Personnel: Grant Green (guitar); "Baby Face" Willette (organ); Ben Dixon (drums).

Producer: Alfred Lion.

Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna.

Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on January 28, 1961. Originally released on Blue Note (84064). Includes liner notes by Robert Levin.

Digitally remastered using 24-bit technology by Ron McMaster.

Personnel: Grant Green (guitar); Baby Face Willette (organ); Ben Dixon (drums).

Audio Remasterer: Rudy Van Gelder.

Grant Green's debut album, Grant's First Stand, still ranks as one of his greatest pure soul-jazz outings, a set of killer grooves laid down by a hard-swinging organ trio. For having such a small lineup -- just organist Baby Face Willette and drummer Ben Dixon -- the group cooks up quite a bit of power, really sinking its teeth into the storming up-tempo numbers, and swinging loose and easy on the ballads. The influence of the blues on both Green and Willette is strong and, while that's far and away the dominant flavor of the session, Green also displays his unique bop phrasing (learned by studying horn players' lines, rather than other guitarists) to fine effect on his high-octane opener, "Miss Ann's Tempo," and Willette's "Baby's Minor Lope." Green's original blues "A Wee Bit O'Green" and "Blues for Willarene" are both memorable, particularly the former, and the two standards -- "Lullaby of the Leaves" and "'Tain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do" -- are given smoky treatments soaked in bluesy, late-night atmosphere. Willette and Dixon both supply a tremendous rhythmic drive, and Willette's solos burn with gospel fervor. This same trio performed together on Willette's Stop and Listen album, with equally heated results. None of Green's contemporaries used the single-note style (Green rarely played chords, leaving that to the organ or piano) to quite the same degree, making him a unique voice on his instrument. And his terrific debut pegged him as an up-and-comer to watch closely. ~ Steve Huey

Guitarist Grant Green's immense recorded output for Blue Note would not be complete without this excellent date from 1961, which marks his first recorded appearance for the label. This is a burning trio session with legendary organist "Baby Face" Willette and underrated drummer Ben Dixon providing fiery counterpoint to Green's already soulful lines.

From the blistering opener, "Miss Ann's Tempo," Green digs in and delivers some choice statements while Willette whoops up a sonic storm of his own. The session's two standards, "Lullaby of the Leaves" and "Tain't Nobody's Business if I Do," are stunning swingers that reach deep into the blues tradition that Green made such a part of his signature style. His own compositions, "Blues for Willarene," "Baby's Minor Lope," and the closing "A Wee Bit O' Green," reveal the guitarist's penchant for swinging grooves and tasty melodies from the start. In all, this is a remarkable debut that foreshadows Green's legendary career as one of the most influential guitarists in jazz.