(Soul Jazz) Grover Washington, Jr. (w. Bob James, Ron Carter etc) - Inner City Blues {Motown 3746351892, USA} - 1972, APE (image+.cue) lossless

Exact Audio Copy V0.99 prebeta 4 from 23. January 2008
EAC extraction logfile from 21. March 2010, 17:21
Grover Washington, Jr. / Inner City Blues
Used drive  : HL-DT-STRW/DVD GCC-4242N   Adapter: 1  ID: 0
Read mode               : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache      : Yes
Make use of C2 pointers : No
Read offset correction                      : 102
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out          : No
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks   : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations       : Yes
Used interface                              : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000
Used output format : Internal WAV Routines
Sample format      : 44.100 Hz; 16 Bit; Stereo
TOC of the extracted CD
     Track |   Start  |  Length  | Start sector | End sector
    ---------------------------------------------------------
        1  |  0:00.00 |  7:16.25 |         0    |    32724
        2  |  7:16.25 |  4:43.28 |     32725    |    53977
        3  | 11:59.53 |  5:05.40 |     53978    |    76892
        4  | 17:05.18 |  8:38.30 |     76893    |   115772
        5  | 25:43.48 |  4:39.32 |    115773    |   136729
        6  | 30:23.05 |  5:07.38 |    136730    |   159792
Range status and errors
Selected range
     Filename C:\_\EAC_Out\Out\Grover Washington, Jr. - Inner City Blues\Grover Washington, Jr. - Inner City Blues.wav
     Peak level 91.3 %
     Range quality 100.0 %
     Copy CRC 1520505C
     Copy OK
No errors occurred
AccurateRip summary
Track  1  cannot be verified as accurate (confidence 1)  [12E2854E], AccurateRip returned [9F292FE9]
Track  2  cannot be verified as accurate (confidence 1)  [FBB184DF], AccurateRip returned [382F111A]
Track  3  cannot be verified as accurate (confidence 1)  [33833516], AccurateRip returned [1765D524]
Track  4  cannot be verified as accurate (confidence 1)  [5F2E8E0F], AccurateRip returned [E34496CD]
Track  5  cannot be verified as accurate (confidence 1)  [D5A27A59], AccurateRip returned [CB672ADA]
Track  6  cannot be verified as accurate (confidence 1)  [D5BF87DC], AccurateRip returned [D0B7F337]
No tracks could be verified as accurate
You may have a different pressing from the one(s) in the database
End of status report

REM GENRE Jazz
REM DATE 1972
REM DISCID 44085206
REM COMMENT "ExactAudioCopy v0.99pb4"
PERFORMER "Grover Washington, Jr."
TITLE "Inner City Blues"
FILE "Grover Washington, Jr. - Inner City Blues.ape" WAVE
  TRACK 01 AUDIO
    TITLE "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)"
    PERFORMER "Grover Washington, Jr."
    INDEX 01 00:00:00
  TRACK 02 AUDIO
    TITLE "Georgia on My Mind"
    PERFORMER "Grover Washington, Jr."
    INDEX 00 07:12:35
    INDEX 01 07:16:25
  TRACK 03 AUDIO
    TITLE "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)"
    PERFORMER "Grover Washington, Jr."
    INDEX 00 11:56:30
    INDEX 01 11:59:53
  TRACK 04 AUDIO
    TITLE "Ain't No Sunshine (Theme From 'Man and Boy')"
    PERFORMER "Grover Washington, Jr."
    INDEX 00 17:04:13
    INDEX 01 17:05:18
  TRACK 05 AUDIO
    TITLE "Until It's Time For You to Go"
    PERFORMER "Grover Washington, Jr."
    INDEX 00 25:38:55
    INDEX 01 25:43:48
  TRACK 06 AUDIO
    TITLE "I Loves You Porgy"
    PERFORMER "Grover Washington, Jr."
