Johnny Griffin – A Blowing Session (Blue Note Classic, Mono)

For his second album, recorded in April 1957, Johnny Griffin called upon his fellow master practitioners of the tenor saxophone John Coltrane and Hank Mobley to create this explosive entry in the Blue Note catalog. Originally titled Johnny Griffin, Vol. 2, but now known as A Blowing Session, the fiery four-song set is just that with trumpeter Lee Morgan balancing out the three-tenor frontline and a rock-solid rhythm section with pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Art Blakey stoking the fires.

The contrasts of the saxophonists' distinctive styles is fascinating to behold on these high-octane performances of standards ("The Way You Look Tonight" and "All The Things You Are") and Griffin originals ("Ball Bearing" and "Smoke Stack").

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is mono, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Optimal.