t/s: grover washington jr vs gato barbieri

anyways, what i was saying is that gato wins for albums and overall listenability. i haven't heard any of his later soft jazz albums, but his work on Flying Dutchman is all incredible. freaked out spiritual jazz with latin flourishes. almost as good as who he's trying to sound like - Pharoah Sanders. i've got Fenix, El Pampero, The Third World and his album on BYG with Dollar Brand (listed as both Confluence & Hamba Khale!). he's also on the amazing Liberation Music Orchestras, the fantabulous Escalator Over the Hill, and a bunch of Don Cherry albums (which i don't think i've heard, even though Cherry is one of my faves).

but.... i think Grover wins for singles and samplability. Hydra & Knucklehead are both fucking amazing funked out tracks. his sax does get a bit too sweet for me most of the time. though.

someone to add to the equation... John Klemmer. mixes the out, post-coltrane playing of Gato with the funk & samples of Grover. and he plays everything through the echoplex! i just got another one of his records yesterday. Magic & Moments on Impulse from 73. out/funky/trippy. really fucking great.

i just picked up Inner City Blues (inner shitty blues, amirite) and he ruins good songs once he starts playing.

On the other hand, some of that old stuff has sounded pretty good. Maybe it was just the music for this particular soundtrack.

a la "augustus pablo vs john coltrane"

np: "winelight"

Gotta get me Gato's Fenix. Just gotta, you know. Pronto.

Impossible! They are both mega.

daaaaaaaaamn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwC0jHD46vo

I kind of want to poll Grover's Reed Seed. I probably won't because it's not a very cool album to like, but dammit, it's definitive smooth jazz and is subsequently very classic. But anyway, if you like a very mellow, sax-laced funky smooth jazz jam or two, check it out. Maybe* skip the Billy Joel cover.

Here's "Loran's Dance" (1978)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0VO7Y4YyHo

An aside/ xpost to random old r+b: always wanted to hear the one rare album by the band that backed Grover on Reed Seed, so of course it's on the internet jukebox by now and I'm listening to it. It's definitely more of an smooth jazz/R+B album, but I'm enjoying it all the same. First couple songs have kind of a boogie feel and there's a lot of those vintage synth sounds we love so much throughout. Some catchy grooves for sure. Great to finally hear it.

*definitely

Also yes, please post Unlock the Funk in horrible pun cover art.

Okay, this was the last song on the Locksmith album so I hadn't heard it yet before posting that. "Far Beyond" is some serious business.

a secret place is a nice grover album

i knew this would be an Austin revive!

It's not very real work, but at least it's honest.