So Long Little Giant

Johnny Griffin played several gigs here in Central PA during the early years of the local jazz society, the Friends of Jazz. Sadly, I remember little about those performances which happened over 20 years ago. I do recall Griffin’s muscular approach to the sax and his blazing speed all belied by his diminutive presence.

To refresh my memory I located a pair of videos of what must have been typical performances.

The first video is a blistering run through “Just Friends” with an unnamed quartet.

The second clip is from a live gig at the Village Vanguard and features Griffin with Ronnie Mathews, Ray Drummond and Kenny Washington.