Grant Green

Idle Moments

First released1964

Idle Moments was recorded on September 2, 1965, at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, with the album produced by Alfred Lion for Blue Note Records. The session was engineered by Rudy Van Gelder, the legendary recording engineer known for his meticulous approach to capturing jazz ensembles. The album featured Grant Green on guitar with a supporting quintet including Joe Henderson on tenor saxophone, Duke Pearson on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Al Hardin on drums. The recording took place during the height of the Blue Note label's output and exemplified the label's commitment to capturing live ensemble performances in a single session with minimal overdubbing. The album would later become one of Green's most celebrated works and a quintessential example of mid-1960s hard bop recording aesthetics.