JOHNNY GRIFFIN QUARTET - The Kerry Dancers and Other Swinging Folk (1962-1997) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Many straight-ahead bop musicians would never consider recording traditional folk songs from the British Isles, but that's exactly what Johnny Griffin does on The Kerry Dancers and Other Swinging Folk -- and this Orrin Keepnews-produced album just happens to be one of his best releases of the 1960s. Joined by pianist Barry Harris, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Ben Riley, the big-toned Chicago tenor man turns his attention to four traditional folk melodies: "The Londonderry Air" (also known as "Danny Boy"), "Green Grow the Rushes" (a Scottish favorite), "The Kerry Dancers" (an Irish piece), and "Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair" -- all of which work perfectly well in an acoustic jazz setting. Not everything on this album (which was recorded in late 1961 and early 1962) is a folk song from the British Isles; the other half of the album ranges from Griffin's moody "Oh, Now I See" to the John Coltrane-influenced "25 1/2 Daze." On Riverside's original LP version of this album, Griffin's bop interpretations of folk songs were confined to side one -- while the other material was placed on side two. But when Fantasy reissued this album on CD in 2001 on its Original Jazz Classics imprint, there was no interruption between the folk and non-folk material -- you no longer had to get up and turn the record over. And that's just as well, because Griffin brings a jazz mentality to everything on the album; he is as hard-swinging and improvisatory on "The Londonderry Air" as he is on "25 1/2 Daze" and "Oh, Now I See." The Kerry Dancers and Other Swinging Folk is among the many Griffin releases that the Chicagoan can be proud of. Alex Henderson  
Tracklist :
1    The Kerry Dancers 4'41
Traditional
Arranged By – Johnny Griffin
2    Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair 6'12
Traditional
Arranged By – Johnny Griffin
3    Green Grow The Rushes 4'35
Traditional
Arranged By – Johnny Griffin
4    The Londonderry Air 4'52
Traditional
Arranged By – Johnny Griffin
5    25½ Daze 4'40
Written-By – Sara Cassey
6    Oh, Now I See 5'08
Written-By – Johnny Griffin
7    Hush-A-Bye 4'53
Written-By – Thomas, Seelen, Fain
8    Ballad For Monsieur 3'34
Written-By – Sara Cassey
Credits :
Bass – Ron Carter
Drums – Ben Riley
Piano – Barry Harris
Producer [Original Recordings] – Orrin Keepnews
Tenor Saxophone – Johnny Griffin