The celebration of #GroverWashingtonJrMonth continues with this tribute to the saxman. Grover Washington band members, like bassist Gerald Veasley and keyboardist Bill Jolly, as well as Gerald Albright and Najee are on this Jazz Night in America program. Also, hear David Sanborn on Grover.
December is Grover Washington, Jr. Month
To me, December is always Grover Washington, Jr. month. He was born in December and passed away in December.
Grover is a contemporary jazz legend. He was a pioneer in the soul-jazz movement. I can hear his distinctive sound on any recording. There has been no one like him.
Let’s celebrate his legacy this month. Share your thoughts on Grover. Post a comment here about your favorite recordings, concert memories, etc. Or start this going on Twitter – #GroverWashingtonJrMonth. I’ll be sharing too through December 17, when he suddenly left us.
A saxophone lineup like no other
Seeing the gathering of living presidents at the George H.W. Bush funeral today made me think of the inauguration of Bill Clinton. That monster gathering of super-saxmen: Sanborn, Brecker, Mulligan, Washington, Jr., Albright, G, Whalum…
Happy birthday, Arturo Sandoval!
Happy birthday to one of my very favorite trumpeters, Arturo Sandoval (born in 1949)!
His birthday falls on a very important election day in the U.S., the country where Sandoval has been a naturalized citizen for twenty years. He defected from Cuba in 1990. Learn about Sandoval’s flight to freedom from his site and the American Sabor site.
Here are three of my favorite pieces featuring the trumpet legend:
“Funky Cha Cha” – A blistering song with extra hot sauce from Michael Brecker
“Angelfire” – This cut from the Rippingtons’ Black Diamond release lets Arturo let loose a bit at the end. You can always count on the man to deliver. And it’s a good Russ Freeman composition and production, easily one of the best “cool fire” tracks in my library.
Leonid and Friends is a collective of Russian musicians who have been doing excellent covers of songs by the band Chicago. One of their latest is “Street Player” which features Arturo maybe sitting in his house, sitting down and still blowing out an incredible solo. He even hits an impossibly high note that I don’t think I’ve ever heard a trumpeter do before.
Lee Ritenour solo guitar recording
The next Lee Ritenour recording will be solo guitar, the contemporary jazz legend told The Bulletin in October. “I’ve done almost 45 albums (and) never ever done a solo guitar record,” Ritenour said. “I thought it was really overdue, so I’ve been slowly preparing that the last couple (of) years — a lot of new compositions and there’ll be some standards.”
As for Captain Fingers rejoining Fourplay, Rit was elusive when asked about it last year following the death of Chuck Loeb. During audience Q&A before a performance in Kansas City, he didn’t say yes or no. Instead he talked about the magic that happens when the right musicians come together at the right time.