Motown 1980 (reedition)
Produced and arranged by Grover Washington, the LP version is highly recommended for this analog-recorded album. This album, featuring tracks that have gained worldwide acclaim, including “Easy Loving You,” “Bright Moments,” “Snake Eyes,” “I Can’t Help It,” “Love,” and “Open Up Your Mind,” immediately immerses listeners in the sounds and cheerful rhythms of that carefree era when it seemed like the world was ours. As with any Motown album, you can be sure that you’ll have an album of stunning quality, featuring the crème de la crème of musicians from that time:
Bass – Marcus Miller
Clavinet – Paul Griffin (tracks: A3)
Conductor – Bill Eaton
Production Coordinator – Scott Charles
Drums – Idris Muhammad
Engineer – Richard Alderson
Assistant Engineers – Anthony MacDonald, Ed Heath, Lamont Moreno
Flugelhorn – Jon Faddis (tracks: A1)
Guitar – Eric Gale
Illustration – Bill Imhoff
Lacquer Cut By – Nick W
Mastered By – George Moreno
Percussion, Syndrums – Ralph MacDonald
Piano Solo – Jorge Dalto (tracks: A2)
Piano, Electric Piano – Richard Tee
Producer – Grover Washington, Jr.
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Flute, Ocarina, Prophet 5 Keyboards – Grover Washington, Jr.
Oberheim 8 Voice Synthesizer – Ed Walsh (tracks: B1)
Trumpet – Alexander Otey (tracks: A1)
In other words, a veritable constellation of stars, grooving and funky to the utmost—a delight, albeit slightly dated due to the abundance of electronic effects. Let’s remember that this was the dawn of personal computing, and everyone was overusing it. Grover Washington Jr. is one of the most popular saxophonists of all time and a long-time pioneer in his field. His roots were in R&B combos and organ-based soul-jazz, but he also excelled on the rare occasions when he played pure jazz. A highly influential player, Washington pushed himself with the spontaneity and risk-taking of a masterful jazz musician.
Grover Washington, Jr.’s father also played the saxophone and was his first influence. The young Grover began playing music at the age of ten, and within two years, he was performing in clubs. He gained experience touring with the Four Clefs from 1959 to 1963 and freelanced for the next two years before spending a few years in the army. He moved to Philadelphia in 1967, becoming closely identified with the city, and worked with several organists, including Charles Earland and Johnny Hammond Smith, recording as a sideman for the Prestige label. His big break came in 1971 when Hank Crawford couldn’t make a recording session for Creed Taylor’s Kudu label; Washington was chosen as his replacement, and the result was “Inner City Blues,” a major hit. From then on, he became a major name, particularly after recording “Mister Magic” in 1975, “Feels So Good,” and then “Winelight” in 1980, which included the hit “Just the Two of Us” with Bill Withers.
While perhaps not all of Grover Washington’s albums lived up to this one, it doesn’t detract from the real talent of this artist, who managed to impose the Grover Washington sound and style over the decades!
Thierry De Clemensat
USA correspondent – Paris-Move/ABS magazine
Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News