Johnny Griffin - A Blowin' Session

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. --Stuart Broomer Amazon.com

A record you truly have to hear to believe

This is one of those sessions you hear so much about but never actually get around to hearing until you go the mile to pick it up. And a line-up of Griffin, Trane, Mobley, Morgan, Kelly, Chambers, and Blakey is a session that simply needs to be heard to be believed. Well, now or later, pick it up and start believing.

This record is considered by some to be Griffin's crowning achievement (even better than Introducing Johnny Griffin), which could very well be rationalized by this release on the edge of creativity. After finally believing that these wizards actually combined in the studio, give it a listen and get caught up in the sizzle of sounds.

Just look at the rhythm section. The cast of Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Art Blakey was heralded as THE rhythm section of the late 50's, and, consequently, their most celebrated work can be heard on Hank Mobley's SOUL STATION. Wynton Kelly rolled out chords effortlessly, which matched PC's (heard here at age 22) unbelievably precocious rhythm and thickness, and Blakey's omnipresent aura. His rimshots feel like shooting stars in an already lit sky, and the way he prods soloists (especially soloists who are searching for their next lick) into excited sounds.

It doesn't take a Stephen Hawking to realize that this is a tenor player's dream. A triple foil, so to speak. Griffin already planned to have Mobley in the studio with him a duel, but running into Trane earlier in the day, he couldn't resist to add some fuel to the fire. Griffin plays as full-bodied as he's known to play, his notes conjuring the image of shoes crunching on many leaves. Coltrane's tone and flowing lines (not to mention harmonic wizardry) will cause most saxophonists, if not musicians in general, to lose sleep in amazement. Mobley is considered the weak link of this group, for some odd reason. Just because he doesn't aggressively attack each beat of the measure and actually uses space does not make him an odd man out. Rather, fans of his relaxed, melodic, and warm sound can be thankful that he brought it to this date, tempering the hot steel of Griffin and the harmonic complexity of Coltrane. The tenor battle conceals nothing and any and every idea was unleashed into the musical pool.

Discover Young Lee Morgan! 1957 was Morgan's brash, youthful, and fiery coming out year. This session along with Coltrane's BLUE TRAIN caused many to proclaim him as the heir to Clifford Brown (which couldn't be rightfully claimed by the flubbing and ungraceful playing of Donald Byrd and Bill Hardman during this period), carrying this torch until Freddie Hubbard joined (and helped) him in 1960. Morgan sounds noticeably eager and keen in his improvising, if a bit overexcited, which Blakey masterfully tames with his rimshots.

Griffin's trying to chase the other tenors out of the studio. Perhaps the addition of Trane pushed Griffin a bit too much. While many consider him to be "the fastest player in jazz," moderation is the name of the game. He draws out melodic idea upon melodic idea, but his improvisations tend to intoxicate after awhile. Also, since he is the leader of this date, he makes it known by elongating his solos, hence taking away ample opportunities from Mobley and Trane. It's possible that Lee Morgan was added to the album to prevent it from becoming a total tenor cutting session, which helps to an extent; it's only Griffin's playing that implies competition.

At the end of the day, it's still just a "blowin session." This session didn't break ground or win awards. But why should it have? It was advertised as what it was: just letting seven all-stars congregate for their first and only time all together, and letting them blow the afternoon away. Those looking for jazz that stings day and night in cutting edge invention will probably be disappointed. The music is probably 10% melody, 90% improvisation.

Why only record four tunes? Why not have Lee sit out a tune to focus more on the tenor triumvirate? Why not some variety in song selection (two standards, a blues, and an exercise in 2-5-1's (BALL BEARING))? This session, as much as it glows like blue flame, had enough promise to be considered as the best blowin' session to go down in history. It's memory will not fade for its excellence, but the set list could have been doubled in output and the album would be considered a top 50 essential jazz recording.

Trane's still young and undiscovered. It was through hard bop sessions and bow-and-arrow accuracy against other musicians like this that he strung together his reputation, which reached its peak in 1959 and exploded in 1960. Listen for his immediately recognizeable tone and the danger of embarrassment it provides to Mobley and Griffin, but note that he is cautious enough to not overblow or try to steal the show.

