"Idle Moments" is an instrumental jazz composition by the American pianist and composer Duke Pearson, written in C minor at a slow tempo. Its original recording, by guitarist Grant Green, was made at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on 4 November 1963 and released on the Blue Note album Idle Moments in February 1965. The title track runs nearly fifteen minutes on the album and opens it. Joe Henderson takes the lead on tenor saxophone, with Pearson on piano, Bobby Hutcherson on vibraphone, Bob Cranshaw on double bass and Al Harewood on drums.
Pearson's liner notes state that the tune was meant to be much shorter. The band repeated the main melody twice, so the length of the chorus, whether 16 or 32 bars, is unclear. Producer Alfred Lion asked for a retake to fit a seven-minute limit, but the band could not recapture the feeling, and the first take was released. Critic Steve Huey praised Green's graceful elegance, and Scott Yanow included the album in a list of essential hard bop recordings. Later versions include those by Ronnie Earl, Mike LeDonne and Joel Svensson.
