Grant Green recorded so much high-quality music for Blue Note during the first half of the '60s that a number of excellent sessions went unissued at the time. Even so, it's still hard to figure out why 1964's
Matador was only released in Japan in 1979, prior to its U.S. CD reissue in 1990 -- it's a classic and easily one of
Green's finest albums. In contrast to the soul-jazz and jazz-funk for which
Green is chiefly remembered,
Matador is a cool-toned, straight-ahead modal workout that features some of
Green's most advanced improvisation, even more so than his sessions with
Larry Young. Part of the reason for that is that
Green is really pushed by his stellar backing unit: pianist
McCoy Tyner, bassist
Bob Cranshaw, and drummer
Elvin Jones. Not only is
Green leading a group that features one-half of the classic Coltrane Quartet, but he even takes on Coltrane's groundbreaking arrangement of "My Favorite Things" -- and more than holds his own over ten-plus minutes. In fact, every track on the album is around that length; there are extended explorations of two
Green originals ("Green Jeans" and the title track) and
Duke Pearson's Middle Eastern-tinged "Bedouin," plus the bonus cut "Wives and Lovers," a swinging Bacharach pop tune not on the Japanese issue. The group interplay is consistently strong, but really the spotlight falls chiefly on
Green, whose crystal-clear articulation flourishes in this setting. And, for all of
Matador's advanced musicality, it ends up being surprisingly accessible. This sound may not be
Green's claim to fame, but
Matador remains one of his greatest achievements. ~ Steve Huey