ʻO Grover Washington Jr. He kanaka saxophonist ʻAmelika i kaulana loa i ka makahiki 1967-1999. Wahi a Robert Palmer (ʻo Rolling Stone magazine), ua hiki i ka mea hoʻokani ke lilo i "ke saxophonist kaulana loa e hana ana ma ke ʻano jazz fusion."
ʻOiai he nui ka poʻe hoʻohewa i hoʻopiʻi ʻia ʻo Wakinekona ma ke ʻano kālepa, makemake nui ka poʻe hoʻolohe i nā haku mele no kā lākou mau kumu hoʻoluʻolu a pastoral me kahi pā o ka leʻaleʻa kūlanakauhale.
Ua hoʻopuni mau ʻo Grover iā ia iho me nā mea hoʻokani pila, mahalo iā ia i hoʻokuʻu ai i nā album a me nā mele kūleʻa. Nā Hui Hoʻomanaʻo Loa: ʻO Mākou ʻelua wale nō (me Bill Withers), He ʻAno Aloha Laʻa (me Phyllis Hyman), ʻO ka mea maikaʻi loa e hiki mai ana (me Patti LaBelle). Ua kaulana loa nā haku mele: Winelight, Mister Magic, Inner City Blues, etc.
ʻO ka wā kamaliʻi a me ka ʻōpio ʻo Grover Washington Jr.
Ua hānau ʻia ʻo Grover Washington ma Dekemaba 12, 1943 ma Buffalo, New York i ka wā o ke Kaua Honua II. ʻO kēlā me kēia mea o kona ʻohana he mea hoʻokani pila: hoʻokani kona makuahine i ka papa hīmeni o ka hale pule; Ua hana ke kaikunane ma ka papa himeni o ka ekalesia ma ke ano he mea hookanikani; Ua hoʻokani koʻu makuakāne i ka saxophone tenor ma ka ʻoihana. I ka lawe ʻana i kahi laʻana mai ko lākou mau mākua, ua hoʻomaka ka mea hoʻokani a me kona kaikaina e hana mele. Ua hoʻoholo ʻo Grover e hahai i ka wāwae o kona makuakāne a lawe i ka saxophone. Ua hoihoi ke kaikunāne i ka hoʻokani pahu a ma hope ua lilo ʻo ia i mea hoʻokani pahu ʻoihana.
Ma ka puke ʻo Jazz-Rock Fusion (Julian Coryell lāua ʻo Laura Friedman) aia kahi laina kahi e hoʻomanaʻo ai ka saxophonist e pili ana i kona wā kamaliʻi:
"Ua hoʻomaka wau e pāʻani i nā mea kani ma kahi o 10 mau makahiki. ʻO kaʻu mea aloha mua he mele kahiko loa… ʻO kaʻu haʻawina mua ʻo saxophone, a laila hoʻāʻo wau i ka piano, nā pahu a me nā bass.
Ua hele ʻo Wakinekona i ke kula mele ʻo Wurlitzer. Ua makemake nui ʻo Grover i nā mea kani. No laila, hāʻawi ʻo ia i kona manawa manawaleʻa a pau iā lākou i mea e aʻo ai pehea e pāʻani ai ma kahi pae kumu.
ʻO ka saxophone mua i hāʻawi ʻia e kona makuakāne i ka wā he 10 mau makahiki o ka mea hoʻokani. I kēia manawa i ka makahiki 12, ua hoʻomaka ʻo Wakinekona e hana koʻikoʻi i ka pāʻani ʻana i ka saxophone. I kekahi manawa i ke ahiahi ua holo ʻo ia mai ka home a hele i nā hui e ʻike i nā mea hoʻokani pila kaulana ma Buffalo. Eia hou, ua makemake ke keiki i ka basketball. Eia naʻe, ma muli o ka lawaʻole o kona kiʻekiʻe no kēia haʻuki, ua hoʻoholoʻo ia e hoʻohui i kona ola me nā hana mele.
