Joe Goldberg; Bob Blumenthal.

Recording information: Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, NJ (12/21/1962).

Photographer: Francis Wolff.

Personnel: Grant Green (guitar); Grant Green; Butch Warren (double bass); Herbie Hancock (piano); Billy Higgins (drums); Garvin Masseaux (tambourine).

Audio Remasterer: Rudy Van Gelder.