Jason Miles – To Grover with Love

Producer and keyboardist Jason Miles recently released his second tribute to jazz and soul saxophonist Grover Washington. “2 Grover With Love”, the highly anticipated follow up to 2000’s heartfelt tribute, “To Grover With Love,” which sold over 100,000 CDs.

2009 marks the 10th anniversary of Grover Washington’s death, and this album pays tribute to the great legacy of Washington and his incredible compositions of the ’70s and ’80s.

Miles says, “I started listening to ‘Come Morning,’ the follow up to
‘Winelight,’ and started to love those songs. I then listened to ‘Strawberry Moon,’ and realized that I was on one of the songs on the CD, ‘Summer Nights,’ written by Marcus Miller. I knew at that point that there was definitely another Grover project to do, but it had to be done a certain way.”

“2 Grover With Love” is an homage to the CTI records style of music, basing great songs with inspired playing by top artists. Miles decided to cut the record live in the studio, just as Washington did on many of his albums. Miles enlisted the talents of Chuck Loeb on guitar, Gerald Veasley on bass, Buddy Williams on drums, and Ralph Macdonald on percussion. “2 Grover With Love” also features Maysa (singing an inspiring version of “Mr. Magic”), Najee, Andy Snitzer, Kim Waters, Jay Beckenstein, Dean Brown and Dominic Farrinacci. After only one day of rehearsal, the album was recorded live at Bennett studios in New Jersey.

The result is an innovative, contemporary jazz look at the ’70s and ’80s versions of Grover’s great legacy.