This 1971 date was
Washington's first as a leader, after playing and recording with the small
organ combos of Charles Earland and Johnny "Hammond" Smith. It's
unheard-of for a jazz musician to make his debut complete with strings, horns,
and vocal group, but Washington apparently got the opportunity when the backing
tracks were in place for a Hank Crawford album and Crawford was out of the
country. Stranger still, Washington is usually playing alto here rather than
his customary soprano or tenor. It was an instrument he hadn't played in years,
and the result of his horn switching is a compellingly original sound that's
almost soprano-like. Despite the circumstances, Washington brings a lot of
himself to this music, making personal statements of two contemporary Marvin
Gaye songs, "Inner City Blues" and "Mercy, Mercy Me," and
the standards "Georgia on My Mind" and "I Loves You, Porgy."
He also puts together an effective combination of Bill Withers's "Ain't No
Sunshine" and J.J. Johnson's "Theme from Man and Boy." Whether
it's the tight combo of "Inner City Blues" or the full-blown
orchestra with strings and backing vocals, this is soul jazz of the first rank.
~ Adam Rains.
Kudu Records, KU-03, 1971
Recorded September, 1971 at
Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Musicians:
Grover Washington, Jr. - Alto
& Tenor Saxophones
Thad Jones - Trumpet, French
Horn
Eugene Young - Trumpet,
Flugelhorn
Wayne Andre - Trombone
Don Ashworth - Baritone
Saxophone
Bob James - Electric Piano
Richard Tee - Organ
Eric Gale - Guitar
Don Ashworth, Ron Carter -
Bass
Idris Muhammad - Drums
Airto Moreira - Percussion
Strings:
Alan Shulman, Anthony Sophos,
Charles McCracken, Maurice Brown - Cello
Harry Katzman, Julius Brand,
Julius Held, Leo Kahn, Max Pollikoff, Paul Gershman, Paul Winter, Raoul
Poliakin - Violin
Vocals:
Hilda Harris, Maretha
Stewart, Marilyn Jackson, Tasha Thomas
Tracks:
A1. Inner City Blues {Marvin
Gaye} (7:10)
A2. Georgia On My Mind {Hoagy
Carmichael, Stuart Gorrell} (4:39)
A3. Mercy Mercy Me [The
Ecology] {Marvin Gaye} (5:06)
B1. Ain't No Sunshine {Bill
Withers} / Better Days {J.J. Johnson} (8:33)
B2. Until It's Time For You
To Go {Buffy Sainte-Marie} (4:36)
B3. I Loves You Porgy {DuBose
Heyward, George & Ira Gershwin} (5:06)
Credits:
Producer - Creed Taylor
Recording Engineer - Rudy van
Gelder
Arranger, Conductor - Bob
James
Design [Album] - Bob Ciano
Photography - Steve Salmieri
This is one of Grover
Washington Jr.'s finest, yet funky, and complex works. Creed Taylor (a musical
magician) had obviously been an inspiration as a producer. In Grover's later
works, it shows. This one is so very soulfully deep, it is not to be missed for
any Grover collector! ~ Beverly P, Amazon.
