Grant Green: Nigeria LP (Tone Poet Series) mb-invisible and drummer Billy Higgins

and drummer Billy Higgins

radiantly jubilant and consummate in artistry

Mobley himself was in the middle of a particularly prolific streak that year with the tenor saxophonist recording 6 sessions for Blue Note in 1957 alone

and his breezy compositions made him easily approachable for casual listeners but belied the complexity of much of the music

B1: Blue Frenxy

Grant Green: Nigeria LP (Tone Poet Series) mb-invisible and drummer Billy HigginsBlue Note, 1980 Grant Green's Nigeria is an under recognized gem in the guitarist's remarkable Blue Note catalog. Recorded in 1962, but not first released until 1980, the album features a top shelf band with Sonny Clark on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and, in one of his only appearances with Green, Art Blakey on drums. The groove is deep and wide right from the start on the Sonny Rollins classic "Airegin" followed by a version of the Gershwin standard