Idle Moments (Blue Note Vinyl)

Recorded in 1963 and released in 1965, it features Green with a phenomenal band: Joe Henderson on tenor saxophone, Bobby Hutcherson on vibraphone, Duke Pearson on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Al Harewood on drums.

There's a lot that could be said about this album, and if you're already a fan of it, then the following will not be new news. For those who have perhaps wondered where to start with jazz guitar in general or Grant Green in particular, well, here. Here is where you start. It is both beautiful and mesmerising; ideal for those cold winter nights and yet equally perfect for those long summer afternoons. You know the ones - when daylight saving has kicked in, the air fresh and the twilight goes on for what seems like ever.

Fun fact for those who care:

The album is best known for the title piece, a slow composition in C minor which lasts for nearly 15 minutes. Pearson, who wrote the song, explains in his liner notes to the album that the tune was meant to be much shorter. Due to the musicians repeating the main melody twice, however, there was some confusion as to whether or not one chorus would consist of 16 or 32 bars.

Producer Alfred Lion was satisfied with the take, although he suggested that they do a retake to fit the song into a seven-minute limit. However, the song had a special feeling to it which no subsequent take could recapture, so it was decided to release the first take on the album. Two other songs, "Jean De Fleur" and "Django", were re-recorded in shorter renditions to compensate for the length of the title track.