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 June
1, 2005/NYC: On
July 9 and 10, 2005 we are having a wonderful Jazz Festival in New York
and we have heard from the GW Jr. Foundation about tributing
Mr. Washington's music in the show for July 9, 2005.
The great legacy of
Grover Washington, Jr. continues and The Croton Point Park Music
Festival is pure evidence of that!!! For those who are in a
rush, please read below for a 7/9 tribute to the great Grover
Washington, Jr.
I've been personally in
contact with his organization. It's called the Protect The Dream
Foundation based in Philadelphia, Pa. It's an organization that focuses
on giving back to loca music communities around the country that teach
music to kids. We've been blessed with the permission to doing a
Tribute to Grover Washington, Jr. Although I can count my times
I've spent with Grover on two hands, I'll never forget the phone I got
from him saying he wanted to use one of my arrangements on his "Time
Out Of Mind" CD in 1989, I almost fainted.
We then developed a special relationship that would include him reaching out when he came to Atlanta. In summer of 1989, I hung out with him with I was playing with Will Downing in Synergy Field at one of the last Jazz Festivals there in Cincinatti, Oh., Grover and I talked for a long time about future projects together and he was to make a solo appearance on my 2000 bobbaldwin.com CD. He was supposed to play horn with Tom Browne on "Funkin' For Jamaica". Needless to say, that
did not happen because Grover left this earth in Dec., 1999, just a few
days short of his birthday. I was looking at his picture in a
magazine ad earlier that day before I got in my car and was devastated
by the tragic news of his untimely death.
Grover, a Buffalo NY
native, left a legacy of music behind as well as - his imprint on
many lives, and as Johnnie Cochran once said, "Start strong and finish
strong", we will take his words to heart.
Okay, so what is this
all leading to?
Check out this lineup
early Saturday afternoon at 1:00pm:
Gerald Veasley - the last bassist
for Grover (10 years)
Doc Gibbs - currently on Emeril
live, worked with Grover for 10 years
Curtis Harmon/James Lloyd of Pieces of A
Dream - These two young men along with Bassist Cedric Napolean,
were discovered by the G-Man when they were in high school. Grover
walked them right up to Electra and as they say, the rest is history.
Marion Meadows - a wonderful
saxophonist who tributes some of the paths laid before him to Grover.
Yours truly, who worked
with him in 1989-1992. We appeared on each other's CD's.
Grover paved the way to
some of the greatest careers for saxophonists in history. Don't ask me
to name names, but you understand what's up. Before there was SMOOTH
jazz, there was Contemporary Jazz and GW, Jr. was ahead of the main
vein, my friends. G.W. mastered the long exciting solo, which started
with a little percolation, and it grew into a three-alarm fire burning
out of control. At the end of most of his solos, you had no other
choice but to jump off the edge of your seat and applaud him for
minutes at a time, song after song. Grover had that East Coast fire and
that along with his December birthdate, solidifying his fiery approach
to life and music.
So for those who don't
have a reason to get at the venue early, I suggest you re-think this,
buy your tickets in advance and check out this historical tribute to t
a great man.
Pat Prescott will be
boarding a plane Friday in time for a Saturday Master of Ceremonies
slot. This great radio personality was the backbone of CD101.9 for
years before going to LA, going mornings at The Wave/L.A. with Dave
Koz. Sunday's guest to be announced.
I hope you take the
time, get your tickets early and come check out this exciting tribute
to a great man. Some proceeds will benefit the Protect the Dream
Foundation and the Westchester Rocks summer music school program.
Our site again is www.crotonmusicfest.com.
You get get tix online on our secured server.
The Croton Point Park
Music Festival is presented by Peppers Entertainment and City Sketches,
Inc. and is sponsored by WBLS, Journal-News and Michelob.
Bob Baldwin
Executive Director CPPMF |
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Welcome to
the memoirs of Grover page. Believe you me, this page has a life
of it's own, growing almost daily.
