Grant Green Jr. wowed the crowd at Darwin’s new location in Sandy Springs Friday night. A lot of young, fashionably dressed women in short dresses were up and dancing most of the time and Green seamlessly played to his audience, delighting younger and older by playing and singing a wide variety of songs. While he is best known for his jazz guitar playing, he has a warm, smoky voice that works exceedingly well on songs as diverse as “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You” and “Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick In The Wall,” both of which he performed.

Green has been performing a long time, and he was completed relaxed on stage. Sitting in a chair with several guitars in easy reach, accompanied by a drummer and keyboard player, he made his intricate guitar solos look easy and had us singing along with him on some great if sometimes unexpected song choices like the fore-mentioned Pink Floyd song, “Hit The Road, Jack and Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy.” Then he enthralled us with his version of “Hurt,” the song made famous by Nine Inch Nails and Johnny Cash. He ended the first set by dedicating the whole set by dedicating it to beloved Atlanta legend Col. Bruce Hampton who died this month and launching into a long jam which also allowed his backup musicians to strut their stuff.

Grant Green is a great guitarist and singer and a pleasure to see and hear.

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