Recording prolifically and almost exclusively for Blue Note Records (as both leader and sideman) Green performed well in hard bop, soul jazz, bebop and Latin-tinged settings throughout his career. Critics Michael Erlewine and Ron Wynn write, "A severely underrated player during his lifetime, Grant Green is one of the great unsung heroes of jazz guitar ... Green's playing is immediately recognizable -- perhaps more than any other guitarist." Critic Dave Hunter described his sound as "lithe, loose, slightly bluesy and righteously groovy". He often performed in an organ trio, a small group with an organ and drummer.
Apart from Charlie Christian, Green's primary influences were saxophonists, particularly Charlie Parker, and his approach was therefore almost exclusively linear rather than chordal. The simplicity and immediacy of Green's playing, which tended to avoid chromaticism, derived from his early work playing rhythm and blues and, although at his best he achieved a synthesis of this style with bop, he was essentially a blues guitarist and returned almost exclusively to this style in his later career. Green used a Gibson ES-330, then a Gibson L7 with a Gibson McCarty pickguard/pick-up, an Epiphone Emperor (with the same pick-up) and finally had a custom built D'Aquisto. George Benson said he would turn all the bass and treble off the amp, and max the midrange. This way he could get his signature punchy, biting tone.
Green was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He first performed in a professional setting at the age of 12. His influences were Charlie Christian, Charlie Parker, Ike Quebec, Lester Young, Jimmy Raney, Jimmy Smith and Miles Davis, he first played boogie-woogie before moving on to jazz. His first recordings in St. Louis were with tenor saxophonist Jimmy Forrest for the Delmark label. The drummer in the band was Elvin Jones, later the powerhouse behind John Coltrane. Grant recorded with Elvin again in the early Sixties. Lou Donaldson discovered Grant playing in a bar in St. Louis. After touring together with Donaldson, Grant arrived in New York around 1959-60.
Lou Donaldson introduced Grant to Alfred Lion of Blue Note Records. Lion was so impressed with Grant that, rather than testing Grant as a sideman, as was the usual Blue Note practice, Lion arranged for him to record as a bandleader first. Green's initial recording session went unreleased until 2001, however, owing to a lack of confidence on Green's behalf.
Despite the shelving of his first session, Green's recording relationship with Lion and Blue Note was to last, with a few exceptions, throughout the Sixties. From 1961 to 1965, Grant made more appearances on Blue Note LPs, as leader or sideman, than anyone else. Grant's first issued album as a leader was Grant's First Stand. This was followed in the same year by Green Street and Grantstand. Grant was named best new star in the Down Beat critics' poll, 1962, and, as a result, his influence spread wider than New York. He often provided support to the other important musicians on Blue Note, including saxophonists Hank Mobley, Ike Quebec, Stanley Turrentine and Harold Vick, as well as organist Larry Young.
Sunday Mornin' , The Latin Bit and Feelin' the Spirit are all loose concept albums, each taking a musical theme or style: Gospel, Latin and spirituals respectively. Grant always carried off his more commercial dates with artistic success during this period. Idle Moments (1963), featuring Joe Henderson and Bobby Hutcherson, and Solid (1964), featuring the Coltrane rhythm section, are acclaimed as two of Grant's best recordings.
Many of Grant's recordings were not released during his lifetime. These include Matador, in which Grant is once again in the heavyweight company of the Coltrane rhythm section, and a series of sessions with pianist Sonny Clark. In 1966 Grant left Blue Note and recorded for several other labels, including Verve. From 1967 to 1969 Grant was, for the most part, inactive due to personal problems and the effects of heroin addiction. In 1969 Grant returned with a new funk-influenced band. His recordings from this period include the commercially successful Green is Beautiful and the soundtrack to the film The Final Comedown. Grant was also a huge influence on guitarists, from George Benson to Stevie Ray Vaughan. Still to this day guitarists try to get his signature sound, Idle Moments is considered one of the top 100 jazz albums of all time.
Grant left Blue Note again in 1974 and the subsequent recordings he made with other labels divide opinion: some consider Green to have been the 'Father of Acid Jazz' (and his late recordings have been sampled by artists including US3, A Tribe Called Quest and Public Enemy), whilst others have dismissed them (Michael Cuscuna wrote in the sleeve notes for the album Matador that "During the 1970s he made some pretty lame records").
