In one month, we’ll ring in 2009. Just as we look forward to a hopeful new year, we also honor what has come before. One of the important things I wish to remember this coming year is that 2009 will ring in the 10th anniversary year of the passing of Grover Washington, Jr.
Recently, I had the pleasure of reviewing the new Jason Miles CD 2 Grover, With Love. For me, it created a time to reflect on Grover’s beautiful musical gift, given so freely, so magnanimously. And I realized how much I missed him. He had become such an important part of my life. Here’s a guy who touched our souls so deeply; it’s hard to find adequate words to describe his genius, art, music, and grace, all that was in his heart.
Once I’d discovered Grover, I became one of those avid fans, buying Grover Washington, Jr. albums as fast as he could put them out. To name just a few, Soul Box (1973), Mister Magic (1974), Feels So Good (1975), Skylarkin' (1979), Paradise (1979), Reed Seed (1979).
But when it came to Winelight (1980), I was totally and forever smitten.
Probably one of his best-loved albums, Winelight was the signature work for everything Grover would do from then on, defining everything he was about. Fused with R&B-influenced rhythm & jazz, the album had a smooth and mellow feel. I’d put it on after a stressful day of work and it’d wash away every tension, every time, without fail.
Produced by Grover Washington, Jr. and Ralph MacDonald,Winelight was the result of live recording sessions, captured in June and July 1980. The personnel included: Grover Washington, Jr. on soprano, alto and tenor sax (he played black nickel-plated saxophones including a SX90R alto, SX90R tenor, and soprano); Eric Gale on guitar; Marcus Miller on bass; Steve Gadd on drums; Bill Withers’ vocals; Raymond Chew on clavinet; Paul Griffin on clavinet and Fender Rhodes; Richard Tee on Fender Rhodes; Bill Eaton on Oberheim synthesizer; Ed Walsh on Oberheim 8-voice synthesizer; Robert Greenidge on steel drums; Ralph MacDonald on percussion; and Hilda Harris, Yvonne Lewis, Ullanda McCullough performed the background vocals.
This was back in the day of vinyl, about 15 minutes of content on each side. So, Winelight gave is a total of six tracks…six luscious, life changing tracks:
- "Winelight" became the staple of every contemporary jazz station across the country, using it as bumper music to just about everything. "Winelight" was also nominated for “Record of the Year” and “Song of the Year” in 1982. You’ll notice here and throughout, Steve Gadd's inspired drumming gives each song a relaxed, infectious groove.
- Loving basketball as he did, his second track, "Let It Flow (For “Dr. J”)," is dedicated to Julius Erving (Dr. J.) The arresting rhythms of the opening bass line and percussion are world famous.
- Grover beautifully caresses the melody of “In The Name Of Love” in this instrumental version of a song made famous by Bill Withers.
- Along with a smart percussion section, Grover really stretches out here with energy and soul, deftly bringing us the gorgeous melody of “Take Me There.”
- The highlight of the album, and a main staple of radio, TV and film soundtrack airplay everywhere, was his great collaboration with soul vocalist Bill Withers, "Just The Two of Us." The song was a huge hit on radio during the spring and summer of '81, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- With marvelous interpretative warmth, the saxophonist really unwinds on "Make Me a Memory (Sad Samba)," improvising over a soulful and accessible blend of Latin rhythms, blues, jazz, and pop.
To this day, Winelight is still a consistently fascinating album. Long after the songs have ended, there is a lingering mellow enchantment. The album showcased Grover’s mastery of tone, range, and dexterity, and at the same time fused the best elements of pop, soul, and jazz, transforming them into a style uniquely his own. Winelight went platinum in 1981 and has sold well over two million copies. The album won Grammy Awards in 1982 for Best R&B Song ("Just The Two of Us") and Best Jazz Fusion Performance ("Winelight.")
Following the Winelight era, Grover Washington, Jr. was credited for elevating a new batch of talent that would make its mark in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He influenced the rise Kenny G to the forefront, and is also known for encouraging such contemporary jazz artists as Pieces of A Dream and Walter Beasley. He has inspired and can be heard in sax players from Gerald Albright, Dave Koz, Boney James, and Najee to David Sanborn, Everette Harp, Alfonzo Blackwell, and the late Art Porter and George Howard.
Successfully bringing us into a new era of jazz excellence, Grover Washington Jr. passed away in December 1999, a week after his 56th birthday, without ever being fully acknowledged for his undeniable contributions to the world of music.
The official website consists of one page. Along with a photo of Grover, here is what it says:
“For Grover Washington, Jr., making music was always more than just recording hits, touring and selling records. It was about personal choices within a personal journey, the continual evolution of an artist creating a sound, a niche, and a style that became undeniably his own.
There will never be another like him and we miss him dearly.”
Amen.
