going green

During recent trips, I have been struck by how drawn I am to any mention of recycling and the word "green." Given Grant's known love for the word "green" - it shows up on his song and album titles and he drove a green Cadillac, lived in Greenlawn in Detroit and was buried, it is said, in a St. Louis cemetery with the word "green" in its name - I wondered how an album cover riffing on today's interest in recycling might encounter Grant's music. Here's my untrained artistic guess.

thank you, Rudy

It is almost impossible to not see Rudy Van Gelder's name on the credits for a Blue Note album recorded during the label's hey-day, the first half of the 1960s. We were honored to meet him and hear his memories of capturing Grant Green's guitar playing. It was also simply a thrill being in Rudy's Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, studio and knowing that so many greats had come through this space he designed with the best acoustics for recording in mind. Ever-generous, a couple of months after we left he sent us a photograph of our film's slateboard. I didn't know he was an avid photographer in addition to being an amazing sound engineer. Thanks, Rudy. I still treasure the picture that is now framed. Below is a great Youtube posting of "Perfect Takes," a DVD featuring an interview with Rudy.