Idle Moments

Recording history and tape provenance

By late 1963, Grant Green had become one of Blue Note's most prolific session guitarists, but most of his own dates to that point had leaned toward the organ-and-guitar soul-jazz format. Idle Moments is different: a sextet with vibraphone and no organ, built around a set of longer, more spacious compositions, and – as several critics have noted since – arguably as much a Henderson/Hutcherson/Pearson session as a Green one. Both Henderson and Hutcherson were still establishing themselves on Blue Note at the time (Hutcherson was 22), and both play with unusual restraint here, folding into the album's unhurried, after-hours atmosphere rather than asserting themselves as they did on their own more "modernist" dates.

The title track's now-legendary length came from a genuine studio accident rather than a deliberate artistic choice. Pearson, who wrote it, noted in his liner notes that with three other tracks already recorded that night, "Idle Moments" needed to stay under seven minutes to avoid overrunning the LP's playing time. According to widely circulated accounts of the session, a miscommunication over the tune's chorus length – whether it ran 16 or 32 bars – led Green to solo for 64 bars instead of 32; Henderson, Pearson, and Hutcherson, following the shape Green had set, each extended their own solos to match. Pearson's liner notes describe the outcome simply: the musicians "became so involved in the mood of the piece that they stretched it out to almost fifteen minutes." The result ran nearly 15 minutes, an unheard-of length for a Blue Note track at the time. Alfred Lion liked the take enough to consider it finished, floated the idea of a tighter retake to fit the format, and then abandoned that idea once it became clear the original had a feeling nobody could reproduce on command.

The album was shelved for roughly two years before release – common Blue Note practice given how much material the label was recording relative to its release schedule – finally reaching shops in 1965. It has since become one of the most consistently cited high points of Blue Note's mid-1960s catalog, frequently singled out by critics and by Green's own biographers as his finest studio recording as a leader.

Original Blue Note pressings (1965)

Catalogue: BLP 4154 (mono) / BST 84154 (stereo), New York USA label era. Standard authentication applies: Van Gelder stamp and Plastylite "ear" etched in the deadwax, deep groove may be present on the earliest copies. Because the album's original release was already delayed two years past recording, first pressings fall within Blue Note's mid-1960s "New York USA" label period rather than the earlier "47 West 63rd" era seen on titles actually recorded and released in the same year. NM originals command a real premium, varying by mono/stereo and condition.

Liberty and later reissues (1970s)

Several 1970s-era reissues circulate on Liberty/United Artists-period labels, generally well-regarded by owners for retaining the original recording's warmth even without first-pressing metalwork.

The reissue hierarchy

Analogue Productions 45rpm 2LP (2009) – a top-tier modern pressing

Cat. (AP series) | Format: 2×180g LP, 45rpm, numbered. Mastered by Kevin Gray, pressed at Record Technology Incorporated (RTI). Owners who've directly compared this against the later Music Matters 33⅓ describe the AP as "outstanding in every way" and their go-to version, though – as with several other Blue Note titles both labels have tackled – reasonable people differ on which they prefer. A direct 3-way comparison against the Music Matters SRX and Blue Note Classic Vinyl – all mastered by Kevin Gray, but pressed at different plants – ranked this AP edition first, the Music Matters SRX a close second (helped by its notably quiet SuperVinyl-style compound), and the Classic Vinyl third but still a strong recommendation given it costs a fraction of either. Discogs

Music Matters 45rpm 2LP (2014) and 33⅓ SRX (2020)

Cat. MM-45-BNST-84154 (45rpm) / MM33 BNST-84154 (33⅓ SRX) | Format: 45rpm 2LP or 33⅓ single LP, 180g, gatefold, laminated. Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio (produced by Ron Rambach for Music Matters Ltd.), pressed at RTI. Both the original 45rpm edition and the later 33⅓ SRX repress are highly regarded; the 33⅓ series was specifically noted on release for using an upgraded lacquer-cutting chain at Gray's newer Cohearent facility. A handful of owners report non-fill pressing defects on the SRX pressing specifically – worth inspecting on arrival. The 45rpm edition commands a meaningfully higher secondary-market price than the 33⅓ SRX. Discogs (45rpm) / Discogs (33⅓ SRX)

Blue Note 75th Anniversary (2014) – Bernie Grundman, mixed pressing quality

Cat. (75th Anniversary series) | Format: LP, 33⅓, 2014 | Remastered by Bernie Grundman as part of Blue Note's 75th Anniversary vinyl campaign, a separate mastering chain from the Kevin Gray-mastered Classic Vinyl and Music Matters editions. Reception is genuinely mixed at the pressing level – some buyers report a perfect, quiet copy, but a larger number describe glitching, clicks, pops, warping, and off-center holes, consistent with broader complaints about QC variance across the 75th Anniversary series generally. Worth buying only from a seller with an easy return policy, and not a first recommendation given the more consistent Classic Vinyl and Music Matters alternatives. Discogs

Blue Note Classic Vinyl 180g – the accessible modern option

Cat. BST 84154 | Format: 180g LP, 33⅓. Mastered by Kevin Gray, from the original master tapes. Pressed at Optimal in Germany. Reviews are largely positive, though a vocal minority report significant non-fill and QC problems on specific pressing runs, enough that some buyers went through multiple copies before finding a clean one. One reviewer reported intermittent left-channel distortion on his copy – a specific, mild version of a defect he also heard more severely on the companion Classic Vinyl release of Kenny Burrell's Midnight Blue from the same series batch. Worth buying from a seller with an easy return policy. Discogs

Japanese pressings

King Records GXF-3178 (1980) – a well-regarded Japanese pressing, described by collectors who own it as having "huge sound, very crisp, wide and dynamic" with excellent instrument separation and notably quiet vinyl. A strong vintage alternative for those who want an analog-era pressing without chasing an expensive US original. Typically found with obi. Discogs

Buyer's guide by budget

$ (Budget): The Blue Note Classic Vinyl – Kevin Gray mastering, Optimal pressing; buy from a seller who accepts returns given reported QC variance.

$$ (Affordable): The King Records Japan pressing (GXF-3178, 1980) for a well-regarded vintage alternative.

$$$ (Mid-range): The Music Matters 33⅓ SRX (2020) for the upgraded Cohearent Audio mastering chain.

$$$$ (Premium): The Analogue Productions or Music Matters 45rpm editions – both are excellent; owners who have both tend to have a preference but rarely a strong complaint about either.

$$$$$ (Grail / Rare): An original New York USA label BST 84154 stereo in honest VG+ condition.

Pressing tier summary

References

• Discogs (master): https://www.discogs.com/master/163276-Grant-Green-Idle-Moments
• Wikipedia, "Idle Moments": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idle_Moments
• LondonJazzCollector, "Grant Green 'Idle Moments' (1963)": https://londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com/2012/03/31/grant-green-idle-moments-1963/
• Discogs release and community listings for all pressings referenced in the tier table above (original BLP 4154/BST 84154, AP 45rpm, Music Matters 45rpm and 33⅓ SRX, Blue Note Classic Vinyl, Blue Note 75th Anniversary, Liberty-era reissue)
• YouTube, 45 RPM Audiophile, "Shootout: Grant Green, Idle Moments + Kenny Burrell, Midnight Blue": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKnJ2Ci3fXM
• YouTube, Jazz Vinyl Audiophile Ken Micallef, "GRANT GREEN 'Idle Moments' KENNY BURRELL 'Midnight Blue' REVIEWED": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXWFEfkcXTY

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