George Howard - Reflections
Back in 1979, the velvety warm textures of soprano saxophonist George Howard was summoned by his mentor (to be) Grover Washington Jr to tour extensively. On “Reflections,” you would understand Grover’s passion to call upon Howard to play soprano parts on the tour. After touring with Washington, this obviously helped establish him a noteworthy musician and soon thereafter his debut “Asphalt Gardens” was born in 1982.
Reflections, among many projects by Howard, shows his tonality fits perfectly in the tenor of the smooth jazz sound these days. It goes to show even before smooth was conceived in the mid-nineties, cats like Howard was serving up a tasty dose of radio friendly gems. On this project, with his vision and concept, Mr. Howard in the production seat appealed to a core of familiar artists in the industry to record “Reflections”. Take Like: “Paul Jackson Jr, Paulinho Da Costa, Nathan East, George Duke, Doc Gibbs, Rayford Griffin, Stanley Clarke, Ray Fuller” and a host of others.
Out of the pocket, George takes you on a sensually tasty journey with a groove titled “Too Bad,” produced by co-producer Robert Brookins. This mid-tempo head bopper is bound to please and a great way to begin a listening experience. No question, this song personifies the man behind the music with his signature, style and sound.
Arguably, this nine-song collection of delectable grooves is focused on the language and intimacy of Howard’s voice. As expressed on the title track “Reflections”, which is ideal in this or any setting for music lovers. George also puts a nice twist to “Love Will Conquer All”, originally recorded by Lionel Richie.
Track Listing:
- Too Bad
- Reflections
- Funk It Out
- One Love
- Late Night
- Love Will Conquer All
- Let's Pretend
- Attitude
- I Like This Groove
We miss you very much!!
J Desmond
The Urban Music Scene
I miss George too Jazzy. Those were the good ol' days for jazz. I still play all of his music & he would still be the man if he was with us today. Proper recognition given. A very good review.
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Hi Mr. Blake, man I appreciate the feedback so much and most of all that you're a George Howard fan. Yes, cats like Howard with a humble spirit had the swagger to draw you in and keep you enveloped into their music. No problems with record sells back then. Keep jammin' my brother in jazz, we look forward to reviewing more classic sounds in the near future.
Jazzy
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I'm with you Gordon. Thanks Jazzy for bringing back a great memory! You have me spinning him right now!
T
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