This album may not stick in your memory forever, for it its memorable moments are not as plentiful as one may like. For example, most jazz enthusiasts can readily sing out each melody and probably each line that Coltrane played on BLUE TRAIN, but this album is memorable more as a JAM SESSION rather than one that has a sum of unforgettable parts.

The music and improvisations on this album are deep and crawling with melody. Those that love horizontal improvisation as well as lines that are deep in the rhythmic pocket will indulge in the masterful sounds of these musicians for years to come. Musicians that love to learn by transcribing solos will enjoy A BLOWIN SESSION's knack for pleasing successions of flowing, musical tones.

The best track is the opener, THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT. The musicians' deftness in improvisation (and the flawless timekeeping of bassist Paul Chambers) in such a fire-breathing tempo will excite and incite admiration in the calmest of listeners.

If jazz had scents, this record would smell of fresh cinnamon - spicy with numerous edges, with a little sweetness added by Hank Mobley. December 2, 2007

Overrated, IMHO...

Though this CD gets 5 stars from most of your reviewers, and appears on a number of "best ever" lists, I'd like to offer an emphatic dissent.First the good things. The rhythm section is excellent,(even if Art Blakey is typically a bit overpowering), both generally and in its limited solo space. And Lee Morgan's playing is excellent. I've never heard him play less than well; he had it all--ideas,tone,technique,fire,taste.Mobley and Coltrane play well, though nothing here will startle or excite anyone familiar with their work around this time.
As for the Johnny Griffin of the 50's:sure,he's one of the fastest horns in the West,but as a musician his talent ended at the wrists.Endless cockroach-on-the-keys scrambling up and down his horn,very little in the way of ideas,a harsh and at times plain out-of-tune upper register that sometimes sounded like somebody had stepped on a poodle. If you want to hear the difference between a real improvising musician and a cram-everything-in speed demon, compare the Monk-Sonny Rollins version of "Misterioso" with the Monk-Griffin version (each recorded right around this time). But JG is the dominant force/voice on this album,unfortunately. Sheer technical virtuosity has always played a role in jazz, but in the best jazz there's always a lot else besides. That's not the case here. March 14, 2006

Heated session, overly hot mic

Few occasions can produce as much musical excitement as a gladiatoral meeting of tough tenors. An all too rare event these days, if you came of age in Chicago in the '60's and '70's you had bountiful opportunities both on the South Side (McKee's Show Lounge) and North (Joe Segal's Jazz Showcase) to hear the strongest and most personal voices on the instrument--Stitt, Jug, Dex, Moody, Jaws, Cohn, Sims, Turrentine, Ira, and Griff-- taking after each other in pairs, threes, and sometimes in fours. No recording can do justice to capturing such moments, but few, in my (apparently minority) opinion, fall as short as "Blowin' Session."

Some of the blame lies with the programming. There's no shortage of Griffin to be heard, but the presence of Lee Morgan simply deprives both Mobley and Trane of comparable blowing time. But the real downer on this session is the quality of the audio. Who would have ever thought it possible to practically "homogenize" voices as distinctive as those of Griffin, Mobley, and Coltrane? The sonic canvas is depthless and dimensionless, the horns miked so closely that each is constantly on the verge of breaking up. Griffin's sound, in fact, is distorted throughout much of the program, a relentlessly grating roughness that makes it difficult to appreciate his normally crisp articulations and fluent melodic lines. Mobley and Coltrane, though artificially boosted in the sonic mix, come off better, thanks to Hank's less aggressive approach and to Trane's characteristically unforced use of the altissimo register. Overall, Coltrane's playing is surprisingly conservative on this session and his role quite limited. Of the three players, the real surprise, for some listeners, may be Mobley, who eschews charging ahead like a locomotive in favor of some thoughtful, "reactive" musical ideas. (Dig, especially, his masterfully constructed solo on the "Alternate Take" of ""Smoke Stack," which also features the best Coltrane on the date.) Unfortunately, Blakey's drums take their place in the foreground with the horns on Van Gelder's flat aural canvas, overshadowing both Paul Chambers' bass and Wynton Kelly's piano except for the solos.

