Grant Green – The Latin Bit (LP, Blue Note Tone Poet Series)

Grant Green had already recorded a prolific 10 sessions of classic hard bop and soul jazz for Blue Note over a 2-year span by the time he arrived at Van Gelder Studio in 1962 to record his album The Latin Bit. The concept of the album was a departure for Green with the guitarist exploring Latin and Brazilian influences with a band featuringJohnny Aceaon piano,Wendell Marshallon bass,Willie Boboon drums,Carlos “Patato” Valdeson conga, andGarvin Masseauxon chekere. As Nat Hentoff wrote in the album’s liner notes: “It is because of Green’s remarkably consistent ease in many varieties of material, that this album of jazz with a Latin tinge becomes so seamless a blending of Latin idioms and blues-laced, modern mainstream swinging.” The highly enjoyable set includes joyful takes of “Mambo Inn” and “My Little Suede Shoes,” as well as a lyrical and beguiling version of “Besame Mucho.” The Blue Note Tone Poet Series was born out of Blue Note President Don Was’ admiration for the exceptional audiophile Blue Note LP reissues presented by Music Matters. Was brought Joe Harley (from Music Matters), a.k.a. the “Tone Poet,” on board to curate and supervise a series of reissues from the Blue Note family of labels Extreme attention to detail has been paid to getting these right in every conceivable way, from the jacket graphics and printing quality to superior LP mastering (direct from the master tapes) by Kevin Gray to superb 180 gm audiophile LP pressings by Record Technology Inc. Every aspect of these Blue Note/Tone Poet releases is done to the highest possible standard. It means that you will never find a superior version. This is IT.