For those not in the know, this quite magnificent commemorative Black Friday RSD Double Opaque Gold Vinyl edition of Grover Live also marks 20 years since the passing of Grover Washington, Jr., the immensely popular artist largely responsible for creating a bridge between jazz and R&B.

Grover was well loved by his fans, but also by the many musicians who worked with him over the years. He was a contemporary jazz artist whose music topped the Smooth Jazz charts, but his sound was funky, and his music was respected in all jazz and R&B circles.

His live performances and worldwide success prove that he was a timeless gem of an artist who entertained his audiences with a powerhouse band of some of the best players in the business.

Cut in June 1997 at the Paramount Center for the Arts in Peekskill, New York, without a shadow of a doubt, Grover Live captures the essence of Grover’s greatness.

With a coterie of ‘A’ class musicians in support, Grover Live demonstrates why he was not only a leader in his field, but a pioneer who blended the subtleties of jazz with the funk and sweat of soul.

In addition to Grover himself on tenor, soprano, alto, and baritone sax, the album features Donald Robinson on keyboards, Gerald Veasley on bass, Richard Lee Steacker on guitars, Steven Wolf on drums, and Pablo Batista on congas and percussion.

And, for the record (all pun intended), it was produced by Grammy winner Jason Miles, and Executive Produced by Christine Washington, Jason Miles and Tim Ryan.

Side A:
1. 'Winelight with Intro' (7:36)
2. 'Take Five (Take Another Five)' (10:56)
3. 'Soulful Strut' (4:01)

Side B:
4. 'Grover Talks' (1:20)
5. 'Mystical Force' (5:57)
6. 'Uptown' (6:00)
7. 'Sassy Stew' (6:03)

Side C:
8. 'Grover Talks Again - Medley' (0:49)
9. 'Black Frost' (1:13)
10. 'Inner City Blues' (0:52)
11. 'Strawberry Moon' (1:10)
12. 'Inside Moves' (1:11)
13. 'Jamaica' (1:23)
14. 'East River Drive' (2:29)
15. 'Just The Two Of Us' (1:45)
16. 'Sausalito' (6:00)

Side D:
17. 'Let It Flow (For "Dr. J")' (11:43)
18. 'Mr. Magic' (9:08)

Simply put, Grover plays with such splendid intensity, deep soul, funk and groove, and passion that you instantly fall in love with his melodies and jazz orchestrations.

Indeed, he was a true genius at melody and improvisation and this brand new, Opaque Gold 180-gram 2LP, especially released for Black Friday RSD '20 (November 29th) by Lightyear Entertainment, has some remarkably cultured, warm, deeply felt, and yet always vibrant audio quality now resonating from it.

A genuine, generous, and veritable feast of his best and greatest hits are brought forth here live, along with pockets of spoken word introductions and such from Grover.

Just to hear the genuine warmth of love for both what he is doing along with the audience that had come to view him, makes this one of those albums that you just put on in your home one Sunday afternoon, sit back, close your eyes to, allowing it to waft over and through you, transporting you to wondrous places unknown.

Much like many musicians, then and now, there's only one way to truly enjoy the music of Grover Washington, Jr., and that's in a live setting like this.

I only have two of his albums, and they're both live records: Live At The Bijou and this one right here. The level of musicianship on both of these albums is, to my humble mind, simply unparalleled. Just listen to this sumptuous record just the once and you'll be instantly hooked, you have my word!

As one of the originators of the "smooth jazz" genre, Grover is often overlooked as a saxophonist (especially when compared to other jazz giants like Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane).

I've never listened to any of the man's studio recordings, and I'm honestly okay with that for the level of energy Grover and his band exude live will raise goosebumps all over your body, let alone cause the hairs at the base of your neck to stand up!

“We released a CD of these recordings in 2010, which has sold well for 10 years,” said Lightyear President Arnie Holland. “But when Grover’s family suggested we do a vinyl, we were thrilled to do it."

"The album was lovingly remastered for vinyl by Peter Humphreys at Masterwork, and lacquers cut by Joe Nino-Hernes at Sterling Sound. The result sounds amazing and feels like you are at the show.”

The Double Vinyl with download card is in a gatefold jacket with satin coating and metallic gold highlights. The vinyl itself is 180 Grams audiophile quality and the gold metallic, opaque colored vinyl was utilized to match the gold on the cover of the album.

The album will be released on November 27th, 2020 to Record Store Day retailers on an exclusive basis for 90 days, after which it will be available generally.

To order direct from a participating store, here are three suggestions:

www.amoeba.com

www.RoughTrade.com

www.WaterlooRecords.com