Bookmark and visit often. It's
been a while since updating this page, but I just added a wonderful
story
written by 10-String Guitarst, Ms. Janet Marlow. Read on.
As we
continue to celebrate the works since his untimely death (December,
1999), one cannot
forget the
amount of life he left behind in musical gifts. They will go
on forever. Forever live the G-Man!!
Listed
below, you will find comments from my contemporary peers; Gerald
Albright, Spyrogyra, Jeff Lorber,
Bill Evans, Rob Mullins, Chris
Standring, and Eric Essix to name a few. The consensus is
unanimous:
We have all been impacted by both Grover's musical and
personal presence at least once.
I hope you
find this page as a healing space in lieu of his untimely and
unfortunate death.
We send his wife
Christine, and family our prayers and support.
Long live the G-Man!
Bob Baldwin, CEO/City Sketches, Inc.
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Well, let me start off the writings here. Mr. Grover Washington, Jr, affectionately also known as "G-Man", was one of the first musicians in history to successfully bridge the gap between funk, blues and jazz. Period. The last time I saw G-Man was in Ohio this summer. It was a magical time because that's when I introduced him to baritone sensation Will Downing (Talk about wishing I should have had a camera). I would have never thought that he would have left us so soon after. 56 years old. Had survived an illness earlier this year and actually played a number of dates this summer on the comeback trail. He was a very beautiful human being that was passionate about doing music his way. He was just up in Peekskill, NY in October/99 at the Paramount Theatre, 5 minutes from my family's house. I tried to get my mother tickets but he didn't have any, but even in the upstate wilds of Westchester County, NY, Grover was a big hit. My (12/16/99) Friday diary was real deep. I was in New Haven, sitting in with Marion Meadows. We have a 4:00am dialogue after Marion's show and we're talking about the y2k and jazz and of course, we talk about Mr. Grover. We both admired his longevity. Later that morning, about 11:00am, I turn on the radio and they are playing cuts from his latest Sony Cd on cd101.9 in New York. Then, I go to my sax friend's house, Fred Vigdor. Fred has played on all my CD's and has currently been performing with The Average White Band. Then he plays a new version of "It's Not Enuf" which was on my "Reflections of Love" in 1992. (Grover and I met in 1991 through Danny Weiss, Head of Shanachie-Jazz). Fred and I wrote that song and we got Grover to play on the tune and again, reflected on the man and his music. What a cool treat for the both of us. Then I go to McDonalds at about 6:00pm in White Plains. I'm feeling a little weird. As I'm getting my food, I don't feel like eating in the restaurant, so I sit alone on a mall bench. Then at about 6:15, I go to Border's books, flip through the Jazziz magazine and see a real cool promo picture of guess who AGAIN? The G-Man, smiling..a nice close up shot. He looked so cool. You can see the history and legacy in this man's face, kind of how I view another contemporary, pianist Joe Sample. These guys have been places and have seen it all. It was during that time approximately 6:30pm, he was pronounced dead at Roosevelt Hospital. Another
legend has crossed over.
We lost young lions and lionesses George Howard, Noel Pointer, Phyllis
Hyman and Zachary Breaux. I didn't feel too good on 12/16/99, but
I am thankful that I had contact with him this year before we lost
him. My last contact with Grover in Cincinnati at the Jazz
Festival at the now crumbled
Riverfront (Cinergy Field) Stadium with Jonathan Butler and Will
Downing.
