Grant Green - Cease The Bombing

From 1969's "Carryin' On", the same album that the track I blogged about yesterday is from, comes this soul-jazz gem. As the title will suggest, this is one of Grant's most overtly political pieces. But rather than an angry stab of rage against the war in Vietnam, Grant chooses to get his point across in considerably more laid back fashion. In fact it's one of the most laid back tracks in his discography, really hammering home it's "peace, not war" message. For me, the track stands out as much for it's texture as anything. The effect of layers of electric piano and Green's clear picking against the more usual sax and vibes is strangely hypnotic, as is the simple, insistent melody. Somebody somewhere (Green, I presume) hums along, but instead of being annoying as humming usually is, it just fits. It's one of those times when the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, and it works beautifully. "A smooth sailing trip across the ether" was how one reviewer put it, and I have to agree.