His Majesty King Funk Explained

His Majesty King Funk
Type:Album
Artist:Grant Green
Cover:His_Majesty_King_Funk.jpg
Released:August/September 1965[1]
Recorded:May 26, 1965
Studio:Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
Genre:Jazz
Length:33:17
Label:Verve
V6-8627
Producer:Creed Taylor
Prev Title:I Want to Hold Your Hand
Prev Year:1965
Next Title:Iron City
Next Year:1967

His Majesty King Funk is a jazz album recorded in 1965 by Grant Green. It features Green with tenor saxophonist Harold Vick, organist Larry Young, drummer Ben Dixon and percussionist Candido.

Reception

The Allmusic review by Michael Erlewine awarded the album 3 stars and stated “This is soul-jazz with a deep groove. His Majesty King Funk is the last of five albums Green recorded with Young. Produced by Creed Taylor, it is the only album Green did for Verve and perhaps his last real jazz album before several years of inactivity, after which he became somewhat more commercial in his approach”.[2]

John Heidt wrote about this album at Vintage Guitar magazine: “Green’s His Majesty King Funk is well-named. With five cuts of soul-drenched jazz, it’s easy to see why he’s the darling of the acid-jazz movement. He had an earthiness to his playing not found in lots of other jazz guitarists, and this set, with Larry Young on organ lets that shine through”.[3]

Track listing

  1. "The Selma March" (Grant Green) - 8:26
  2. "Willow Weep for Me" (Ann Ronell)- 10:01
  3. "The Cantaloupe Woman" (Ben Dixon)- 4:55
  4. "That Lucky Old Sun" (Haven Gillespie, Beasley Smith) - 5:20
  5. "Daddy Grapes" (Robert Graham) - 4:35

Personnel

Notes and References

  1. https://books.google.com/books?id=VykEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Grant+Green+july+31+1965&pg=PA10 Announced on Billboard July 31, 1965
  2. Web site: His Majesty King Funk - Grant Green; AllMusic . Michael . Erlewine . allmusic.com . 27 November 2020.
  3. Web site: Grant Green – His Majesty King Funk. John Heidt. October 2007. November 27, 2020.