Grover Washington

Grover Washington Jr.

Joy is the message, music is the medium, and Grover Washington, Jr. is the undisputed master.

SOULFUL STRUT is Grover at his most mellow. His sound has never been more seductive and his mood never more relaxed. This is an artist at the absolute peak of his powers.

For some twenty-five years, Grover Washington has been among the most beloved instrumentalists in popular music. No saxophonist has managed to maintain the middle ground between jazz and rhythm-and-blues with greater style or grace.

"I don't think in terms of categories," says Grover. "My main motive is to move on. My job is to explore and express music of the heart. I want to venture forward. I want to stay in the mood of my moment. And for SOULFUL STRUT, my mood was upbeat and happy."

Coming after All My Tomorrows, Washington's extravagantly praised venture into straight-ahead jazz from 1994, SOULFUL STRUT is a surprise and a delight, a welcome return to the territory Grover pioneered, that fertile ground where lush melodies meet infectious rhythms.

Ever since Washington stepped into the national spotlight in 1971 with his remarkable reading of Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Blues," the saxophonist has been in the vanguard of popular sound.

"Soulful Strut," the title tune, echoes that earlier era. "I tried to approach the Young-Holt Unlimited hit with fresh ears," says Grover, referring to the original version from 1968. "That was a beautiful time in my life. I was a sideman burning with energy and ideas. The music of the day, from Stan Getz to Sly Stone to Stevie Wonder, was inspiring to me. 'Soulful Strut' catches that vibe. I was going for that let's-walk-on-air feeling."

Produced by Dan Shea in conjunction with Walter Afanasieff, "Strut" is a study in relaxation, the start of a suite that finds Grover in a provocatively meditative state of mind.

"When I start a record," says the saxist, "my aim to make a total statement. SOULFUL STRUT's statement is positive, and within its framework I approach each song as a self-contained short story."

The story behind "Can You Stop the Rain" reverts to Peabo Bryson, who enjoyed a smash with the song a few years back. "I loved Peabo's version," says Grover. "He sang with tremendous soul. I like to think of myself as a singer whose voice is a saxophone. I honor melody. I'd rather caress a melody than overwhelm it. I see myself as a servant of melody, a respectful interpreter. And the melody Walter Afanasieff wrote for 'Can You Stop the Rain' is gorgeous."

"Play That Groove For Me" was co-written by Gary "Headman" Haase, who produced five other tracks on the album. "Gary's especially sensitive to my spirit," says Grover. "He knows all the musical twists and turns of the past thirty years." "Groove's" fat groove was contributed by Maxwell, one of the bright lights of contemporary R&B. "Maxwell reminds me of Marvin Gaye," Washington comments. "For a man in his early twenties, he shows tremendous maturity. This 'Groove' is right in the pocket."

"Bordertown" introduces another theme that resonates throughout SOULFUL STRUT: Grover's sense of place, a concept embracing both the local and universal. "We all live on the fringe," he explains. "We all live within borders. That Bordertown might be Philly on the river, or it might be Camden across the river. The Bordertown might be in Africa. The idea is that we're all on a precarious edge--the edge of creativity or chaos, the edge of danger or discovery."

"I'm discovering a universal feeling in certain grooves," Grover continues. "Like 'Bordertown,' 'Village Groove' was something I co-wrote with Gary Haase. Also like 'Bordertown,' I can place the village almost anywhere, from a neighborhood in New York City to the outback of Australia. A groove is a deep thing. Like the beat of our heart or rhythm of our breath, a groove expresses all that is human about human beings."

'Headman's Haunt,' another Haase production, has a similar tribal tie-in. "The African feeling is there," says Grover. "The root is real. The haunt is the stomping ground, another variation of the bordertown, another global village. The headman is the cat charting the course for others to follow. Maybe he's the pied piper, or the saxophone player. He's the man with the groove."

The aura of Africa carries over into "Poacher Man" whom Washington sees as an interloper. "He's the dude running across the border," Grover explains. "He could be anybody--a thief who robs your food or steals your children's dreams. Or even a politician who legislates away your future. The mood of 'Poacher Man' says, 'Be wary; be aware.'"

Donald Robinson produced two selections, "I Can Count the Times" and "Mystical Force," both of which he co-wrote with Grover. Washington explains:

"Donald had written and produced 'Nice 'n Easy' and produced 'A Sacred Kind of Love,' the song I'd recorded with the late Phyllis Hyman, Donald understands me. He's deep. 'I Can Count the Times' put me in a tenor mood. I like moods and meanings where the listener fills in the blanks. 'I Can Count the Times' can refer to love or loss or whatever else you're feeling."

"'Mystical Force' has a similar subtlety. This time I'm on alto, dreaming of a force you can feel but can't touch. I'm feeling a force that mixes darkness and light, like a walk through the Casbah, a journey combining apprehension and awe."

This journey, this enchanting SOULFUL STRUT, leads to the final destination. "'Uptown,'" says Grover, "is where we all want to wind up. It's more than a geographic home; it's a spiritual haven, a place of higher consciousness where the grooves are right and the mood upbeat and joyous. I hope the SOULFUL STRUT takes us all uptown, a place where the world is safe and sane and filled with sounds that nourish our souls."