I was telling him, "Brother, take it easy 'cause the young cats we need
you out here." He told me to call him when I was ready to record again
followed
by a hug and best wishes. What a classy guy. I needed Grover on my next CD, which was "Bobbaldwin.com". He was going to play on "Funkin' for Jamaica" and share the jam with the original cat, Tom Browne. He was so flattered to participate. I had some earlier business to tend to, like raise the necessary dollars to underwrite the project. Well it so happens that I could not raise the money fast enough, like until January 2000. He passed away a month prior. I've seen Grover on probably a dozen occasions, passing one another on the road. St. Lucia, New York City, Phily, Atlanta and lastly, in Cincinnati, Oh. No one wanted to play "Mr. Magic" live because when Grover did it, it was authentic. That was HIS song, his footprint in the sand of music. To see him play that joint live was the ultimately instrumental funk trip. What a way to break into the business "big time." His latest band was ridiculous, having a retro-feel with a Wurlitzer, DX7 and other vintage keys that gave GW, Jr. such a great cradle to launch his litany of horns from. Donald Robinson (Keys), Richie Morales (Drums) and Gerald Veasley (Bass) were laying it down with a fatness. Needless
to say, my next series of
gigs for
the y2k are dedicated to G. We will all miss Grover Washington,
Jr.,
but his music will truly live on throughout the 21st Century. A
wonderful concert was held at Bryant
Park last year with some Grover Alumni, led by Jason Miles. In
attendance were Buddy Williams, Chuck Loeb, Will Lee, Kim Waters, Andre
Ward and many others. At the end, Ralph MacDonald and William Salter
(co-writers of the great "Mr. Magic") were also in attendance. May
the music of this great legend
continue forever! |
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A Tribute By Janet
Marlow
10-String Guitarist, Composer, Jazz Singer Grover Washington Jr. 1943-1999 For more information on Janet Marlow please visit her website at www.janetmarlow.com. "Crossroads
is
a place where meetings with great musicians, famous or otherwise, whose
playing, words, demeanor, approach to life, touch our inner cores and
send
us in directions we never thought possible" Janet Marlow This is his
dual legacy. It is my desire in the following words through facts and
words of his colleagues and friends to honor this great artist." JM
Todd Barkan -
Producer
"Melodically and creatively, Grover Washington was one of the great instrumentalists in Jazz history. Like Johnny Hodges and Dexter Gordon, one of the great melodists of modern jazz. The background of Grover's jazz, rhythm and blues, joined with his straight-ahead prowess, created a whole genre of music, which influenced the world. There may be 300 sax players now with this sound but Grover was the first, he was the original. As a person, his qualities were always supportive of other musicians, his generosity, warmth and openness manifest in him a beautiful person and a great jazz improviser. To me that was the essence of what made him special. Musically speaking, his music had the influences of Hank Crawford, Dexter Gordon and others of that time. He created a sound of his own, which has been widely imitated. I worked with him on dozen of projects with other great musicians, Freddy Cole, Joe Lovano and Steve Barrios. Not recognized enough for his modern jazz playing but for his commercial sound. Grover had a profound love for straight-ahead. "
Bob Baldwin -
Pianist, Composer
"In 1991, Grover Washington called me out of the blue to play after he heard me on the Reflections of Love recording, 1992. It was a thrill for me to get a telephone call from someone whose music I grew up listening to. He asked me to play on Next Exit. Grover was a warm person, always available. He just loved music and the interaction with people. He was always generous. His playing was passionate and honest!"
Gerald Veasley
- Bassist
" It is a little strange to think that Grover has been gone already several years. To lose someone that close has made me focus on all the lessons I had learned. Wherever I go, there are many personal stories, all with the same phrase, that when they met Grover, he was always welcoming and embracing. A common thread among those he met is that he always remembered their names. One of the best stories I can express, is that we would play at many festivals. One particular time was
at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival. We would
walk off stage and there would inevitably be a young musician in their
best haircut and best suit, fingering their saxophone-mentored from a
distance, by Grover. This time Grover invited the young fellow to play
onstage to show what he'd been working on. They started to exchange
lines and the audience would erupt in applause as each phrase got
better and better. Grover worked him and
when he walked off stage the young musician walked off a little taller!
