Dave Grusin Best

The Jazz Club series is an attractive addition to the Verve catalogue. With it's modern design and popular choice of repertoire, the Jazz Club is not only opened for Jazz fans, but for everyone that loves good music.
Dave Grusin has been a highly successful performer, producer, composer, record label executive, arranger, and bandleader. As a pianist, Grusin tends toward the fusion and smooth end of jazz, but he's primarily an accomplished film and television soundtrack composer. Grusin played with Terry Gibbs and Johnny Smith while studying at the University of Colorado. He was the assistant music director and pianist for Andy Williams from 1959 to 1966, and then started his television composing career…

Dave Grusin and Lee Ritenour were well advised to choose a more traditional constellation for the recordings and so, real drummers, percussionists, acoustic pianos, acoustic or semi-acoustic guitars were used, though Grusin didn't want to give up his keyboards completely. Fortunately he held back with them, and so we have to do with a relatively typical west coast jazz fusion disc from the eighties, but quite above average.
The interest for Latin influences is remarkable. Not only were compositions by Ivan Lins chosen, but on Harlequin (Arlequim Desconhecido), the opener, the composer is used as a singer, also on the song Before It's Too Late (Antes Que Seja Tarde), thus bringing him closer to the American and international audience. And he sings in his native language, Portuguese…

Dave Grusin and Lee Ritenour were well advised to choose a more traditional constellation for the recordings and so, real drummers, percussionists, acoustic pianos, acoustic or semi-acoustic guitars were used, though Grusin didn't want to give up his keyboards completely. Fortunately he held back with them, and so we have to do with a relatively typical west coast jazz fusion disc from the eighties, but quite above average.
The interest for Latin influences is remarkable. Not only were compositions by Ivan Lins chosen, but on Harlequin (Arlequim Desconhecido), the opener, the composer is used as a singer, also on the song Before It's Too Late (Antes Que Seja Tarde), thus bringing him closer to the American and international audience. And he sings in his native language, Portuguese…

Dave Grusin and Lee Ritenour were well advised to choose a more traditional constellation for the recordings and so, real drummers, percussionists, acoustic pianos, acoustic or semi-acoustic guitars were used, though Grusin didn't want to give up his keyboards completely. Fortunately he held back with them, and so we have to do with a relatively typical west coast jazz fusion disc from the eighties, but quite above average.
The interest for Latin influences is remarkable. Not only were compositions by Ivan Lins chosen, but on Harlequin (Arlequim Desconhecido), the opener, the composer is used as a singer, also on the song Before It's Too Late (Antes Que Seja Tarde), thus bringing him closer to the American and international audience. And he sings in his native language, Portuguese…

This release features some of the best jazz masters in the industry, apart from Dave Grusin such as Ron Carter, bass, Lee Ritenour, guitar, Harvey mason, drums and Larry Bunker, percussion. Songs include A Child Is Born, Keep Your Eye On The Sparrow, Sun Songs and several others. This is the XRCD version of Dave Grusins masterpiece on Sheffield Labs Direct to Disc series.

Although Dave Grusin is best known as a soundtrack composer and for his jazz-pop recordings, he has always had a great admiration for jazz. This CD (released in a fairly deluxe package) gave Grusin an opportunity to pay tribute to Duke Ellington. He performs ten mostly familiar songs associated with Ellington and wisely features fluegelhornist Clark Terry on five of the selections. Other prominent soloists include tenor saxophonist Pete Christlieb, trombonist George Bohanon, tenor saxophonist Tom Scott (returning to his roots), clarinetist Eddie Daniels (on an orchestrated version of "Mood Indigo"), and pianist Grusin himself. This is a respectful and well-conceived tribute.

Dave Valentin at the perfect point in his career – coming off some great initial work on the New York Latin scene, and some key time in the studios – really finding his voice as a leader, with all the best elements of his previous work firmly intact! Dave mixes Latin elements with the soulful fusion sound of the GRP label right in their great early, pre-commercial years – and he gets help here form labelmates Dave Grusin and Bobby Broom, plus Marcus Miller – who all join Dave's combo with a sound that's way hipper than the GRP groove of the smooth fusion years. There's some female chorus vocals at a few points, but also loads of great solo work on flute from Dave – and arrangements are by Valentin, Dave Grusin, and Oscar Hernandez. Titles include "Pied Piper", "Los Altos", "Shamballa", "Dragon Fly", "This Time", and "Seven Stars". CD features bonus 7" mixes of "Pied Piper" and "Shamballa".