Skylarkin' (Grover Washington Jr. album)

Skylarkin' is a 1980 studio album by American jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. The record was released via Motown label.

Skylarkin'
Studio album by
Grover Washington Jr.
Released1980
RecordedOctober 1979
StudioRosebud Recording, New York City, New York
GenreJazz
Length36:00
LabelMotown
ProducerGrover Washington Jr.
Grover Washington Jr. chronology
Paradise
(1979)		 Skylarkin'
(1980)		 Winelight
(1980)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide[2]

Reception

A reviewer of Dusty Groove wrote "Sweet Motown grooving from Grover Washington – a set that has him working with slightly larger backings than his Kudu years, but in a way that still lets his soulful horn stand strongly out front! As always, Washington is a killer talent on the soprano sax – able to inflect the instrument with these soulful twists and turns that he virtually invented at the time, and which so many others have tried to copy over the years. Yet the set also has Grover on a bit of tenor and baritone sax, too – plus some flute – all over arrangements mostly handled by the man himself, with a bit of help from William Eaton".[3]

Track listing
  1. "Easy Loving You" 7:17
  2. "Bright Moments" 6:25 (Roland Kirk)
  3. "Snake Eyes" 4:25
  4. "I Can't Help It" 6:26 (Stevie Wonder, Susaye Greene)
  5. "Love" 5:18 (Ralph MacDonald, William Salter, David Stevens)
  6. "Open Up Your Mind (Wide)" 6:06 (Ronnie Wilson, Charlie Wilson)

All tunes written by Grover Washington Jr. except as noted parenthetically above.[4]

Personnel

Band

Additional musicians

  • Jon Faddis – flugelhorn
  • Alex Otey – trumpet
  • Jorge Dalto – acoustic piano (solo)
  • Paul Griffin – Clavinet
  • Ed Walsh – Oberheim 8-voice synthesizer
  • Grover Washington Jr., William Eaton – arrangements
  • William Eaton – conductor

Production

  • Richard Alderson – engineer
  • Scott Charles – production coordination
  • Ginny Livingston, John Cabalka – art direction
  • Bill Imhoff – cover illustration

Charts
Chart (1980) Peak
position
US Billboard Pop Albums[5] 24
US Billboard Top Jazz Albums[5] 1
US Billboard Top Soul Albums[5] 8

Singles
Year Single Chart positions[6]
US
R&B
1980 "Snake Eyes" 88

References
  1. Music, All. Grover Washington Jr.: Skylarkin' > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  2. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 203. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
  3. "Grover Washington Jr.: Skylarkin'". Dusty Groove. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  4. https://www.discogs.com/Grover-Washington-Jr-Skylarkin/release/1152533
  5. "Grover Washington Jr. US albums chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
  6. "Grover Washington Jr. US singles chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
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