Matador was recorded on May 20, 1964, at the Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. It was produced by Alfred Lion, and recorded by Rudy Van Gelder (natch). Grant's "sidemen" are pianist McCoy Tyner and drummer Elvin Jones (both of whom at the time were part of John Coltrane's classic quartet) and Bob Cranshaw on bass.
During Grant's four-year frenzy (1961–1965) at Blue Note, he recorded over twenty sessions under his own name (and many more as a sideman) for producer Alfred Lion. 'Matador' though is one of those many sessions that went unreleased for a good many years until after Grant's premature death at the age of 43. Despite its high quality, Alfred Lion made the business decision to prioritize Green's organ-based soul-jazz records at the time, leaving this session unreleased.
Jazz archivist, historian, and producer Michael Cuscuna played a pivotal role in preserving Matador from permanent obscurity. His relentless exploration of the Blue Note Records vaults ensured that this progressive jazz masterpiece would not be lost forever. Michael Cuscuna first produced the session for commercial release through Japan's King Records in 1979. It eventually went on to get the first of a few issues in the rest of the world in as a CD in 1990.
'Matador' is a special moment in Grant Green's music, showcasing his incredible skill in straight-ahead modal jazz. Many jazz fans myself included think it’s one of his best and most innovative pieces, moving away from his usual soul-jazz style to explore a more complex, straight-ahead modal sound.
The freeload is a 24bit/96kHz vinyl rip of a 1993 promotional copy (Japanese Kanji letters on labels are "Hibai Hin", which means "not for sale") released by Blue Note BRP-8045, Japan Toshiba-EMI. This was a very cool find at Colony Records here in Manhattan.
For the freeload let's talk about things you found at a flea market, yard sale etc.
If the shoe fits, Happy Father's Day!
ReplyDeletehonestly, coolest & hardest thing I've ever done. Probably the best, too, despite my failures & foibles. Just amazing.
DeleteIn the 1970s, I'd occasionally go to the giant flea market at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena. It was there I stumbled on a nearly mint condition copy of Salvador Dali's cookbook, Les Diners de Gala, lavishly illustrated and bound. Over the years I've enjoyed pulling it down from the shelf to savor its idiosyncratic recipes such as the unforgettable "Chicken Cooked in Its Own Excrement.
ReplyDeletein 1981, at the Retiro in Madrid, there was a guy selling Spanish Civil War era carnets, little id/papers holders. There were military ones, party ones, union ones, medical ones and it felt like a glimpse into a whole different time and space.
ReplyDeleteFound a hat in Church Point LA, a drummer in Ajo AZ, a Bay City Rollers LP (but, sadly, didn't purchase) all over western North America.
ReplyDeleteA friend of ours in Seville, was one of the touring drummers for the Rollers. He was the "bad boy" and apparently ingested sufficient quantities of cocaine that he still operates at a higher speed than most human beings. despite being in his 80s. To his credit, he has recorded and also toured with Sting and Robert Fripp.
DeleteChurch Point ain't much--though it's pretty around there--but Boozoo Chavis and Iry LeJeune both hail from there.
DeleteGracias, querida amiga. My son and daughter-in-law will be visiting us in Seville on Friday for a few days, so we'll celebrate then.
ReplyDeleteEvery Thursday in Seville there is a several block long street fair (reportedly this Thursday fair dates back almost 400 years) on Calle Feria where you can buy old vinyl albums, books, lamps, clothes and ceramic pieces. About 4 years ago we found several hand painted ceramic tiles that we subsequently learned had been used on a wall in a convent here, and probably date back 250 years. We paid about 20e for all 6 tiles and now have them framed and placed in an alcove on our stairwell.
My recent finds last month were Sly & Robbie with Chris Hinze album and the Tielman Brothers - Little Bird
ReplyDeleteThe best buys were Theo Loevendie - Mandala, Surprieze album, and Buzzcocks - Spiral Scratch original. I have bought loads at flea markets. Signed 12''s of DJ Tiesto for a euro each, KLF originals, 30 Doble RRR Salsa albums, well spend mornings
an autographed copy of Anne Sexton Love Poems.
