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The Godfathers of Groove featuring Bernard Purdie, Ruben Wilson & Grant Green Jr.

Presented by Scullers Jazz Club at Scullers Jazz Club

July 29, 2010

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The Godfathers of Groove are an All-Star group comprised of Reuben Wilson on the Hammond B3, Bernard "Pretty" Purdie on drums, and Grant Green Jr. on guitar. In the late 60s, organist Reuben Wilson began ascending to his current status as a "godfather" of acid-jazz with "On Broadway", the first in a string of albums for Blue Note Records. With these recordings Wilson revealed a command of funk that helped redefine the soul jazz movement created by the likes of Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff and Richard "Groove" Holmes. Bernard Purdie was born June 11, 1939 in Elkton, Maryland as the eleventh of fifteen children. At 14 years of age he purchased his first real drum set and became the most important provider for the family - earning his pay with country and carnival bands. Purdie moved to New York in 1960 and played with (among others), Lonnie Youngblood before landing his first hit with King Curtis. This led to his engagement with Aretha Franklin in 1970 - the beginning of an unparalleled career. Since then, Purdie has been a regular guest in the studios of the stars of Jazz, Soul, and Rock, working together with Paul Butterfield, Larry Coryell, Miles Davis, Hall & Oates, Al Kooper, Herbie Mann, Todd Rundgren and Cat Stevens, Steely Dan's "Aja", Isaac Hayes, Donny Hathaway, B.B. King, "Sweet" Lou Donaldson, Joe Cocker and Hank Crawford to name a just a few. No other drummer in the last three decades has seen the interior of a recording studio as often as Bernard "Pretty" Purdie. Purdie has laid down the beat on over 3000 albums to date. As the son of legendary jazz guitarist Grant Green (1931-1979), Grant Green Jr. was exposed to exceptional musicianship and superb guitar playing right from the start. Growing up in the Palmer Woods section of Detroit, Grant enjoyed a constant parade of jazz greats streaming through his living room and at the tender age of five, with his hands barely big enough to grasp the guitar, Grant Jr. played his first chords. Grant eventually settled in New York City where he fine-tuned his craft in the many blues and jazz clubs throughout Manhattan. His ability to blend funky grooves with the melodic soul-jazz and blues made him a popular session player and musician's musician.