WCS 078 – To Grover With Love / LIVE IN JAPAN – Jason Miles

 In the loving hands of Jason Miles, the magical vibe of Grover Washington Jr. comes vibrantly back to life on Grover with Love, Live in Japan. Featuring special guest Ralph MacDonald on percussion and Ryan Shaw’s vocal cameo on the epic smash “Just the Two of Us”, TGWL is the quintessential live tribute to the masterful sax player, who left this world too soon in at age 56. A gifted cadre of NYC jazz talent joins keyboard wiz Miles, including Nick Moroch (guitar), Gerald Veasley (bass) and Buddy Williams (drums), with Andy Snitzer and Eric Darius sharing sax duties. This recording, adopted from the posthumously released Grover Live from 2010, (a recording of one of Grover’s 1997 performances), strives to be everything that Grover was as a jazz performer: funky, sexy, smooth, passionate, beautiful, and consummately performed. The spirit of Grover lives on in renditions of the classic “Winelight”, “Black Frost”, a track he wrote with Bob James, and a version of Marvin Gaye’s “Inner City Blues”, among many others. Those interested in a more deeper exploration of Miles’ affection for Grover can also check out his two studio tributes, To Grover With Love and 2 Grover with Love.

Featured

Jason Miles – keyboards

Andy Snitzer – tenor sax

Eric Darius – tenor sax

Gerald Veasley- bass

Nick Moroch – guitar

Buddy Williams – drums

Ralph MacDonald – percussion

Ryan Shaw – vocal, Just the Two of Us