A Secret Place
A Secret Place | ||||
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Kudu | ||||
Producer | Creed Taylor | |||
Grover Washington Jr. chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
A Secret Place is the sixth album by jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. and his last studio album for Kudu Records. The album topped the Billboard Jazz Albums chart and reached number seven on the Soul Albums chart in 1977.
Background
"Tenor and soprano saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. was faced with an almost impossible task in 1976: following up his two 1975 critically acclaimed and wildly successful commercial recordings
This lineup may not be surprising, but the scope of the recording is. Washington could have gone the easy route and followed up his
Reception
Thom Jurek of AllMusic commented "Washington's tenor solo is sophisticated and utterly tasteful; its emotion ratchets up the dynamic in the entire tune. The bottom line on A Secret Place is that while the set did well commercially, it got nowhere near the critical praise of its predecessors. That's a shame, because it is a truly fine album whose grooves and pleasures stand the test of time easily. It's ripe for reappraisal".[2] A reviewer of Dusty Groove noted 'Nothing too secret about this record – given that it was one of Grover Washington's biggest hits of the 70s, and for good reason too! The album features four long tracks – all stretched out and layered together with washes of funky, yet subtle sounds – in a perfect blend that let Washington really stretch out on his solos, blowing with a great deal of soul over some hip instrumentation that includes Dave Grusin on electric piano, Anthony Jackson on bass, Harvey Mason on drums, and Ralph McDonald on percussion. There's a lean quality to the record that's completely sublime (why can't they make sets like this anymore?) – and although smooth, things are never slick – wonderfully soulful throughout, in that magic mode that Grover hit on a handful of key 70s albums!"[5]
Track listing
- "A Secret Place" (Grover Washington Jr.) – 8:14
- "Dolphin Dance" (Herbie Hancock) – 8:50
- "Not Yet" (Grover Washington Jr.) – 8:36
- "Love Makes It Better" (Harvey Mason) – 8:07
Personnel
- Grover Washington Jr. – soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
- Fender Rhodes
- Eric Gale – guitar (1, 3, 4)
- Steve Khan – guitar (2)
- Anthony Jackson – bass (1, 3, 4)
- George Mraz – bass (2)
- Harvey Mason – drums
- Ralph MacDonald – percussion
- Gerry Niewood – alto saxophone
- John Gatchell – trumpet
- David Matthews – horn arrangements
Production
- Creed Taylor – producer
- Rudy Van Gelder – engineer
- Rene Schumacher – album design
- Richard Alcorn – photography
Charts
Chart (1977) | Peak position |
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Billboard Pop Albums[6] | 31 |
Billboard Top Soul Albums[6] | 7 |
Billboard Top Jazz Albums[6] | 1 |
References
- ^ "Cti Discography: 1975-1976".
- ^ AllMusic. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- ISBN 9780679768739. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
Grover Washington Jr.
- Allmusic. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
- ^ "Grover Washington Jr.: Secret Place". Dusty Groove. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ a b c "Grover Washington Jr. US albums chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-08-26.