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.