After the funeral, I had a chance to sit down with Grover's Mom who brought with her a scrapbook. Of all the pictures she showed me, there was one of Grover, when he was about 14 or 15, playing with his brothers in a family jam session with his best hair cut and his best suit. It was then that I realized that it was these moments for Grover that he had never forgotten. He was willing to reach back recognizing all youths need to be acknowledged and helped along. I now give clinics to young players and when I see their eyes full of hope, I know what it means. That is one way Grover was a mentor to me. His passing made me reflect on questioning why we do what we do. What we shouldn't be putting off. Grover Washington was my mentor. I looked up the definition of mentorship. It means "wise council, a guide, a teacher." Grover was not a man of many words and direction. In recording sessions, his direction was simple and meaningful as "let's play it again from the top!" Grover was a mentor by example with people, his family, community and his music. It gave me a blueprint of how to do it in my life". In
Grover's words....... "I don't think in terms
of categories. 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."
"When I start a record, my aim is to make a total statement. I approach each song as a self-contained story." "I am thankful for the people who inspired me over the years. Dexter Gordon, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Stanley Turrentine, Cannonball Adderley, Sonny Rollins and Oliver Nelson, to name but a few. 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, keep adding another thread to my musical tapestry. I'm just staying true to the things that got me to play in the first place". JM "Grover Washington Jr., played a major role in the development of music worldwide, as a player, composer, producer, as an educator, as a compassionate human being whose accomplishments of expressing music from the heart will be recognized for years to come. Just with the mention of his first name or a first note from his saxophone, his legacy will remain as a tribute." My deep appreciation to Todd Barkan, Bob Baldwin, Gerald Veasley and to Mrs. Washington for their contributions. Janet Marlow
MORE MUSICIAN KUDOS BELOW... |
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From: Steve Ferrone/Drummer Dear Bob, Stephen Ferrone Subj: Re: Memoirs of
Grover Washington, Jr. We will greatly miss Grover who is one
of the true pioneers of contemporary jazz. There are not many that he
has not
touched and inspired in some way and I am happy to be one of them.
Hey BOB Lets get together & play.
Bob, Along with the contributions of Grover Washington there was Bob James, Stanley Turrentine, Lonnie Liston Smith, Maynard Ferguson, Gary Bartz, Ronnie Laws and many more jazz musicians in the 70's that molded today's Smooth Jazz art form. I am really gonna miss him and still can't believe he is gone. Many Blessings, Prosperity, And Much Peace to you in this New Century My Friend Jay Lang/Smooth Jazz CD105.3 On-Air Personality
My contact with Grover has been slim, although every time I've run into him at a festival or concert, he has always been very gracious. More importantly, everything I've EVER HEARD about him as a person has been overwhelmingly positive. In this business, that is significant!!! Anyway, happy New Year, see you soon! Best Regards,Joel http://www.spyrogyra.com
Before i met Grover, I listened to him. When music moves me emotionally I love it. It 's called communication. Grover did that with style and grace. As a man, I witnessed kindness and elegance from Grover towards his fans and critics (few). Mr. Magic will live on through his music. Prayers and Blessing that we had
Grover, Brett
Bob, We have also updated your link on our
links list. Please keep us informed about your 2000
release. We would
love to review it, as we are big fans of yours. Thanks, The Jazz Review |
How could any musician coming up during the 70's and 80's forget the huge contribution that Grover made towards laying the foundation for what musicians are doing today? His music was recognizable from the first note as uniquely his-he truly was Mr. Magic. While we mourn the passing of one of the cornerstones of our genre, Grover and his music will live on in the hearts and souls of millions. Rob Mullins-composer, author, performer
Grover words Grover washington Jnr. pioneered a
sound that is everywhere today. I remember listening to him back
in England as a kid thinking "boy are those some deep grooves!".
