Mister Magic

For other uses, see Mister Magic (disambiguation).

Mister Magic
Studio album by Grover Washington Jr.
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
Soul Box (1973) Mister Magic (1975) Feels So Good (1975)
Alternative cover
Motown Jazz reissue

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.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

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

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Earth Tones"	Bob James	12:20
2.	"Passion Flower"	Billy Strayhorn, Milt Raskin	5:30

Side two

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

Singles

Year	Single	Chart positions [8]
		US Pop	US R&B
1975	"Mister Magic"	54	16

References

1. Maclaren, Trevor (July 13, 2004). "Grover Washington Jr.: Mister Magic". All About Jazz . Retrieved May 26, 2013.
2. Yanow, Scott. "Mister Magic – Grover Washington Jr". AllMusic . Retrieved May 26, 2013.
3. 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.
4. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1468. ISBN   978-0-141-03401-0.
5. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 203. ISBN   0-394-72643-X.
6. Christgau, Robert (June 16, 1975). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . New York. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
7. "Grover Washington Jr. US albums chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
8. "Grover Washington Jr. US singles chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved October 24, 2011.

External links

• Mister Magic at Discogs (list of releases)