His Majesty King Funk (Vinyl) – Grant Green

Jazz guitarist Grant Green’s more than two-decade tenure with Blue Note was broken up by one album for Verve Records: 1965’s ‘His Majesty King Funk’. This Creed Taylor-produced session offers deeply-felt renditions of Green’s topical original ‘The Selma March’ and enduring pop tunes like ‘That Lucky Old Sun’ and a spacious reading of ‘Willow Weep for Me’. Green’s clarity of melody and tone is well matched by Larry Young’s harmonically rich organ, Harold Vick’s blues and gospel-inflicted tenor and the propulsive rhythm section of drummer Ben Dixon and conguero Candido Camero. Capturing Green at a creative intersection of hard bop, R&B, and emerging soul-jazz, the album remains prized for its deep grooves, ensemble interplay, and enduring influence within his catalog.