I ka wā mua, hoʻokani ʻo Grover ma nā ʻaha mele ma ke kula a no ʻelua makahiki he saxophonist baritone ma ke kula o ke kūlanakauhale. I kēlā me kēia manawa, ua aʻo ʻo ia i nā mele me ka mea hoʻokani mele Buffalo kaulana ʻo Elvis Shepard. Ua puka ʻo Wakinekona mai ke kula kiʻekiʻe ma 16 a ua hoʻoholo e neʻe mai kona kūlanakauhale hānau ʻo Columbus, Ohio. Ma laila ʻo ia i komo ai i ka ʻEhā Clefs, kahi i hoʻomaka ai i kāna ʻoihana mele ʻoihana.
Pehea i ulu ai ko Grover Washington Jr.
Ua huakaʻi ʻo Grover i ʻAmelika me ka ʻEhā Clefs, akā ua hoʻopau ka hui i ka makahiki 1963. No kekahi manawa, hoʻokani ka mea hoʻokani i ka hui ʻo Mark III Trio. Ma muli o ke aʻo ʻole ʻana o Wakinekona ma nā wahi ʻē aʻe, i ka makahiki 1965 ua loaʻa iā ia kahi palapala kiʻi i ka US Army. Ma laila ʻo ia i hoʻokani ai i ka hoʻokani pila a ka luna. I kona manawa kaʻawale, ua hoʻokani ʻo ia ma Philadelphia, e hana pū ana me nā ʻāpana ʻekolu a me nā hui pōhaku. I loko o ka pūʻali koa, ua hui ka saxophonist i ka pahu pahu ʻo Billy Cobham. Ma hope o ka lawelawe ʻana, ua kōkua ʻo ia iā ia e lilo i ʻāpana o ke kahua mele ma New York.
Ua hoʻomaikaʻi ʻia nā hana o Wakinekona - ua hoʻokani ʻo ia i nā hui mele like ʻole, me Charles Erland, i hoʻopaʻa i nā haku mele me nā mea hoʻokani kaulana (Melvin Sparks, Johnny Hammond, etc.). Ua hoʻokuʻu ʻia ka album mua a Grover Inner City Blues i ka makahiki 1971 a lilo i mea paʻi koke. Ua manaʻo mua ʻia nā mea hoʻopaʻa leo e Hank Crawford. ʻO Creed Taylor ka mea hana noʻonoʻo kālepa i hui pū i nā mele pop-funk nona. Akā naʻe, ua hopu ʻia ka mea hoʻokani pila, ʻaʻole hiki iā ia ke hoʻokani. A laila kāhea ʻo Taylor iā Grover e hoʻopaʻa a hoʻokuʻu i kahi moʻolelo ma lalo o kona inoa.
Ua ʻae ʻo Wakinekona i ka poʻe nīnauele, "ʻO kaʻu hoʻomaha nui he laki makapō." Eia naʻe, ua hauʻoli ʻo ia i ke kaulana kaulana i ka album Mister Magic. Ma hope o kona hoʻokuʻu ʻana, hoʻomaka ka saxophonist e kono ʻia i nā hanana maikaʻi loa ma ka ʻāina, ua pāʻani ʻo ia me nā mea hoʻokani jazz nui. I ka makahiki 1980, ua hoʻokuʻu ka mea hoʻokani i kāna moʻolelo hoʻomana, mahalo i loaʻa iā ia ʻelua mau makana Grammy. Eia kekahi, ua loaʻa iā Grover ke poʻo inoa o "Best Instrumental Performer".
I kona wā e ola ana, hiki i ka mea hoʻokani ke hoʻokuʻu i 2-3 album i hoʻokahi makahiki. Ma waena wale nō o 1980 a me 1999 Ua hoʻokuʻu ʻia nā moʻolelo 10. ʻO ka mea maikaʻi loa, e like me ka poʻe hoʻohewa, ʻo ia ka hana a Soulful Strut (1996). Ua kākau ʻo Leo Stanley e pili ana iā ia, "Ua ʻoki hou nā mākau mea kani o Washington i ka nani, e hoʻolilo iā Soulful Strut i kahi moʻolelo kūpono no nā mea pā jazz ʻuhane." Ma hope o ka make ʻana o ka mea pena i ka makahiki 2000, ua hoʻokuʻu kona mau hoaaloha i ka album Aria.
