The Congregation (Johnny Griffin album)

The Congregation
Studio album by Johnny Griffin
Released	March 1958 [1]
Recorded	October 23, 1957
Studio	Van Gelder Studio Hackensack, NJ
Genre	Jazz
Length	29:51 (LP) 37:20 (CD)
Label	Blue Note BLP 1580 [2]
Producer	Alfred Lion
Johnny Griffin chronology
A Blowin' Session (1957) The Congregation (1958) Johnny Griffin Sextet (1958)

The Congregation is an album by American tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin recorded on October 23, 1957 and released on Blue Note the following year, his final recording for the label. ^[3]

Background

Artwork

The cover art was designed by Reid Miles and illustrated by Andy Warhol. ^{[4] [5]}

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[7]

The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow states, "The great tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin is heard in top form on this near-classic quartet set... It's recommended for bop collectors." ^[8]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Johnny Griffin, except as noted.

Side 1

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Congregation"		6:47
2.	"Latin Quarter"	John Jenkins	6:29

Side 2

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"I'm Glad There Is You"	Jimmy Dorsey Paul Mertz	5:10
2.	"Main Spring"		6:33
3.	"It's You or No One"	Sammy Cahn Jule Styne	4:52

1994 CD reissue bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
5.	"I Remember You"	Johnny Mercer Victor Schertzinger	7:29

Personnel

Musicians

• Johnny Griffin – tenor saxophone
• Sonny Clark – piano
• Paul Chambers – bass
• Kenny Dennis – drums

Technical personnel

Original

• Alfred Lion – producer
• Rudy Van Gelder – recording engineer
• Reid Miles – design
• Andy Warhol – cover illustration
• Francis Wolff – photography
• Robert Levin – liner notes

Reissue

• Michael Cuscuna – reissue producer
• Larry Walsh – mastering
• Patrick Roques – redesign

References

1. "New Releases". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. March 3, 1958. p. 17 – via Google Books.
2. Popoff, Martin (September 8, 2009). Goldmine Record Album Price Guide. Penguin. ISBN   9781440229169 – via Google Books.
3. Johnny Griffin discography accessed October 21, 2010
4. Salminen, Viljami (November 14, 2015). "The Iconic Work of Reid Miles". Viljami Salminen. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
5. The Early Jazz Album Covers of Andy Warhol, accessed November 17, 2015
6. "The Congregation - Johnny Griffin | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic .
7. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 606. ISBN   978-0-141-03401-0.
8. Yanow, S. AllMusic Review accessed October 21, 2010