    INDEX 00 30:19:60
    INDEX 01 30:23:05

Гровер Уашингтон (младший) – один из наиболее популярных саксофонистов за последние четверть века, музыкант, заслуживший любовь у широкого круга слушателей за счет исключительной теплоты и доходчивости своего исполнения. Родился 11 ноября 1943 года в городе Баффало, в США. Вырос в музыкальной семье, его отец играл на саксофоне. С раннего детства начал заниматься музыкой, а в десятилетнем возрасте впервые попытался играть на саксофоне. В конце 50-х стал работать по клубам с группами ритм-энд-блюзового направления. Прошел солидную практику, работая до 1963 года с группой “The Four Charms”. После службы в армии Гровер направился в Филадельфию, где стал сотрудничать с органистами, такими как Charles Earland или Johnny Hammond Smith, игравшими в джазово-блюзовом стиле, что и повлияло не его дальнейшую манеру исполнения. В 1971 году случай помог Гроверу пробиться на уровень популярности. Его пригласили на запись альбома вместо известного саксофониста Хэнка Кроуфорда (Hank Crowford), который по каким-то причинам не смог принять участие в этой работе. Альбом “Inner City Blues” имел успех у публики и Гровера заметили продюсеры, в первую очередь Грид Тэйлор, активно развивавший в начале 70-х коммерческую ветвь нового направления «джаз-фанки-фьюжн». Встав на путь развития этого типа музыки, Гровер постепенно стал одним из главных его представителей. В 1981 году песня “The Two of US” становится хитом №2 в списках популярности. Затем следует успех альбома “The Best is Yet to Come” с Patti Labell и целого ряда других, принесших ему окончательную славу мастера, создавшего свою манеру исполнения.
Гровер Уашингтон умел играть разную музыку, и традиционный хард-боп, и даже авангардную музыку. Он приезжал в Москву еще в 80-е годы, в советские времена в составе какой-то культурной миссии, и выступил неофициально в театре им. Вахтангова, где, неожиданно для всех заиграл жесткий политональный джаз. Но на своих пластинках он всегда звучал одинаково, не отходя от своей манеры, не нарушая своего образа. Он оказал своей игрой заметное влияние на целое поколение молодых саксофонистов, наиболее известным стал Кенни Джи (Kenny G). В 80-е годы я исполнял с «Арсеналом» довольно много пьес Гровера Уашингтона и изучил его композиторское творчество, которое, при всей кажущейся простоте и понятности, отличается тонким, неуловимым своеобразием. Да и сыграть на сопрано-саксофоне, точно подражая ему, не так просто, как может показаться. Гораздо проще копировать тех музыкантов, у которых присутствует много сложных, но заученных пассажей, и тогда вы сталкиваетесь лишь с проблемой техники. А в немногословной импровизации Уашингтона, напротив, нет места лишним нотам. Главное его достоинство – стильность самой манеры.
Гровер Уашингтон умер сравнительно молодым, в возрасте 56 лет, от сердечного приступа. Это произошло 17 декабря 1999 года во время телепередачи CBS “The Saturday Early Show”. Его музыку мы отнесли к разряду “Smooth Jazz”, но это, конечно, условно. Действительно, в его записях никогда не было протеста, недовольства, ломки традиций. Наоборот – она всегда улучшала состояние духа тем, кто слушал ее, за счет своей мягкости и доброты. Но «приглаженной» и даже развлекательной ее тоже не назовешь. Ведь она была построена на истинном блюзовом чувстве, всегда требующем от слушателя затраты собственной энергии. Гровер ничего специально не приглаживал, он просто играл то, что чувствовал.

