Grover Washington, Jr.

小简介
如同吉他手乔治班森(George Benson)一样，Gover Washington, Jr.的音乐深受爵士乐及流行乐界的欢迎。他所拥有的丰富精湛的演奏技巧，不论是tenor、alto 或是soprano saxophones在这位人称「魔术先生」的手上游刃有余。他的演奏风格包容了Jazz、R&B、Pop，不但在商业上获得成功，同时更为日后所谓的「Smooth Jazz」一流设下了基础。许多Smooth Jazz的后辈大将如Najee、Kenny G等，都不讳言的对外表示小格罗佛对他们深远的影响。
Grover Washington, Jr.是爵士乐史上在商业巿场上最有新斩获的一位萨克斯风手，擅长吹奏各类型的萨克斯风，虽然他在流行爵士的名气远大于他在正统爵士乐界的地位，但是Washington一直是一位拥有这份条件与能力的乐手.80年代之后，Grover Washington, Jr延续此一路线，陆续在Columbia推出了包括「 Strawberry Moon」、「Next Exit」、「Soulful Strut」等专辑。一九九九年十二月，Grover Washington, Jr却在参加电视录像后心脏病发身亡.
by Scott YanowOne of the most popular saxophonists of all time (even his off records had impressive sales), Grover Washington, Jr. was long the pacesetter in his field. His roots were in R&B and soul-jazz organ combos, but he also fared very well on the infrequent occasions when he played straight-ahead jazz. A highly influential player, Washington was sometimes blamed for the faults of his followers; Kenny G. largely based his soprano sound on Grovers tone. However, most of the time (except when relying on long hit medleys), Washington pushed himself with the spontaneity and chance taking of a masterful jazz musician. Grover Washington, Jr., whose father also played saxophone, started playing music when he was ten and within two years was working in clubs. He picked up experience touring with the Four Clefs from 1959-1963 and freelancing during the next two years, before spending a couple years in the Army. He moved to Philadelphia in 1967, becoming closely identified with the city from then on, and worked with several organists, including Charles Earland and Johnny Hammond Smith, recording as a sideman for the Prestige label. His biggest break occurred in 1971, when Hank Crawford could not make it to a recording date; Washington was picked as his replacement, and the result was Inner City Blues, a big seller. From then on he became a major name, particularly after recording 1975s Mister Magic and 1980s Winelight; the latter included the Bill Withers hit Just the Two of Us. Although some of his recordings since then found him coasting a bit, Washington usually stretched himself in concert, being almost overqualified for the R&B-ish music that he performed. He developed his own personal voices on soprano, tenor, alto, and even his infrequently-used baritone. Grover Washington Jr. recorded as a leader for Kudu, Motown, Elektra, and Columbia and made notable guest appearances on dozens of records ranging from pop to straightforward jazz. He died of a sudden heart attack on December 17, 1999 while taping an appearance on CBS televisions The Saturday Early Show; Washington was 56. The posthumous Aria was issued early the following year.