Packing six cover songs (two of them originally by Marvin Gaye), this jazz album moves in bursts, whether shrilling along on hard saxophone blats, dodging about on staccato drum-work, or giving the spot-light over to one of the other musicians, almost two dozen of whom feature alongside Grover Washington.  As the first album released under Washington’s own name, the all-cover line-up makes sense for the purposes of proving himself using pre-tested material, but the saxophonist operates so smoothly and confidently with his collaborators that any roughness there might have been is effectively erased.

Though the majority of the songs are fully instrumental, the rare deployments of vocals (most noticeably on “Ain’t No Sunshine”) match the rest of the arrangements in the clear consideration of how to make the numerous elements best work together in service of the music.  Too spiky and twisting to fit the smooth jazz label, it does still share some of the lulling effects of that style, so that while the musicianship is excellent, it can feel, if not dull, at least a little soporific.  That slickness is impressive for a first album, but at the same time, a little more rawness would have helped bring some of the emotionality out into clearer relief.

Here’s the cover art used for the album’s Spanish release as Jazz & Blues, Vol. 28.