Mister Magic
1975 studio album by Grover Washington Jr.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 | |||
| Producer | Creed Taylor | |||
| Grover Washington Jr. chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 Motown Jazz reissue | ||||
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [2] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B−[3] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [4] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide |   [5] |
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
| 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
- 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
- Creed Taylor – producer
- Rudy Van Gelder – engineer
- Bob Ciano – album design
- Alen MacWeeney – photography
- Doug Ramsey – liner notes
Charts
| Chart (1975) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Pop Albums[7] | 10 |
| Billboard Top Soul Albums[7] | 1 |
| Billboard Top Jazz Albums[7] | 1 |