Johnny Griffin ranks amongst the very greatest hard bop tenor saxophonists, with his voluminous discography as a sideman and leader stretching from the mid-1940s to the early 21st century. Having moved to France in 1963, he quickly became a fixture on stages and in studios throughout Europe. Live at Ronnie Scott’s 1964 documents the man at the height of his artistic powers at the storied UK club of the title, backed by the venue’s house band including pianist Stan Tracey. Issued as a three-sided 2LP in a numbered edition of 500 (with CDs also available), the set is out now through Gearbox Records.
Today, Johnny Griffin might be best known for his work with Thelonious Monk and Art Blakey circa the second half of the 1950s; one LP, Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers with Thelonious Monk, released in 1959 by Atlantic, brought Griffin’s productive relationships together. But the Little Giant (as he was called) was also in the band for Full House, a live recording that teamed the saxophonist with pianist Wynton Kelly’s trio in support of guitarist Wes Montgomery. Originally issued as a single album in ’62, Full House was expanded to a 3LP set just last year.
Griffin’s work as a leader, or co-leader, hasn’t exactly been forgotten, however. To put it plainly, that’s because he was a reliable, high-energy, straight-ahead player. If blowing sessions are your bag, then Griffin is surely (one of) your guy(s). His first records as a leader to hit the store bins came via Blue Note, and especially notable is 1957’s Johnny Griffin, Vol. 2 (aka A Blowin’ Session) which added two more tenors, Hank Mobley and John Coltrane, plus Lee Morgan on trumpet and Kelly at the keys with Paul Chambers on bass and Blakey on drums.
Blowing sessions have sometimes been billed as tenor battles (in the tradition of Dexter Gordon and Wardell Gray’s cutting contest approximations “The Chase” and “The Hunt”) and between 1960-’62 Griffin cut ten albums in this mode, many of them live, with fellow tenor titan Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis. A few in this flood of LPs were issued later in the decade, but the majority landed in the retail racks promptly after recording, proof that Griffin was in demand and could be consistently interesting in a casually competitive context.
Griffin is the lone horn on Live at Ronnie Scott’s 1964, but in stretching out on three tunes, the shortest of them (excepting the closing theme) nearly reaching 15 minutes, he’s still delivering a consummate hard bop showcase, as his sheer confidence brings his mastery an unflustered tone, even when the intensity rises. Opener “The Girl Next Door” gets a tempo boost, though it’s more of a stroll than a sprint, and in his bookending solo stretches Griffin expertly mingles beauty moves with more fibrous lines.
The mid-section of the tune is given over first to Tracey, who’s a bit distant in this recording but still discernible, and then a solo spot for bassist Malcolm Cecil before Griffin makes his reentrance. Drummer Jackie Dougan completes the lineup, the Brits handling the assignment with sharp, assured playing, the group hanging in especially well as the pace picks up for the chestnut “(Back Home Again In) Indiana.” It’s in this selection, which reaches nearly 22 minutes, where Griffin really shines, exploring the full range of his horn’s capabilities (but staying fully inside bop’s parameters throughout).
The rest of the band works up a powerful groove for Griffin’s launch, and as the saxophonist soars, it’s Dougan in particular who catches fire, with his late soloing suitably explosive. But Tracey’s run immediately after Griffin concludes his first lengthy excursion is also very appealing, as the pianist deftly navigates some Tyner-esque territory. And then everybody lays out save for Cecil, as the tricky momentum shift gets pulled off with aplomb.
Naturally, there is a blues, as the mounting energy and Griffin’s wildest playing in “Blues for Two” deliver an absolute treat. A breakneck charge through Miles Davis’ “The Theme” closes this delightful and unexpected album. In closing, Gearbox’s graphic design, centered on a photo by Valerie Wilmer, is up to the standards of the music. Total class, all around.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A-
