The Final Comedown

Recorded at A&R Recording in New York City on 13 and 14 December 1971, with Green on guitar alongside Cornell Dupree on guitar, Richard Tee on piano and organ, Grady Tate on drums, Ralph MacDonald on congas and bongos, Harold Vick on tenor and alto saxophone, and Marvin Stamm on trumpet. All music on the album was composed and conducted by Wade Marcus, with George Butler producing. The title track to Blue Note Records' first-ever film soundtrack, scored for the 1972 blaxploitation film of the same name, 'The Final Comedown' placed Grant Green in a cinematic funk context directly informed by the era of Isaac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield. AllMusic's review of the album singled out the title track as the standout cut, describing it as closer to Green's previous funk dates than the mood-piece score cues surrounding it. The album became a prized rarity in the rare groove and crate-digging communities, valued for the title track's hard-driving funk guitar and the dense percussion work of Grady Tate and Ralph MacDonald. JazzTimes specifically name-checked 'The Final Comedown' as one of the 15-minute killers from Green's late Blue Note period that defined his legacy as one of the most sampled guitarists in jazz.