If you really want to compare the different and utterly unique sounds of Coltrane and Mobley, pick up "Someday My Prince Will Come," the Miles Davis session on Columbia that features both tenor players. If you want to hear the undistorted, "natural" sound of Johnny Griffin, go to his work on Riverside with Monk or on Jazzland with Lockjaw Davis or on Delmark with Ira Sullivan. If you're a musician and wish to hear and transcribe note for note (as I did several of the solos) some marvelous playing by Coltrane, Mobley, Al Cohn, and Zoot Sims, pick up "Tenor Conclave" on Prestige (it's still Van Gelder, but at Prestige Miles and the musicians were more in control of the sound than the engineer). Mobley opens the session on "Rhythm" changes and closes it (following Coltrane's solo!) with a knock-out solo and cadenza on "How Deep Is the Ocean." A recording with lots of notes, but all equally beautiful to those who have the ear for it.

Unless I simply received a bad pressing (from BMG), "Blowin' Session," especially after all the hype that it's received, is one of the most overblown recordings I've ever come across. December 11, 2005

Blowin Session will Blow you Away

Starting off with a feiry version of "The Way You Look Tonight" Griffin cooks like mad running up and down scales and arpeggios not only showing off his harmonic sense but using his ability to play at very fast tempos. Lee Morgan somewhat equals Griffin on their quest to what seems like Out-blow each other yet that wasn't the case as Griffin quotes in liner notes "Everybody wins here". Coltrane was put as the only other tenor player who could match Griffins speed which is not true because you must not forget Sonny Rollins. Just think if Mobley had been replaced by Rollins then it really would be a battle!!! Actually, though, Mobely adds nice contrast to the setting; while not able to handle the fast tempos as well as the others, Hank is full of fluid and lyrical playing. The monster Rhythmn section is one to die for! Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Art "buhaina" Blakey himself.

The atmosphere is pure Jam Session. It's easy to tell that everyone is having a good time, despite the fact the any number of them could have been on dope. The tunes are made up of two standards ["The Way You Look Tonight", "All The Things You Are"] and two Griffin originals ["Ball Barings", "Smoke Stack"]
This a true Blowin Session! August 17, 2005

Great intro to Johnny Griffin!

This album is a great first choice for those looking to get into Johnny Griffin's work. The RVG sound is pristine. The band members enjoy each other's company. Griffin gets enough space to show his lightning fast chops in a casual setting that highlights his virtues against some of the top players Blue Note has to offer. The choice of material and the tempos indicate that Griffin is in charge of the proceedings; he's pretty much a pure tenor giant, not as much a composer or arranger of ensembles and standards are his thing. But in Mobley, Lee Morgan, and John Coltrane he has the type of bandmembers that challenge him to put his avalanche of ideas into a concise space. Griffin always plays for the crowd and you get his speed and it's always fun to see which tunes he's quoting in his solos. As an added plus, you get a rare sighting of Coltrane in the Blue Note Studios blowing some magesterial solos. [Sonny's Crib by Sonny Clark is another overlooked Trane as blue note side note session.] But everybody here can wail.

I'd strongly recommend this album to young tenor saxophonists. They're playing standards that you'd typically see at jam sessions. Besides that, you get exposure to three of the giants of the instrument in one place. This is the type of album that can help those new to jazz learn how players have a particular style and approach to changes and a definitive tone. Trane's water dancing to Mobley's molasses to Griffin's avalanche gives you so much of the history of the saxophone with just a single performance.

This kind of session is what Griffin is all about; lightning fast playing on standards and positive hard bop stuff. I particularly enjoy "All the Things You Are" and "Just the Way You Look Tonight."

Those who dig Griffin's playing would be wise to check out his live work with Monk "Thelonious in Action" and "Misterioso".

I could go on and on about this album but I'll cut things off here. Just buy it!

5 stars! January 18, 2004

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