The Congregation (Johnny Griffin album)

1958 studio album by Johnny Griffin

The Congregation

Studio album by

Johnny Griffin

Released| March 1958[1]
Recorded| October 23, 1957
Studio| Van Gelder Studio
Hackensack, NJ
Genre| Jazz
Length| 29:51 (LP)
37:20 (CD)
Label| Blue Note
BLP 1580[2]
Producer| Alfred Lion
Johnny Griffin chronology
| A Blowin' Session
(1957)  | The Congregation
(1958)  | Johnny Griffin Sextet
(1958)

|
|

The Congregation is an album by American tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin recorded on October 23, 1957 and released on Blue Note the following year—his final recording for the label.[3]

## Background

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### Artwork

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The cover art was designed Reid Miles and illustrated by Andy Warhol.[4][5]

## Reception

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Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [6]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings| [7]

The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow states, "The great tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin is heard in top form on this near-classic quartet set... It's recommended for bop collectors."[8]

## Track listing

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All tracks are written by Johnny Griffin, except as noted.

Side 1No.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

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|
|

1.| "The Congregation"|  | 6:47
2.| "Latin Quarter"| John Jenkins| 6:29

Side 2No.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "I'm Glad There Is You"|

* Jimmy Dorsey
* Paul Mertz

| 5:10
2.| "Main Spring"|  | 6:33
3.| "It's You or No One"|

* Sammy Cahn
* Jule Styne

| 4:52

1994 CD reissue bonus trackNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

5.| "I Remember You"|

* Johnny Mercer
* Victor Schertzinger

| 7:29

## Personnel

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### Musicians

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* Johnny Griffin – tenor saxophone
* Sonny Clark – piano
* Paul Chambers – bass
* Kenny Dennis – drums

### Technical personnel

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#### Original

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* Alfred Lion – producer
* Rudy Van Gelder – recording engineer
* Reid Miles – design
* Andy Warhol – cover illustration
* Francis Wolff – photography
* Robert Levin – liner notes

#### Reissue

[edit]

* Michael Cuscuna – reissue producer
* Larry Walsh – mastering
* Patrick Roques – redesign

## References

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1. ^ "New Releases". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. March 3, 1958. p. 17 - via Google Books.
2. ^ Popoff, Martin (September 8, 2009). Goldmine Record Album Price Guide. Penguin. ISBN 9781440229169 - via Google Books.
3. ^ Johnny Griffin discography accessed October 21, 2010
4. ^ Salminen, Viljami. "The Iconic Work of Reid Miles". Viljami Salminen. Retrieved 2018-10-18.
5. ^ The Early Jazz Album Covers of Andy Warhol, accessed November 17, 2015
6. ^ "The Congregation - Johnny Griffin | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
7. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 606\. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
8. ^ Yanow, S. AllMusic Review accessed October 21, 2010

* v
* t
* e

Johnny Griffin

Studio albums|

* Introducing Johnny Griffin (1957)
* A Blowin' Session (1957)
* The Congregation (1958)
* Johnny Griffin Sextet (1958)
* Johnny Griffin (1958)
* Way Out! (1958)
* The Little Giant (1959)
* The Big Soul-Band (1960)
* Battle Stations (1960)
* Johnny Griffin's Studio Jazz Party (1960)
* Tough Tenors (1960)
* Griff & Lock (1960)
* Lookin' at Monk! (1961)
* Change of Pace (1961)
* Blues Up & Down (1961)
* White Gardenia (1961)
* The Kerry Dancers (1961)
* Tough Tenor Favorites (1962)
* Grab This! (1962)
* Soul Groove (1963)
* Do Nothing 'til You Hear from Me (1963)
* Night Lady (1964)
* Tough Tenors Again 'n' Again (1970)
* Birds and Ballads (1978)
* Bush Dance (1979)
* Return of the Griffin (1979)
* To the Ladies (1982)
* Call It Whachawana (1983)

Live albums|

* The First Set (1961)
* The Tenor Scene (1961)
* The Late Show (1961)
* The Midnight Show (1961)
* Blues for Harvey (1973)
* NYC Underground (1981)

* v
* t
* e

Sonny Clark

Years indicated are for the recording(s), not release.

As leader|

* Dial "S" for Sonny (1957)
* Sonny's Crib (1957)
* Sonny Clark Trio (Blue Note, 1957)
* Sonny Clark Quintets/My Conception (1957–59)
* Cool Struttin' (1958)
* The Art of The Trio (1958)
* Blues in the Night (1958)
* Standards (1958)
* Leapin' and Lopin' (1961)

As sideman|

* Minor Move (Tina Brooks, 1958)
* Blue Serge (Serge Chaloff, 1956)
* Lou Takes Off (Lou Donaldson, 1957)
* Bone & Bari (Curtis Fuller, 1957)
* Curtis Fuller Volume 3 (1957)
* Two Bones (Curtis Fuller, 1958)
* Go! (Dexter Gordon, 1962)
* A Swingin' Affair (Dexter Gordon, 1962)
* Soul Stirrin' (Bennie Green, 1958)
* The 45 Session (Bennie Green, 1958)
* Gooden's Corner (Grant Green, 1961)
* Oleo (1962)
* Nigeria (1962)
* The Complete Quartets with Sonny Clark (Grant Green, 1961–62)
* Born to Be Blue (Grant Green, 1962)
* The Congregation (Johnny Griffin, 1957)
* John Jenkins with Kenny Burrell (1957)
* Showcase (Philly Joe Jones, 1959)
* Cliff Craft (Clifford Jordan, 1957)
* Jackie's Bag (Jackie McLean, 1959)
* A Fickle Sonance (Jackie McLean, 1961)
* Vertigo (Jackie McLean, 1962)
* Tippin' the Scales (Jackie McLean, 1962)
* Poppin' (Hank Mobley, 1957)
* Hank Mobley (1957)
* Curtain Call (Hank Mobley, 1957)
* Candy (Lee Morgan, 1957–58)
* Easy Living (Ike Quebec, 1962)
* The Sound of Sonny (Sonny Rollins, 1957)
* Smithville (Louis Smith, 1957)
* Stan 'The Man' Turrentine (1960)
* Jubilee Shout!!! (Stanley Turrentine, 1962)
* Preach Brother! (Don Wilkerson, 1962)

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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