He is the "Guv'nor" as we Brits say. I think Americans might say "He da
man!" Well, however you put it...nobody's arguing! He will be sadly missed. Chris Standring Subj: Re: Grover
Washington..memoirs and thoughts My thoughts for Grover.... "The world has loss a true innovator and positive force in music. Grover has provided the base for myself and many other saxophonists to do what we do today. He is still alive through the music the he has left us, and that music will be a part of people's lives for many years to come. Much love and support to his family in these times." Thanks, Bob, for the opportunity to speak about Grover. Peace, FWD from Bill Evans/Saxophonist..... Grover Washington, Jr. Always a true gentlman. Bill Evans, saxophone Zebra Recording Artist Subj: Fwd: The Grover memoirs.... Date: 1/7/100 3:03:06 PM EST FWD from Jeff Lorber..... Being from Philly, Grover and I had a special bond. We ran into each other often and he was always very cordial and supportive. My dad was the team doctor for the 76'ers and Grover was at every game. He was an avid basketball fan. One of my fondest Grover memories was being invited to watch him do some sax overdubs on his "Reed Seed" record. That was pure magic and inspiration. Grover was one the the funkiest and most melodic improvisors and writers... extremely skillful as a sax player and dynamic. His band was slammin' too. I worked with him about two years ago in an all star band for the "Presidential Summit for Voulenteerism" in Philly, and he was playing as good as ever. It was great to see that he still had it. Jeff Lorber end-comments Subj: Re: Memoirs of
Grover Washington, Jr. Bob, Happy New Year to you and your family. Grover, in a word, "Sugar." When I first started promoting and playing electric percussion instruments, Grover was one of the very few musicians I knew who really understood what I was doing and didn't have a purist's attitude toward my work. He was the father of smooth jazz, in my eyes, and was so inspirational to many musicians. His personality was like his music- smooth, genuine and generous. Bernie Capodici (formerly of Acquila, the wireless midi controller. Bernie has provided wireless keyboard systems for James Lloyd (Pieces of A Dream), Mo Pleasure (EWF) and Yours Truly, to name a couple. |
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-- 12/16/99/NEW
YORK
(CNN) -- Washington collapsed about 6:30 p.m. Friday while taping a television appearance for CBS' "The Saturday Early Show." He was rushed to St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan, where he was pronounced dead about an hour later, the facility's staff reported. The cause of death was not immediately known. Washington spent most of his career exploring the links among jazz, funk and rhythm and blues. His best-known album, "Winelight," was a top 10 record in the United States and won two Grammy awards: The single "Just the Two of Us," which featured Bill Withers on vocals, reached No. 2 on the U.S. charts in 1981. The son of a saxophone player himself, the Buffalo, New York, native began his career as a teenager and played in clubs around Philadelphia in the late 1960s. His big break came in 1970, when Johnny "Hammond" Smith featured Washington on the song "Breakout." Washington released his first solo album, "Inner City Blues," in 1971. Later sets, like 1972's "All the King's Horses" and 1974's "Mister Magic," won critical acclaim and landed him as a headliner in concert halls across the nation. Washington was an accomplished player with a warm sound influenced by such saxophone legends as Coleman Hawkins, Dexter Gordon and Gerry Mulligan. But many jazz aficionados disliked his style, considering his work too watered down with pop influences. Washington liked to say one of the reasons he lasted in the business so long was because he would rarely "do the same thing over and over." "My professional life began at age twelve. I played a lot of R&B, blues, and what we used to call 'gut-bucket,'" he once said. "I'm just staying true to the things that got me to play in the first place." His most recent album, "Soulful Strut," was released by Columbia in 1996. Washington played for President Clinton at the president's 50th birthday party in 1996 at Radio City Music Hall, and played with Clinton and other jazz greats -- including trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and pianist Herbie Hancock -- at a White House event in 1993. http://cnn.com/1999/SHOWBIZ/Music/12/18/washington.obit/index.html
Photography
by Gary
Berman , Fountaine Lewis
, Portia
Sibiya,
Jewel Shears , Jerry Brooks, Gonzalo and Rod Taylor and used by permission only. For Privacy Rights, please click here  © 1995 - 2002 Bob Baldwin/City Sketches, Inc. Where Innovation Meets Tradition City Sketches, Inc., 2778 Cumberland Blvd., #309 Smyrna, Ga. 30080 Fax - 914-788-6781 Web site maintained by Bob Baldwin |
