Grover Live 2-lp / Grover Washington Jr.

1. Winelight w/ Intro [Live] 2. Take Five (Take Another Five) [Live] 3. Soulful Strut [Live] 4. Grover Talks [Live] 5. Mystical Force [Live] 6. Uptown [Live] 7. Sassy Stew [Live] 8. Grover Talks Again [Live] 9. Black Frost [Live] 10. Inner City Blues [Live] 11. Strawberry Moon [Live] 12. Inside Moves [Live] 13. Jamaica [Live] 14. East River Drive [Live] 15. Just The Two Of Us [Live] 16. Sausalito [Live] 17. Let It Flow (For "Dr. J") [Live] Mr. Magic [Live]

This commemorative double vinyl marks 20 years since the passing of Grover Washington, Jr., the immensely popular artist who was largely responsible for creating a bridge between jazz and R&B. Grover was well loved by his fans but also by the many musicians who worked with him over the years. He was a contemporary jazz artist whose music topped the “Smooth Jazz” charts, but he was funky, and his music had balls. His live performances and worldwide success prove that he was a timeless gem of an artist who entertained his audiences with a powerhouse band of some of the best players in the business. any other contemporary saxophonist, Grover influenced an entire generation of musicians – from George Howard to Gerald Albright – with his distinctive sound and style. In essence, Grover brought accessibility to a genre that was often considered left of mainstream through his early ’70s albums with Kudu Records on through to his ’80s material for Elektra and finally to his ’90s CDs for Columbia Records. This superb live recording – cut in June 1997 at the Paramount Center for the Arts in Peekskill, upstate New York – captures the essence of Grover’s greatness. With a coterie of ‘A’ class musicians in support, the legendary sax man’s work on this album demonstrates why he was not only a leader in his field but a pioneer capable of blending the subtleties of jazz with the funk and sweat of soul music. Not since King Curtis in the late ’50s and ’60s had any sax player enjoyed such popularity and listening to Grover groove through the eighteen cuts included here, it’s easy to see why.

Price: $61.98