Johnny GRIFFIN - Kaiser Friedrich Halle, March 10, 1976

Johnny GRIFFIN - Kaiser Friedrich Halle, March 10, 1976
Bootleg
Mönchengladbach (Germany)

Jazz

Johnny Griffin- Tenor Sax
Wilton Gaynair- Tenor & Soprano Sax
Leo Wright- Alto Sax
Slide Hampton- Trombone
Ingfried Hoffman- Piano
Jimmy Woode- Bass
Art Taylor- Drums
**

01. My Blues (21:23)
02. All the Things You Are (14:56)
03. Music Inn Blues (22:54)
**
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Johnny GRIFFIN - Griff'n'Bags 1967-1969

Johnny GRIFFIN - Griff'n'Bags 1967-1969
1997 Issue RW103LP

Jazz

Well, not quite. Chicago tenor great Johnny ("Griff") Griffin is heard on five tunes and Milt ("Bags") Jackson, whose intention was to reunite with fellow MJQ founder Kenny Clarke for a Clarke-Boland Big Band project that never materialized, is heard on five different tunes.
Despite slightly inaccurate labeling and packaging that doesn't explain itself until you open it, Griff 'n' Bags is an excellent collection of four Francy Boland-Jimmy Woode-Kenny Clarke sessions recorded between 1967 and 1969. The 16 pieces enclosed here seem to have been recorded when all the members of the sensational, underrated C-BBB were unable to assemble in full.

The first three titles, from 1967 (Woode's "Gamal Sady'n'Em" and "Gyson's Bag" and Neal Hefti's "Lonely Girl"), focus the diverse and interesting rhythmic moxy on what made the C-BBB's engine run so swiftly and smoothly - the trio of Boland, Woode and Clarke. Three horns are added for sessions a year and a half later yielding three superb numbers with standouts including Boland's wondrously Latinesque "The Turk's Bolero," a feature for Sahib Shihab, and the swinging "Muvaffak's Pad" spotlighting the ever-amazing Boland's piano and the graceful trumpet of Idrees Sulieman. Bags's 1969 pieces are highlighted by his own typically-soulful "Blues For K" and his vocal (no vibes) on "I'm A Fool To Want You." Griffin, a charter C-BBB member, is brought forward on his 1968 pieces and swings hard and happily on five titles, and in tip-top form on the New Orleans drawl of "Foot Patting" and the Nat Adderley like "Deep Eight."

The Italian Rearward label is now releasing many of producer Gigi Campi's 1960s sessions in attractive packages with boxes, booklets and typically superb notes by Mike Hennessy. These are all worthwhile, often inspired productions well worth investigating. They're also a testament to the beauty and enduring appeal of European stalwarts like pianist, composer and arranger Francy Boland and American expatriates Sahib Shihab, Idrees Sulieman, Benny Bailey and Johnny Griffin. Despite the slightly misleading packaging here, Griff 'n' Bags is also excellent and highly recommended.
By Douglas Payne. AAJ.
**
Jimmy Woode Jr.- Bass
Kenny Clare- Drums (tracks: C3 to D1, D3, D4) , Kenny Clarke
Francy Boland- Piano 
Sahib Shihab- Baritone Sax, Flute (tracks: A3, A4, B1, B3 to D4)
Johnny Griffin- Tenor Sax
Ake Persson- Trombone (tracks: A3, B1, C2 to D1, D3, D4)
Idrees Sulieman- Trumpet (tracks: A3, B1, C2)
Benny Bailey- Trumpet, Flugelhorn (tracks: C3 to D1, D3, D4)
Milt Jackson- Vibraphone (tracks: A4, B3, B4, C1, D2)
**
A1. Gamal Sady'n'Em 4:59
A2. Gyson's Bag 4:58
A3. The Girl And The Turk 4:03
A4. Just Friends 4:14
B1. Muvaffak's Pad 6:19
B2. Lonely Girl 2:48
B3. I'm A Fool To Want You 4:23
B4. Blues For K. 4:59
C1. Like Someone In Love 4:23
C2. The Turk's Bolero 2:49
C3. Foot Patting 6:14
C4. Please Send Me Someone To Love 5:27
D1. Deep Eight 5:22
D2. Just You, Just Me 2:36
D3. The JAMF's Are Coming 6:44
D4. Lady Heavy Bottom's Waltz 4:58
**
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Johnny GRIFFIN - Johnny Griffin's Studio Jazz Party 1960

