infamous intersection

Grant Jr. standing at a famous San Francisco intersection.

This San Francisco intersection appeared on a 1964 album cover.

Another memorable moment had while documenting Grant Green's life: standing at the Grant and Green intersection in San Francisco while driving from St. Louis, where we wrapped up filming  in 1995.  This corner appeared on the cover of his 1964 album "Street of Dreams."  I can't be sure, but I believe the intersection became quite popular after that album.

It is amazing what a young boy who grew up in St. Louis could do for two streets hundreds of miles from his home (and one in the greater San Francisco-Oakland region, which has been seeing more gentrification than easily discussed, according to several news reports). If you're interested, historian Robert Self provides historical context in a broader narrative dating back to the New Deal era , something that interests in me as I continue researching black Miami's racial and spatial politics.

I never met Larry Young, who plays organ on the "Street of Dreams" date, but did have the pleasure of meeting Bobby Hutcherson, who played vibes, and his wife, Rose, twice. I also spoke to this date's drummer Elvin Jones before his passing in 2004.

Up top is a photo of Grant Jr. standing at this intersection. At the time, we were on our way to Villa Montalvo, now the Montalvo Arts Center, where I had a two-month residency to write a biography on his father's life.

By the way, if you use the keywords "Grant Green San Francisco" in a Google search, you will see how some local businesses invoke these two words. For example, there is a little bar that does as much. If memory serves, in 1995 we saw a laundromat with Grant and Green in its name, too.

Graphic designer Reid Miles and Frank Wolff, photographer and founder of Blue Note Records, the label on which the elder Grant first made a name for himself, did an amazing job on numerous album covers, which have been featured on posters and in books. Here's one site that presents some of them. Tina Brooks' True Blue is among my favorites.

One of Reid Miles' incredible covers for Blue Note.

Unrelated: I received an email this week from Bob Andersen, the Director of Photography, for the film. I welcome hearing from others who helped us make this film. We started working on it 20 years ago and have been out of touch. Again, it's a privilege and pleasure to finally see it through to completion.

Finally, owing to this Labor Day weekend, I've offered Grant's "Lazy Afternoon" via a Youtube clip. It's from the "Street of Dreams" date.