By the time the 70s kicked in, Grant Green was already a veteran of jazz overall, and Blue Note specifically. His approach went through some changes as he responded to the emergence of funk and R&B, and it was with Green Is Beautiful that he seemed to assimilate these developments into a natural whole. The hard grooving backbone of tracks like 'Ain't It Funky Now' make for the perfect setting for Green to take flight with his signature guitar sound, and he doffs his cap to the likes of James Brown, The Beatles and Burt Bacharach in the process. For such an established legend, it's a gesture of humility which should always be celebrated.