Into Somethin'
Larry Young
Sam Rivers, Grant Green, Elvin Jones
Engineer: Rudy Van Gelder
Blue Note Records (USA), 1998
1 CD
Catalogue #: 21734
EAN: 0724382173427
UPC: 724382173427
You save: 20%
Personnel: Larry Young (organ); Sam Rivers (tenor saxophone); Grant Green (guitar); Elvin Jones (drums).
Producer: Alfred Lion.
Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna.
Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on November 12, 1964. Includes liner notes by Nat Hentoff.
Digitally remastered by Ron McMaster.
This is part of Blue Note's Limited Edition Connoisseur series.
While most practitioners of the instrument have followed closely on the heels of Jimmy Smith, on INTO SOMETHIN', Larry Young demonstrates his unique horn-like approach to melody. With the help of Sam Rivers (saxophone), Grant Green (guitar), and Elvin Jones (drums), Young puts forth a swinging collection of tunes that isn't particularly drenched in the traditional gospel/soul sound usually produced by an organ ensemble. Instead, this is a crisp, exciting session that, along with UNITY, would eventually help make Young one of the legends of the B-3.
The effortless waltzing bounce of "Tyrone" opens the set as Rivers and Young glide through the melody while Jones swings intensely in the background. The heavy Latin groove of "Plaza de Toros" sets up some stunning rhythmic interactions between Grant, Young, and Jones. The intricate "Paris Eyes" and the bluesy "Backup" are both excellent swinging numbers that further display Young's non-traditional approach to the instrument and his masterful soloing prowess. Finally, the classic "Ritha"--presented here in both trio and quartet versions--is an exhilarating composition that displays the full wealth of Young's legendary abilities.
Tracklist
Sam Rivers
Oklahoma-born sax giant Sam Rivers started his career on the Boston jazz scene in the late 1940s, playing with Jaki Byard and others. In the mid-'60s he finally broke through as a major player, mostly due to his work with Miles Davis. Besides becoming an in-demand sideman for the likes of Cecil Taylor and Bobby Hutcherson, he began an important solo career that mated an avant-garde free-jazz approach with a more rooted, blues-influenced sensibility. Rivers outlasted many of his peers, and was still active and vital into the 21st century.
Grant Green
St. Louis-born guitarist Grant Green was a giant of what came to be known as soul-jazz. His singular style incorporated the influences of Gospel, blues, and R&B, and defined a unique post-bop language for electric guitar. His classic early-1960s Blue Note recordings are high-water marks of both the soul-jazz sound and of jazz guitar in general. Drug abuse sadly hampered his later career; he died in 1979, but his son, the jazz guitarist Grant Green, Jr., continues his legacy.
Elvin Jones
Many consider drummer Elvin Jones's contribution to the classic John Coltrane quartet of the 1960s nearly equal to that of the master. Jones's rolling polyrhythms balanced urgency and serenity to create a dynamic sense of texture and time, providing steady counterpoint to Coltrane's sonic explorations. Subsequently, Jones went on to collaborate with many distinguished peers and to pursue a long, fruitful solo career with his Jazz Machine. One of the key influences on jazz drumming in both bebop and post-bop, Jones continued playing, even in ill health, until his death in 2004 at the age of 76.
