His Majesty King Funk (Verve Acoustic Sounds Series)

Jazz guitarist Grant Green’s more than two-decade tenure with Blue Note was broken up by one album for Verve Records: 1965’s His Majesty King Funk. This Creed Taylor-produced session offers deeply felt renditions of Green’s topical original, “The Selma March,” and enduring pop tunes like “That Lucky Old Sun” and a spacious reading of “Willow Weep for Me.” Green’s clarity of melody and tone is well matched by Larry Young’s harmonically rich organ, Harold Vick’s blues and gospel-inflicted tenor and the propulsive rhythm section of drummer Ben Dixon and conguero Candido Camero. Capturing Green at a creative intersection of hard bop, R&B, and emerging soul-jazz, the album remains prized for its deep grooves, ensemble interplay, and enduring influence within his catalog. Verve Acoustic Sounds Series is mastered from the original analog tapes by Matthew Lutthans, pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings (QRP) and packaged in high-quality tip-on gatefold jackets.