1988 · Album
The Man I Love
Recorded 1959 · Blue Note Records · Produced by Alfred Lion
The Little Giant Plays It Straight
Griffin tears through these standards with a ferocity that makes most other tenor players sound like they're napping.
Johnny Griffin earned his nickname — the Little Giant — honestly. He was one of the fastest tenor saxophonists alive, but speed was never the point. The point was that every note meant something, and on The Man I Love (1959), recorded for Blue Note with a small group format, that combination of velocity and intention is on full display. This is a hard-swinging, no-nonsense session that rewards repeated listening not because it reveals hidden depths on each play, but because it's just genuinely fun to hear a player this confident working through material he clearly loves.
The title track is worth the price of admission on its own. Griffin takes the Gershwin melody and pushes it somewhere urgent — not pretty, not wistful, but insistent, like he has somewhere to be. The rhythm section locks in tight and stays out of his way when it counts. That's the right call. Kenny Drew on piano and Wilbur Ware on bass give the session a backbone without crowding Griffin's lines.
What distinguishes this record from some of Griffin's other Blue Note dates is how focused it feels. He isn't stretching into free territory or showing off for its own sake. This is a tenor player operating in a well-defined idiom and doing it better than almost anyone else at the time. If you're new to Griffin, this is a reasonable place to start — more cohesive than some of his livelier blowing sessions. If you already know him, you don't need convincing. Either way, put this on and let it run.
Who's playing
Niels‐Henning Ørsted Pedersendouble bass
Kenny Drewpiano
Johnny Griffintenor saxophone
Albert “Tootie” Heathdrums
Where next?
More by Johnny Griffin
All 43 albums →