Johnny GRIFFIN - Johnny Griffin's Studio Jazz Party 1960

Jazz

Griffin wanted a live album, and Riverside wanted the best possible sound – so they invited guests to the studio and let them talk as if it were a club. (Judging by the photos, Wes Montgomery might have been one of the guests.) Griffin is hot, tearing through his set with Norman Simmons at the piano and the underrated trumpeter Dave Burns. Favorites include "Good Bait" and "Toe-Tappin’".
Your emcee for the evening is the singer Babs Gonzales.
**
Dave Burns (Trumpet)
Johnny Griffin (Tenor Sax)
Norman Simmons (Piano)
Victor Sproles (Bass)
Ben Riley (Drums)
Babs Gonzales (Ann.)
**
01. Party Time 1:20
02. Good Bait 12:37
03. There Will Never Be Another You  8:33
04. Toe-Tappin'  8:07
05. You've Changed  7:50
06. Low Gravy  8:11
**
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Johnny GRIFFIN - Johnny Griffin Sextet 1958

Johnny GRIFFIN - Johnny Griffin Sextet 1958
Recorded at Reeves Sound Studios, New York, New York on February 25, 1958. Originally released on Riverside (264)
Digitally remastered by Phil De Lancie
(1994, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California)

Jazz

Johnny Griffin was rightfully known for his speed and dexterity on the tenor sax, and his work on this 1958 sextet session is no exception. Griffin's full-bodied, bluesy tone and vigorous, lightning-fingered lines scintillate on each of the five tracks here. What makes this Riverside date particularly notable, however, is the instrumentation and quality of the personnel. The rhythm section of piano (Kenny Drew), bass (Wilbur Ware), and drums (Philly Joe Jones) is fronted by Griffin, Donald Byrd on trumpet, and Pepper Adams on baritone sax.

The triple-horn lineup gives the ensemble a heavy, solid sound that gestures toward big band on the more swinging cuts, while providing beautiful contrast and texture on down-tempo numbers. Among the program's highlights are a Griffin original ("Catharsis"), a brisk take on Dizzy Gillespie's "Woody'n You," and the lovely ballad "What's New?" There is plenty of stretching out from all involved, but with a tastefulness and sensitivity in the group chemistry that keeps the proceedings from veering into unstructured jams.
From CD Universe.
**
Johnny Griffin, once promoted as "the world's fastest saxophonist" and leader of the set "A Blowin' Session" with guest saxophonists Hank Mobley and John Coltrane, turns out a great performance on his Riverside debut "Johnny Griffin Sextet". The sextet in question includes the Griffin on tenor, Kenny Drew on piano, Wilbur Ware on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams and trumpeter Donald Byrd sit in as guests. Kicking off with drummer Wilbur Campbell's "Stix' Trix", the 3-horn front line is as tight as you could want. "What's New" starts off softly, with Griffin stating the theme and taking first solo honors. Byrd's trumpet gets the second solo, followed by Adams baritone (a nice solo but the sax sounds as if it's on the edge of squeaking). Kenny Drew plays a solo that sounds like cascading raindrops before Griffin comes back in to play briefly before taking an unaccompanied cadenza.

An almost martial beat from Philly Joe Jones starts off Dizzy Gillespie's "Woody 'N You"; Griffin joins for a brief duet before the rest of the rhythm section piles on for an almost-calypso rendition of the standard tune. Almost as quickly as they jumped in, the band drops out for an accapella bass solo from Wilbur Ware, then rejoins for a brightly upbeat piano solo. Again the band drops out, leaving Griffin to solo while Ware establishes the changes. A drum break from Philly Joe leads into a session of trading fours between the drum legend and Griffin. The performance then changes into an exaggerated bossa nova before finishing. There's a lot of music packed into the song's six-minute length. And you'll never notice that Adams and Byrd sit this one out.

Byrd and Adams return for a loping version of John Hines' "Johnny G.G." Griffin gets in some great blues riffs during his solo, backed by Basie-style licks from the other two horns. During Byrd's solo, Philly Joe briefly doubles the tempo while Ware keeps the previous tempo - then returns to normal (the same for Adams solo, too). After Ware's bass solo, the drums drop out and another bass & tenor duet takes place before the rest of the group jumps back in, swinging as hard and loud as a group twice its size.