Grant spent much of 1978 in hospital and, against the advice of doctors, went back on the road to earn some money. While in New York to play an engagement at George Benson's Breezin' Lounge, Grant collapsed in his car of a heart attack in New York City on January 31, 1979. He was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, and was survived by six children. Since Green's demise, his reputation has grown to legendary status and many compilations of both his earlier (post-bop/straight ahead and soul jazz) and later (funkier/dancefloor jazz) periods, exist.
does anybody know what time it is
Grant Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A man came up to me and asked me what the time was that was
On my watch, yeah
And I said
Does anybody really know what time it is
I don't
Does anybody really care
Care
About time
We've all got time enough to cry
Oh no, no
And I was walking down the street one day
A pretty lady looked at me and said her diamond watch had
Stopped cold dead
And I said
Does anybody really know what time it is
I don't
Does anybody really care
Care
If so I can't imagine why
About time
We've all got time enough to cry
Oh no, no
And I was walking down the street one day
Being pushed and shoved by people trying to beat the clock,
Oh, so I just don't know,
I just don't know
And I said, yes I said
People runnin' everywhere
Don't know the way to go
Don't know where I am
Can't see past the next step
Don't have to think past the last mile
Have no time to look around
Just run around, run around and think why
Does anybody really know what time it is
I don't
Does anybody really care
Care
If so I can't imagine why
About time
We've all got time enough to die
Oh no, no
The lyrics of Grant Green's song "Does Anybody Know What Time it Is" touches on the concept of time and how people perceive it. The first stanza of the song introduces the theme as the singer recounts an instance where someone came up to them and asked for the time. The singer then questions whether anyone truly knows what time it is or even cares. The second stanza details an interaction with a woman who informs the singer that her watch has stopped, furthering the questions asked in the previous stanza. The final stanza touches on the theme of the rat race and the idea of people being preoccupied with beating the clock, emphasizing uncertainty and confusion about time.
The song's lyrics speak to a universal feeling of confusion and uncertainty about time. Many people may feel like they are on a never-ending clock, pushing themselves to get things done and feeling like they are always running behind. The singer's questions about whether anyone truly knows what time it is and if anyone cares emphasize the idea that time is a construct that people often just accept without questioning its impact on their lives. The idea of having "time enough to cry" and "time enough to die" highlights the fact that time is finite and can pass by quickly.
Overall, the song seems to be a commentary on the limitations of time and how it can impact our lives. By questioning whether anyone truly knows what time it is, the singer is highlighting how arbitrary and subjective the measure of time can be. Through this lens, the song could be seen as an ode to living in the moment and enjoying life without constantly worrying about the next deadline or appointment.
Line by Line Meaning
As I was walking down the street one day
Once I was strolling on the sidewalk out of boredom or to clear my head
A man came up to me and asked me what the time was that was
A stranger approached me and inquired about the current time
On my watch, yeah
Clarifying that the timepiece in question is a wristwatch
And I said
I reciprocated by answering
Does anybody really know what time it is
Rhetorically asking whether anyone truly comprehends the concept of time
I don't
Admitting that I myself do not possess such knowledge
Does anybody really care
Posing the question of whether anyone is genuinely interested or concerned about this topic
Care
Repeating the titular word for emphasis and effect
If so I can't imagine why
Speculating that if there are people who care, I fail to comprehend their reasons
About time
Punning on the multiple meanings of this expression - it's both an exclamation indicating a sense of urgency, as well as a reference to the time-related topic at hand
We've all got time enough to cry
Reflecting on the fact that everyone has enough time to experience hardship or sorrow at some point
Oh no, no
Echoing the last line of the previous stanza for musical continuity
And I was walking down the street one day
Continuing the narrative of my previous walk, adding detail about an encounter with a woman
A pretty lady looked at me and said her diamond watch had
A woman of attractive appearance approached me and informed me that her valuable timepiece had
Stopped cold dead
Abruptly ceased functioning
And I said
Once again replying to an inquiry with my own question
People runnin' everywhere
Observing a scenario in which individuals are rushing around in all directions
Don't know the way to go
Lacking a clear sense of direction or purpose
Don't know where I am
Experiencing confusion or disorientation with regards to one's location
Can't see past the next step
Feeling overwhelmed or uncertain about what lies ahead
Don't have to think past the last mile
Indicating that there's no need to plan too far into the future, as the present moment is challenging enough
Have no time to look around
Feeling preoccupied with a sense of urgency, and therefore not having the opportunity to observe one's surroundings
Just run around, run around and think why
Engaging in frenzied activity without a clear purpose or motive, yet continuing to reflect on existential questions
We've all got time enough to die
Reiterating a gloomy sentiment expressed earlier, that each person has sufficient time in life to experience mortality
Oh no, no
Once again echoing the final line of the previous stanza for musical symmetry
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROBERT WILLIAM LAMM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind