Jason Miles | 2 Grover With Love

Jason Miles - 2 Grover With Love

Jason Miles | 2 Grover With Love
by Terrill Hanna

This project should go out to the die-hard, ultra loving original contemporary jazz lovers of the 70’s & 80’s!  Not to mention, the CD will take many of you back into your vinyl collections (especially the serious vinyl collectors) & pull out most of the CTI & Columbia labeled LP’s that floated both sides on your turntable.

For producer & multi-talented Jason Miles searched & went deep into his repertoire & brought back to life many of the greatest Grover Washington classics from that era. In “2 Grover With Love”, Mr. Miles continues to send some of his best work to the legacy of Mr. Grover Washington Jr. With considerable assistance from a slew of special guests, Jason went with an initiative to draw the same fire & passion performed on those same track selections from the CTI & Columbia days & transfer those elements into a 2nd volume of Grovers endearing compositions for today.

Track Listing:
~ Summer Nights
~ Bright Moments
~ Make Love To You
~ Mister Magic
~ Strawberry Moon
~ Moonstreams
~ Reaching Out
~ Reed Seed
~ The Saddest Thing
~ Stolen Moments
~ To Grover With Love

The Personnel: Chuck Loeb (Guitar), Gerald Veasley (Bass), Buddy Williams (Drums), Ralph MacDonald (Percussionist), Andy Snitzer (Sax), Najee (Sax), Dominick Farrinacci, Jay Beckenstein, Kim Waters, Dean Brown, & Vocalist Maysa Leak.

Where do I start? Well, naturally the opening track seems to drift your intent or feel for the entire CD. But after listening to “Mister Magic” & hearing Maysa Leak validate the original with her sultry vocal appeal, I figured from this point on, its ON! I mean, I haven’t heard an authentic vocal to Grover’s “Mr. Magic” before. Maybe I did, if only I could get a soundcheck from my memory bank, but while she connected softly alongside another sax player I dig – Andy Snitzer -, there was no way around it!! This was the one! Here goes the “*”!

“The Saddest Thing” sounded almost like the exact recording from Grover’s album. Almost! Except the exceptional solos on the trumpet from Dominick Farinacci & the relentless sax flow from Kim Waters outdid themselves for the cover.; Sax Star Najee takes you there in “Make Love To You”, as it drifts the pure gift of a memory lane into automatic motion & transforms the rest of your listening pleasure to something darn near the aspect of actually playing this one back on the record player.  Except you won’t receive/hear the same crispy & often particular nick sounds a diamond stylus would give ya’. It sounds pretty close though, No doubt!

Dominick does it again through the brass (trumpet) on “Moonstreams”, which sounded haunting & exquisite to say the least. Jason dabbles the production lines & arrangements, like he always does & compliments the track with almost a replicate of the exact way this track was recorded back in 1975 off the “Feels So Good” LP. Delicate, abstract & naturally arranged, this had to been done straight live from the studio. Top Choice Baby…

Ok. That’s It. No more needed to be said about the rest. Bottomline. Why spoil y’all too soon?

Jason & The crew outdid themselves & perhaps landed another memorable collection of songs to place next to the statue or biography of Grover’s portfolio. This project, just for the heck of it, should be released on vinyl as a limited edition as well as the original digital format! And you know, that wouldn’t be a bad idea, huh?

Next to nothing, the record shines throughout & its stellar, no holdin’ back approach in the studio paid off dividends. I couldn’t say enough about this release. Its so good, that if you are a vinyl collector like myself, or have any of Grovers’ records from the 70’s & 80’s, it just may make you go back, get them & dust them off for immediate playback. That was the temptation I gathered after playing this supreme piece of good music back! Get ready for the purchase. Its every bit worth every dollar spent!

From Side A to Side B…And flippin’ the record over again.

Terrill Hanna
The Urban Music Scene

MORE Music Reviews on T.U.M.S.!:

Kirk Whalum LIVE at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley - Seattle, Washington | October 26th, 2023
People Of Earth (PoE) | Self-Titled
Alex Acuña | Gifts
Tony Hightower | Legacy
Musicologist A. Scott Galloway Reflects on the Last Concert He Experienced Before the COVID-19 Crisi...
Boney James | Solid
Keyboardist Jason Miles Big-Ups Black Icons with Black Magic
Second Outing from Corea McBride & Blade Finds Trio as Virtuous and Versatile as Ever
Stern and Lorber Find Equal Footing at Level Eleven
Poncho Sanchez | Trane's Delight
Jéssica Pina | Essência
Powerful Jazz Film "Bolden" Paints a Greater Socio-Political Story
New Orleans Offers Up A Sassy Blue Angel
Keiko Matsui Sends Out a Reflection of Beauty Personified with Echo
Dominican-based Singer Anthony Jefferson Swings On a Star in Sophomore CD All I Am
At 85, Shorter Soars With Epic Musical/Literary Mashup Emanon
Bob James Drops First Trio CD As A Leader in Over a Decade
Charlie Wilson and The O'Jays' Polar Extremes of Soul
Ramsey Lewis, Tower of Power, Anthony Hamilton and More Help Playboy Jazz Festival Turn 40.
Piano Wonder Joey Alexander's Third Outing Proves He's On The Path to Mastery
Walter Beasley - The Best of Walter Beasley | The Affable Years, Volume 1
Dr. Lonnie Smith | All in My Mind
Take 6 LIVE at Jazz Alley in Seattle, WA | Sept. 21st, 2017
Dee Dee Bridgewater Returns To Birthplace For Soul Food on Memphis...Yes, I'm Ready
Quincy Jones Hollywood Bowl Tribute Soars Individually Yet Coasts Collectively
Ohio Players Set Hollywood Bowl On Fire Opening For Dave Koz and Larry Graham
Boney James | Honestly
LaBelle Tries On Jazz Hat To Troublesome Effect
Damien Escobar | Boundless
Norman Brown | Let It Go
Christian Sands | Reach
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah | Ruler Rebel
The Baylor Project | The Journey
Miles Mosley | Uprising
Bob Baldwin | The Gift of Christmas
Celebrating the Passion of 13 Y.O. Jazz Pianist Joey Alexander
Hide