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Celebrating Grover
Jun 24, 2017
The Grover Washington, Jr. Reunion Concert
Tuesday, July 18th, 7:30 PM
Temple University Performing Arts Center
1837 North Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19122
Tickets can be purchased HERE; General Admission: $30
Grover Washington, Jr., one of the most influential and well-regarded saxophonists of all time, left us too soon. He passed away in 1999 at age 56. WRTI 90.1 FM in Philadelphia in collaboration with Philadelphia Jazz Project teams up with NPR’s nationally syndicated radio show Jazz Night in America and other local partners to present this historic reunion concert— a tribute to Grover—with original members of Grover’s band at the Temple University Performing Arts Center (TPAC) on Tuesday, July 18th at 7:30 pm. The concert will be recorded for broadcast on public radio stations throughout the United States in the fall.
Headliners, Gerald Albright and Najee, who regarded Grover as a mentor, will perform alongside music director and keyboardist Bill Jolly, keyboardist Donald Robinson, guitarist Richard Lee Steacker, bassist Gerald Veasley, drummer Steve Wolf, and percussionist Pablo Batista. The band will be joined by special guest vocalist Jean Carn.
This concert marks the first time in almost 20 years that these original members of Grover’s band are sharing the stage to remember and celebrate “a great musician, mentor, and human being” says Bill Jolly. “We all loved Grover.”
Grover’s mastery in jazz, soul-jazz, R&B, jazz-fusion, jazz-funk, and jazz-pop pushed music beyond boundaries, and an entire genre of music, smooth jazz, owes its origin to his effortless, quicksilver playing. But there was more. As Robert Palmer wrote in Rolling Stone , “his sound is attractively personal; he combines liquid grace with an understated residue of R&B grit.”
Although he was born in Buffalo, Grover moved to Philadelphia in 1967 after his Army service and has been identified with the City of Brotherly Love as a native son ever since. An avid 76ers fan, he wrote “Let It Flow” for Julius Erving (Dr. J.), and played the National Anthem at many Sixers games. He also received his doctorate in composition from Temple University.
Grover worked with Charles Earland, Gerry Mulligan, Bob James, Don Sebesky, Joe Jones, Leon Spencer, Johnny Hammond, Dexter Gordon, Urbie Green, Hank Crawford, Kenny Burrell, Randy Weston, Billy Cobham, Jr., Bobby McFerrin, B. B. King, Eddie Henderson, Patti LaBelle, Kathleen Battle, Nancy Wilson, and many others.
Most famously, in 1980, on his Grammy-winning album Winelight , he teamed up with Bill Withers on the hit single “Just the Two of Us.” Other hits include "Mister Magic," "Reed Seed," "Black Frost," "Winelight," "Inner City Blues," "The Best is Yet to Come," and "A Sacred Kind of Love."
A versatile musician, Grover played soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones, as well as clarinet, electric bass, and piano. Along with his Grammy, he had one platinum and six gold albums.
The Grover Washington, Jr. Reunion Concert
Tuesday, July 18th, 7:30 PM
Temple University Performing Arts Center
1837 North Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19122
Tickets can be purchased HERE; General Admission: $30
Presented by WRTI , NPR’s Jazz Night in America , Philadelphia Jazz Project , WXPN , PhillyCAM and Temple University Performing Arts Center (TPAC).
Getting There:
Parking: Available at the Liacouras Center Garage, located two blocks from TPAC at 15th Street in between Montgomery Avenue and Cecil B. Moore Avenue.
Subway: All local Broad Street subway trains stop at Cecil B. Moore Station (Broad and Cecil B. Moore Avenue). TPAC is a three-minute walk from the subway.
SEPTA Regional Rail: Trains stop at Temple University Station, 10th and Berks Streets. TPAC is a 10-minute walk from the Regional Rail train station.
Presented By:
Philadelphia Jazz Project (PJP) supports, promotes, archives and celebrates the diverse elements within the Philadelphia Jazz community, with the larger goal of connecting to the global community
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Philadelphia Jazz Project is a sponsored project of the CultureWorks | Greater Philadelphia, with funding provided by The Wyncote Foundation.
