Johnny Griffin RIP

Two Monk tunes, "Coming on the Hudson" and "Light Blue" were recorded on "Thelonious in Action" for the Five Spot sessions in 1958, with Johnny Griffin playing tenor. These may be the only recordings of these two great pieces, and it is clear from the restrained and moving solos that Griffin takes on them, which are quite a contrast with the tour de force solos he takes on tunes like "Blue Monk" and "Evidence," that he had a profound understanding of the subtleties in Monk's music.

I just had a flash of another memory on the shooting of the cover of "Tough Tenor Favorites" in 1961. I was told to get a pint of milk for Eddie Lockjaw Davis. I thought he was going to drink the milk. However, he mixed the milk in a glass at the studio with an equal dose of scotch to soak his saxophone reeds before playing for our record cover photography requirements with Maestro Griffin.

Such a gentle kind soul, as well. I worked on some
of his record covers for Riverside Records
and Jazzland, meeting him on set at NYC's
210 Fifth Avenue, aka The Donald Silverstein
Studio, where so many covers were shot that
won design awards for Riverside.

I had the pleasure of making the prints that
the original Birdland used for the 1961
Eddie Lockjaw/Johhny Griffin tough tenor
battles (what an awful name, "battles," for two
great musicians performing). Wow. Griffin's
music will be missed in person but will live on
in his recordings.

A very sad notice. Johnny was a stupendous player full of joy and power.
I love specially "A blowin´session" with Coltrane and Mobley, the live recordings in the Monk´s big band, "The return of the Griffin", a duo with Martial Solal "In and Out", and of course a lot more.
I hope that he would play up there a couple of blues with John and Hank again.