ʻO ke ʻano mele o Grover Washington Jr.
Ua hoʻokumu ka saxophonist kaulana i ke ʻano mele i kapa ʻia ʻo "jazz-pop" ("jazz-rock-fusion"). Loaʻa ia i ka jazz improvisation i ka bouncy a i ʻole ke kuʻi pōhaku. ʻO ka hapa nui o ka manawa ua hoʻohuli ʻia ʻo Wakinekona e nā mea pena jazz e like me John Coltrane, Joe Henderson a me Oliver Nelson. Akā naʻe, hiki i ka wahine a Grover ke hoihoi iā ia i nā mele pop.
"Ua aʻo au iā ia e hoʻolohe i nā mele pop hou aʻe," i haʻi aku ai ʻo Christina i ka magazine Rolling Stone. "ʻO kona manaʻo e pāʻani i ka jazz, akā hoʻomaka ʻo ia e hoʻolohe i nā ʻano ʻano like ʻole a i kekahi manawa ua haʻi mai ʻo ia iaʻu makemake wale ʻo ia e pāʻani i kona manaʻo me ka ʻole o ka hōʻailona ʻana." Ua ho'ōkiʻo Wakinekona i ka palenaʻana iā ia iho i nā manaʻoʻiʻo a me nā kuʻuna, hoʻomakaʻo ia e pāʻani i nā mele hou, "me ka hopohopoʻole i nāʻano a me nā kula."
Ua kānalua ka poʻe hoʻohewa i ka mele o Wakinekona. Hoʻomaikaʻi kekahi, manaʻo kekahi. ʻO ka hoʻopiʻi koʻikoʻi i hoʻopiʻi ʻia i ke kūʻai ʻana o nā haku mele. Ma ka loiloi o kāna album Skylarkin (1979), ua ʻōlelo ʻo Frank John Hadley "inā ua piʻi ka poʻe saxophonists jazz kalepa i nā kūlana mōʻī, ʻo Grover Washington Jr. ko lākou haku."
Ke ola pilikino o Artist
ʻOiai e hoʻokani ana ma kekahi o kāna mau ʻaha mele ma waho, ua hālāwai ʻo Grover me kāna wahine ʻo Christina. I kēlā manawa, e hana ana ʻo ia ma ke ʻano he mea hoʻoponopono kōkua no kahi paʻi kūloko. Hoʻomanaʻo aloha ʻo Christina i ka hoʻomaka ʻana o kā lāua pilina: "Ua hui mākou i ka Pōʻaono, a i ka Pōʻalima ua hoʻomaka mākou e noho pū." I ka makahiki 1967 ua male lāua. Ma hope o ka hoʻokuʻu ʻia ʻana o Wakinekona mai ka lawelawe ʻana, neʻe ka kāne i Philadelphia.
He ʻelua mau keiki - he kaikamahine ʻo Shana Washington a me kāna keikikāne ʻo Grover Washington III. Kakaikahi ka ike e pili ana i na hana a na keiki. E like me kona makuakāne a me kona kupuna kāne, ua hoʻoholo ʻo Wakinekona III e lilo i mea hoʻokani pila.
I ka makahiki 1999, hele ka mea hoʻokani i ka hoʻonohonoho o The Saturday Early Show, kahi āna i hoʻokani ai i ʻehā mau mele. Ma hope o kēlā, hele ʻo ia i ka lumi ʻōmaʻomaʻo. Iā ia e kali ana e hoʻomau i ke kiʻiʻoniʻoni, ua loaʻa iā ia kahi maʻi puʻuwai. Ua kāhea koke nā limahana studio i kahi kaʻa kaʻa, akā i ka hōʻea ʻana i ka haukapila, ua make ʻo Wakinekona. Ua hoʻopaʻa nā kauka i ka maʻi puʻuwai nui o ka mea pena.
