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.
| Mister Magic | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 7, 1975 | |||
| Recorded | November 1974 | |||
| Studio | Van Gelder, Englewood Cliffs | |||
| Genre | Jazz funk[1] | |||
| Length | 32:51 | |||
| Label | Kudu Records | |||
| Producer | Creed Taylor | |||
| Grover Washington Jr. chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 Motown Jazz reissue | ||||
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [2] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B−[3] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [5] |
| 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."[6]
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Scott Yanow 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
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Earth Tones" | Bob James | 12:20 |
| 2. | "Passion Flower" | Billy Strayhorn, Milt Raskin | 5:30 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mister Magic" | Ralph MacDonald | 8:58 |
| 2. | "Black Frost" | Bob James, Grover Washington Jr. | 6:03 |
| Total length: | 32:51 | ||
Personnel
edit- Grover Washington Jr. – alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
- Bob James – acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes, arrangements and conductor
- Eric Gale – guitars
- Phil Upchurch – bass (1)
- Gary King – bass (2, 3, 4)
- Harvey Mason – drums
- Ralph MacDonald – percussion
Brass and Reed Section
- Phil Bodner – baritone saxophone
- Jerry Dodgion – tenor saxophone
- Tony Studd – bass trombone
- Wayne Andre – trombone
- Jon Faddis and Marvin Stamm – trumpet, flugelhorn
String Section
- Charles McCracken and Alan Shulman – cello
- Alfred Brown and Emanuel Vardi – viola
- Max Ellen, Paul Gershman, Harry Glickman, Harold Kohon, Harry Lookofsky, Joe Malin, David Nadien and Matthew Raimondi – violin
Production
edit- Creed Taylor – producer
- Rudy Van Gelder – engineer
- Bob Ciano – album design
- Alen MacWeeney – photography
- Doug Ramsey – liner notes
Charts
edit| Chart (1975) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Pop Albums[7] | 10 |
| Billboard Top Soul Albums[7] | 1 |
| Billboard Top Jazz Albums[7] | 1 |
Singles
edit| Year | Single | Chart positions[8] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop |
US R&B | ||
| 1975 | "Mister Magic" | 54 | 16 |
References
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1468. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
- ^ 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
edit- Mister Magic at Discogs (list of releases)