Saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr. is considered another smooth jazz pioneer. His career was relatively short, from 1970 until his untimely death at 56 in 1999, but he created a lot of great music in that short span of time.
Washington’s fourth album, 1975’s Mister Magic, was his breakthrough. It reached #10 on the Hot 200 album chart and #1 on the Jazz Album and R&B Album charts. The title track reached #16 on the R&B chart and #54 on the Hot 100.
“Just The Two Of Us” reached #2 on the Hot 100 and #3 on the R&B chart in 1981. From his 1980 Winelight album, it was sung by Bill Withers and won the Grammy for Best R&B Song in 1981.
Washington had a preference for black nickel-plated saxophones made by Julius Keilworth. He appeared on The CBS Morning Show in December 1999, and while waiting in the green room afterwards, suffered a massive heart attack and died. He left a considerable body of work behind.
Grover Washington, Jr., your Two for Tuesday, November 13, 2018.
The Sound of One Hand Typing 
I enjoy his smooth sound. Another talent lost too soon. I like your Smooth Jazz series because I learn from them. I enjoy jazz but never got into it as much as I have rock and roll.
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Smooth jazz isn’t entirely jazz: it has elements of rock, funk, Latin, and R&B in addition to the jazz. It’s not really complicated, as sometimes straight jazz can be. Glad you’re enjoying the series!
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Thank you for the clarification.
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I love “Just the Two of Us.” I didn’t know his story. Thanks for another introduction. Loving your jazz stuff.
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Glad you are. I think a few are a bit nonplussed by the series and others wish I had chosen something else…
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Can’t please everyone you know and it is giving me ideas of things to get from the library to add to my collection. :)
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Good!
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