Mister Magic
| Mister Magic | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 7, 1975 | |||
| Recorded | November 1974; Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs | |||
| Genre | Jazz funk[1] | |||
| Length | 32:51 | |||
| Label | Kudu Records | |||
| Producer | Creed Taylor | |||
| Grover Washington Jr. chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 Motown Jazz reissue | ||||
Mister Magic is the fourth album by jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr., released in February 1975. The album topped both the soul and jazz albums chart and peaked at number ten on the pop chart.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [2] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B–[3] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide |   [4] |
Reviewing for The Village Voice in 1975, Robert Christgau found the album "functional" and satisfactory for a commercially successful jazz album: "Washington plays a warm tenor in the pop jazz tradition of Gene Ammons, but the rhythm section percolates danceably, and the result is sexy background music only superficially marred by Bob James's strings."[5]
In a retrospective review for Allmusic, Scott Yanow gave the album five out of five stars and said that it is "one of Grover Washington Jr.'s best-loved recordings and considered a classic of r&bish jazz." He found Washington to be in "particularly creative form" and called James' arrangements "colorful if somewhat commercial".[2]
Track listing
- "Earth Tones" (Bob James) – 12:20
- "Passion Flower" (Billy Strayhorn, Milt Raskin) – 5:30
- "Mister Magic" (Ralph MacDonald) – 8:58
- "Black Frost" (Bob James, Grover Washington Jr.) – 6:03
Personnel
- Grover Washington Jr. – tenor, alto and soprano saxophones
- Bob James – arranger, conductor, Fender Rhodes electric piano, piano
- Gary King, Phil Upchurch – bass
- Harvey Mason – drums
- Eric Gale – guitar
- Ralph MacDonald – percussion
- Jon Faddis, Marvin Stamm – trumpet, flugelhorn
- Phil Bodner – baritone saxophone
- Wayne Andre – trombone
- Tony Studd – bass trombone
- Jerry Dodgion – tenor saxophone
- Alan Shulman, Charles McCracken – cello
- Al Brown, Manny Vardi – viola
- David Nadien, Harold Kohon, Harry Glickman, Harry Lookofsky, Joe Malin, Matthew Raimondi, Max Ellen, Paul Gershman – violin
- Rudy Van Gelder – engineer
Charts
| Chart (1975) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Pop Albums[6] | 10 |
| Billboard Top Soul Albums[6] | 1 |
| Billboard Top Jazz Albums[6] | 1 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions[7] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop |
US R&B | ||
| 1975 | "Mister Magic" | 54 | 16 |
References
- ^ Maclaren, Trevor (July 13, 2004). "Grover Washington Jr.: Mister Magic". All About Jazz. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
- ^ a b Yanow, Scott. "Mister Magic – Grover Washington Jr". Allmusic. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: W". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 22, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 203. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (June 16, 1975). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
- ^ a b c "Grover Washington Jr. US albums chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-10-24.
- ^ "Grover Washington Jr. US singles chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-10-24.
External links
- Mister Magic at Discogs (list of releases)