ReplyDeleteAnne Briggs EP - The Hazards Of Love, on the pavement ((sidewalk) outside a housein Brighton. Can't remember details, maybe there was an honesty box or something.
ReplyDeleteIts hard to remember what I've bought from dealers and what I found at fairs and junk shops back in the day so I'll keep it to my top three finds I definitely recall (the one's that set my pulse racing literally). Of course they are all garage and psych records...
ReplyDelete3. The Downliners Sect - The Sect LP
2. Dantalions Chariot - Madmen Running Through the fields 45rpm
1. The Eyes - The Arrival Of The Eyes EP
I paid less than $1 for all three of them combined back in the day but If I were to sell those three today I'd expect to get in excess of $500 in total for them. Unfortunately the Eyes EP is without its picture cover else you could more than quadruple that figure.
However, a friend of mine gave me a record from a box of records that he'd bought at a boot sale for £1 (a long time ago). He did so because he saw my reaction was so in awe of it. It's a demo copy of David's Bowie ' Prettiest Star' on Mercury from 1970 which is probably the rarest of all of those I've mentioned and because its Bowie much more sought after.
Mostly cameras (35mm & super 8) and lenses are what I'm looking for. Also, I'm a photographer that's pretty much always carrying a camera and flea markets always have interesting objects and people to photograph.
ReplyDeleteOne time, late nineties, at the HUGE Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena I bought some Moroccan hash pipes from an importer (M.S.) I had known for awhile. He sold mostly hand made Moroccan lamps, rugs and furniture.
Anyways, he told me he put something special in one of the carved wooden pipes but to wait until we got home to try it. Later at home that night my girlfriend and I tried it out and I pretty much went to bed. Meanwhile she had a manic episode that triggered what was later diagnosed as bi-polar disorder.
She built a campfire on the carpet in the middle of our living room (there was a proper fireplace five feet away) and claimed to see in it people reaching up from the depths of hell for her to lift them out.
We're still best friends to this day.
~ Jon
ps
I tried to keep this long story as short as possible.
pps
Thanks Babs! I love Grant Green!
Albums - most of my collection, collected during the Golden Era of collecting collectors' collectable collectibles - early seventies - came from boot sales and jumk shops. Nobody back then thought that sixties rock albums were going to be worth anything at all, so you could pick up handfuls of wonders for pennies. So many - Satanic 3D cover, Soft Machine cog cover, early Zappa, Monkees Head, Faust clear, obscure West Coast psych cut-outs, everything, really. Never got into singles!
ReplyDeleteIn Paris, I spent a lot of time exploring the St. Ouen ("Saint Wayne") flea market, which is like a small town.
Long ago, on a flea market in Budapest, i found a "Order of Lenin" from the Sowjet Union. It was very cheap.
ReplyDeleteIt was a joke for me to wear it in carneval.
Link
ReplyDeletehttps://workupload.com/file/S5suCRhGuXp
I spent a couple of years after college working odd jobs and volunteering full time at a "Peace Center." We advocated for diplomacy, against nuclear weapons, and maybe had some effect on some people, including our Congress-critter.
ReplyDeleteSomeone must have thought that it was time to have a yard sale, because they dumped some stuff on our porch one night, which I found the next time I was in. What I remember keeping for myself (with the consent of others!) were the album "Solid Air" by John Martyn, a copy of Playboy with their John Lennon interview, and a Yamaha 12-string guitar. I still have all three, but probably should pass along the guitar: I've subsequently had surgery on my hands, and in the decades since I've practiced dance steps far more often than guitar playing.
D in California
Solid Air! What a fantastic album. And hang on to that 12-string - I regret every guitar I got rid of. You can always tell yourself that one day you'll take it off the wall ...
DeleteA few years back I was visiting a friend in Princeton, NJ. The house next to my friends, was having a yard sale, and out for sale was six of Lester Young's 78s on Savoy in "mint" condition, for 25¢ cents each. I tried to explain to the elderly husband and wife, that they were worth much more than their asking price, but they said, "That's what we want for them", so I gave them a twenty dollar bill, and told them to keep the change. They were completely bemused by it all.
ReplyDelete