As a brilliant instrumentalist, composer and producer, Grover Washington, Jr. has been nourishing our souls for a quarter-century. Now his countless fans have the treat of accompanying him on a SOULFUL STRUT, another measure of a man whose music sings with generosity and joy.

Grover Washington, Jr.'s love of music began as a child growing up in Buffalo, New York; his mother (who sang in church choirs) and father (a collector of jazz 78s and an amateur C-melody saxophonist) bought him a saxophone at age ten. "After I started playing," Grover says, "I'd sneak into clubs to watch guys like Jack McDuff, Harold Vick and Charles Lloyd. My professional life began at age twelve. I played a lot of R&B, blues, and what we used to call 'gut-bucket.'"

Grover left Buffalo to play in the Midwest with a group called the Four Clefs. Soon afterward, he was drafted into the Army; during that time he made some important connections. Drummer Billy Cobham, who was in the Army band with Grover, introduced him to several prominent New York musicians, and he soon began freelancing in New York and Philadelphia. Grover also met his wife Christine (who has since acted as his business partner as well) in Philadelphia around that time; they married shortly after his discharge in 1967. The two have remained happily married since; their son, Grover III (who co-produced "Summer Chill," a Grammy-nominated song on Grover's Next Exit album) now lives in Los Angeles and their daughter, Shana, attends college.

After playing in organist Charles Earland's band, and recording as a sideman for the CTI and Prestige labels, Grover recorded Breakout with Johnny Hammond. The album was a best-seller, and it established Grover as a major new voice on saxophone. The big break came in 1970, when Hank Crawford couldn't make a session. Creed Taylor turned the date over to Grover, who had been playing in the horn section for the session. The result was Inner City Blues, released in 1971, while Grover was still working at a Philadelphia record wholesaler. "I was unloading boxes with my own name on them," Grover recalls with a hint of irony.

Grover's soulful, sophisticated sound developed through the 1970s and the success of his next three albums--All The Kings Horses, Soul Box and especially Mister Magic--landed him gigs as headliner in large concert halls, and opened the door to session work with the likes of Bob James, Randy Weston, Eric Gale, and Dave Grusin. His success in the '70s continued with albums such as Feels So Good, A Secret Place, Live At The Bijou, Reed Seed, Skylarkin', and Paradise.

With the release of Winelight in 1980, Grover earned recognition as a leading instrumental master. The LP earned two Grammy Awards, for Best Jazz Fusion Recording and Best R&B Song for "Just the Two of Us." Down Beat Magazine crooned, "Washington plays with exquisite tone, range and dexterity, grooving always." The Boston Herald-American proclaimed the album, "A true masterpiece by an artist who has the ability to combine the better elements of pop, soul and jazz and transform them into a form uniquely his." Winelight has been certified platinum, and to date has sold over two million copies.

Grover's subsequent albums extended his reputation even further. Come Morning (1981) featured Ralph MacDonald, Steve Gadd, Eric Gale, Richard Tee, Marcus Miller, and vocals by Grady Tate; it earned Grover his fourth gold recording. The Best Is Yet To Come (1982) earned a Grammy nomination for vocalist Patti Labelle on the title track. Inside Moves (1984) featured vocals from Jon Lucien. For Strawberry Moon (1987), Grover was joined by legendary blues guitarist B.B. King, as well as by jazz/r&b vocalist Jean Carne. For Then And Now (1988), Grover explored the many facets of his musical expression, aided by jazz stars Tommy Flanagan, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Marvin Smitty Smith. On Time Out Of Mind (1990), Grover scored another hit with vocalist Phyllis Hyman with "Sacred Kind Of Love." And on Next Exit (1992), Grover explored several musical avenues, reinventing a classic Paul Desmond tune, "Take Five," as his own "Take Another Five," teaming up with The Four Tops and with Lalah Hathaway, even dipping into rap. All My Tomorrows (1994) finds the familiar saxophone star in the company of some of modern jazz's leading lights--pianist Hank Jones, trumpeter Eddie Henderson, bassist George Mraz, drummers Billy Hart and Lewis Nash, among others and vocalist Freddie Cole featured on several cuts--for an acoustic session of ballads, an album crafted for the ages.

In the early eighties, Grover played a major role in establishing the Philadelphia group Pieces of a Dream, for whom he produced three albums. These successes, and many, many more awards and credits as producer, player and composer, over two decades have today made Grover Washington, Jr. a key player in modern jazz and a familiar face on our cultural horizon. With just the mention of his first name or a note from his saxophone, audiences worldwide respond.

Grover's saxophone can be heard playing the national anthem at a Philadelphia 76ers' game (revealing his lifelong passion for basketball); performing at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia for July 4th (with one million listeners in attendance) or at the Blue Note jazz club in New York (playing to sold-out rooms). His musical prominence took him to the White House for President Clinton's Inauguration and Grover recently performed at President Clinton's 50th birthday celebration at Radio City Music Hall.

Reflecting on all that, Grover says, "I'm thankful for the people who inspired me over the years: Dexter Gordon, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Stanley Turrentine, Cannonball Adderley, Sonny Rollins, Oliver Nelson....I would like to believe that some of the reasons I've been around so long is that I don't do the same thing over and over--I like to grow, to keep adding another thread to my musical tapestry," he adds. "I'm just staying true to the things that got me to play in the first place."