"The story behind Grover Washington, Jr.'s first session date as a leader revolves around a sheer coincidence of being in the right place at the right time. The truth is, the date for Creed Taylor's Kudu imprint was supposed to feature Hank Crawford in the soloist's chair. Crawford couldn't make the date and longtime sideman Washington got the nod. His being closely affiliated with organists Charles Earland and Johnny Hammond didn't hurt, and his alto and tenor saxophones' tone was instantly noticeable for both its song-like quality and Washington's unique ability to dig deep into R&B territory for his expression of feeling. Released in 1971, produced by Taylor, and arranged and orchestrated by Bob James, the list of players in this band is equally impressive: James played Fender Rhodes, there's Richard Tee on organ, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Idris Muhammad, then-new guitarist Eric Gale, percussionist Airto Moreira, Thad Jones and Eugene Young on trumpets, trombonist Wayne Andre, and baritone saxophonist Don Ashworth. James also added a violin section and a small vocal chorus on certain tracks.
Inner City Blues kicks off with its title track, a burning version of the Marvin Gaye tune with Washington lending a heft and depth to it that reveals the sophistication of Gaye's original. From Airto's hand drums and the hi hat whispers of Muhammad to the chunky wah-wah guitar vamp and a funky bassline by Carter, it becomes clear that Washington's methods of deep soul articulation on his horn extend into the heart of this mix. James decorated his charts with subtle organ flourishes and his piano, but this is early jazz-funk at best. While Miles Davis was abstracting jazz on the margins, Washington and his cohorts were keeping the music in the street, in the barroom, on the radio, and in the nightclubs and bowling alleys.
The tune was a hit at a time when fusion was becoming widespread; free jazz from both sides of the Atlantic was considering itself the new standard bearer for the music, and the many legends of the '60s Blue Note and Prestige eras were beginning to feel the music get away from them. With this entry, Washington's screaming, edgy solo stayed in the killer grooves with breaks laid down by Muhammad and Moreira, Gale and Carter. Washington was just getting started and it was evident here that this cat was deep. He walked the standards side of the fence on this date as well, bringing them into the jazz-funk era: his readings of "Georgia on My Mind" and "I Loves You Porgy" are sensitive, deeply lyrical, and sophisticated, but coming from the soul side of the fence. Carter's warm, bubbly bassline and the brief guitar break introduce the strings in the former tune while at the same time Washington begins playing the melody on his alto. Muhammad lays down some beautiful and pronounced rhythmic statements without getting in the way, and before long the groove develops, taking the tune right into the club with Gale's solo and some hot comping by James that fades as the strings and Grover return deeper in the cut to take it out.
The other cuts are modern standards, pop songs, creatively voiced by this soloist and band. They include a stellar, lightly funky version of Gaye's "Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology)," and a knock-out take on Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine," rivaled only by the original and Rahsaan Roland Kirk's flute version on Blacknuss. On the former tune, it's the popping rhythm groove dressed in some smoking hand percussion and fat chunky Rhodes chords that set up Washington's solo, which just burns and wails with all the pleading and pain in Gaye's voice. The latter cut begins subtly, nocturnally in the blues with Gale, James, Carter, and Muhammad. Washington enters playing the melody on the alto, and the strings sound draped around him just as the horn section comes into play counterpoint a beat behind. This is some deep soul. A vocal chorus begins almost subliminally with the "I know, I know, I know, I know" intonation and introduces the popping solos by Gale with the rhythm section in the bridge underscored by the horns. The strings well up with all the drama and emotion emanating from Withers' words, and then just drop behind to allow the saxophonist back in to work it all out with some very sophisticated grooves. The other "modern" standard here is also one that's endured after all these years, the sensitive reading Washington and company put in on Buffy Sainte-Marie's beautiful "Until It's Time for You to Go." Its melancholy sweetness after the eight-and-a-half-minute Withers' jam is breathy, clear, and quiet; James and Washington set it in a light bossa groove. Its shimmering strings and the saxophonists' restraint on the tenor is so elegant and graceful that the tune carries emotion, gentleness, and the bittersweet commitment of its lyric all the way through to its end. This is an amazing debut in so many ways, and it was followed by a run of albums for the label through the end of the '70s when Washington left for Elektra. Inner City Blues remains standing today as a landmark and a turning point in jazz."