Griffin's "Catharsis" gives everyone a chance to get their licks in before the recording ends. "Cathasis" is just an old fashioned blowing session - everyone gets to take a turn on this charging bop number. As has happened more than a few times on this recording, the band drops out for a tenor sax/bass duet. This just makes it that much more exciting when the rest of the band jumps back in. The Johnny Griffin Sextet, as recorded here, was a perfect match of ensemble players and soloists comparable only to Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. A great bop recording.
By  Douglas T Martin.
**
Donald Byrd- (Trumpet)
Johnny Griffin- (Tenor Sax)
Pepper Adams- (Bariton Sax)
Kenny Drew- (Piano)
Wilbur Ware- (Bass)
Philly Joe Jones- (Drums)
**
01. Stix' Trix 7:41
02. What's New 7:50
03. Woody'n You 6:09
04. Johnny G.G. 9:42
05. Catharsis 9:56
**
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Johnny Griffin - A Blowing Session 1957

Johnny Griffin - A Blowing Session 1957

Jazz

This freewheeling 1957 session features three of the finest tenor saxophonists of the hard-bop genre--Johnny Griffin, Hank Mobley, and John Coltrane. While tenor battles have been a feature of jazz since the '30s, the three here are so distinctive in their approaches that it's musicality that reigns and even the new listener will soon identify the three saxophonists' sounds. Griffin has been billed as the world's fastest saxophonist, a hard claim to verify, but few would argue with his aplomb as he tears off electrifying solos, negotiating quicksilver arpeggios with a gruff sound and the blues-tinged wail that he had mastered in Joe Morris's rhythm & blues band. Mobley's approach was more subdued, producing inventive streams of melody even in these heated circumstances, while Coltrane was already the most adventurous of the three, pressing the changes for new harmonic extensions. Bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Art Blakey are both supportive and forceful, while trumpeter Lee Morgan and pianist Wynton Kelly add some variety to the dominant tenor voices.
By Stuart Broomer. AMG.
**
Johnny Griffin, Hank Mobley, John Coltrane- (Tenor sax);
Lee Morgan- (Trumpet);
Wynton Kelly- (Piano);
Paul Chambers- (Bass);
Art Blakey- (Drums).
**
A1. The Way You Look Tonight 10:15 
A2. Ball Bearing 09:42 
B1. All the Things You Are 08:11 
B2. Smoke Stack 10:11
**
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Johnny GRIFFIN & Eddie 'Lockjaw' DAVIS - Pisces 1962

Johnny GRIFFIN & Eddie 'Lockjaw' DAVIS - Pisces 1962

Jazz

A lost jazz treasure -- previously unissued material from the mighty 60s pairing of Eddie Lockjaw Davis and Johnny Griffin -- a twin-tenor team that was one of the strongest forces in jazz at the time! The set's a really unusual one in that it has the pair moving away from the hard-wailing "battle" styled sides of some of their live material -- and from the angular modernist Monkish tunes that also represented a side of their sound. Instead, the pair are playing mellow standards and ballads for the set -- kicking back in a warm cloud of soul and sax -- beautifully grooving at an easy pace without losing their sense of soul -- and in some way, really letting the best side of Davis' playing come to light, in a setting that recalls his excellent Love Calls album on RCA. The group's a quintet, with the further added attraction of Horace Parlan making a rare Riverside appearance -- and not just on piano, but also on celeste -- the strange bell-like keyboard that really brings a cool sound to the set! Titles include "Pisces", "What Is There To Say", "Yesterdays", "Willow Weep For Me", "Midnight Sun", "Sophisticated Lady", and "Bewitched Bothered & Bewildered". All tracks previously unissued -- and the CD also features 4 bonus alternate takes! (CD case has a small cutout notch.) 
From Dusty Groove.
**
Johnny Griffin- Tenor Sax
Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis- Tenor Sax
Horace Parlan- Piano, Celeste
Buddy Catlett- Bass
Arthur Taylor- Drums
**
01. Pisces  4:13,
02. Midnight Sun  4:36,
03. Willow Weep for Me  4:32,
04. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered Hart  3:44,
05. What Is There to Say? Duke 3:33,
06. She's Funny That Way Moret 4:32,
07. Yesterdays Harbach 4:16,
08. Sophisticated Lady  4:09,
09. Willow Weep for Me [alternate take]  4:46,
10. She's Funny That Way [alternate take]  4:14,
11. Sophisticated Lady [alternate take]  4:06,
12. What Is There to Say? [alternate take]  3:31
**
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