Mister Magic
title: "Mister Magic" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1975-albums", "grover-washington-jr.-albums", "kudu-records-albums", "albums-produced-by-creed-taylor", "albums-recorded-at-van-gelder-studio", "smooth-jazz-albums"] topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mister_Magic" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox album"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Mister Magic |
| type | studio |
| artist | Grover Washington Jr. |
| cover | Mister_Magic.jpeg |
| released | February 7, 1975 |
| recorded | November 1974 |
| studio | Van Gelder, Englewood Cliffs |
| genre | Jazz funk |
| length | 32:51 |
| label | Kudu |
| producer | Creed Taylor |
| prev_title | Soul Box |
| prev_year | 1973 |
| next_title | Feels So Good |
| next_year | 1975 |
| misc | {{Extra album cover |
| header | Alternative cover |
| type | Album |
| cover | Mister_Magic2.jpg |
| caption | Motown Jazz reissue |
| :: |
| name = Mister Magic | type = studio | artist = Grover Washington Jr. | cover = Mister_Magic.jpeg | alt = | released = February 7, 1975 | recorded = November 1974 | studio = Van Gelder, Englewood Cliffs | venue = | genre = Jazz funk | length = 32:51 | label = Kudu | producer = Creed Taylor | prev_title = Soul Box | prev_year = 1973 | next_title = Feels So Good | next_year = 1975 | misc = {{Extra album cover | header = Alternative cover | type = Album | cover = Mister_Magic2.jpg | border = | alt = | caption = Motown Jazz reissue
Mister Magic is the fourth album by jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr., released in February 1975. The album topped both the soul and jazz albums chart and peaked at number ten on the pop chart.
Critical reception
| rev1 = AllMusic | rev1score = | rev2 = Christgau's Record Guide | rev2Score = B− | rev4 = The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | rev4Score = {{Cite book |editor-last=Swenson |editor-first=J. | author-link = | year = 1985 | title = The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | publisher = Random House/Rolling Stone | location = USA | isbn = 0-394-72643-X | pages = 203 |rev3 = The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings |rev3score = Reviewing for The Village Voice in 1975, Robert Christgau found the album "functional" and satisfactory for a commercially successful jazz album: "Washington plays a warm tenor in the pop jazz tradition of Gene Ammons, but the rhythm section percolates danceably, and the result is sexy background music only superficially marred by Bob James's strings."
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Scott Yanow said that it is "one of Grover Washington Jr.'s best-loved recordings and considered a classic of r&bish jazz." He found Washington to be in "particularly creative form" and called James' arrangements "colorful if somewhat commercial".
Track listing
|headline=Side one |title1=Earth Tones |writer1=Bob James |length1=12:20 |title2=Passion Flower |writer2=Billy Strayhorn, Milt Raskin |length2=5:30 |headline=Side two |title1=Mister Magic |writer1=Ralph MacDonald |length1=8:58 |title2=Black Frost |writer2=Bob James, Grover Washington Jr. |length2=6:03 |total_length=32:51
Personnel
- Grover Washington Jr. – alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
- Bob James – acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes, arrangements and conductor
- Eric Gale – guitars
- Phil Upchurch – bass (1)
- Gary King – bass (2, 3, 4)
- Harvey Mason – drums
- Ralph MacDonald – percussion
Brass and reed section
- Phil Bodner – baritone saxophone
- Jerry Dodgion – tenor saxophone
- Tony Studd – bass trombone
- Wayne Andre – trombone
- Jon Faddis and Marvin Stamm – trumpet, flugelhorn
String section
- Charles McCracken and Alan Shulman – cello
- Alfred Brown and Emanuel Vardi – viola
- Max Ellen, Paul Gershman, Harry Glickman, Harold Kohon, Harry Lookofsky, Joe Malin, David Nadien and Matthew Raimondi – violin
Production
- Creed Taylor – producer
- Rudy Van Gelder – engineer
- Bob Ciano – album design
- Alen MacWeeney – photography
- Doug Ramsey – liner notes
Charts
::data[format=table] | Chart (1975) | Peak position | |---|---| | Billboard Pop Albums | 10 | | Billboard Top Soul Albums | 1 | | Billboard Top Jazz Albums | 1 | ::
Singles
::data[format=table] | Year | Single | Chart positions | US Pop | US R&B | |---|---|---|---|---| | 1975 | "Mister Magic" | 54 | 16 | | ::
References
References
- Maclaren, Trevor. (July 13, 2004). "Grover Washington Jr.: Mister Magic". [[All About Jazz]].
- Yanow, Scott. "Mister Magic – Grover Washington Jr.".
- Christgau, Robert. (1981). "[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]]". [[Ticknor & Fields]].
- (2008). "[[The Penguin Guide to Jazz". [[Penguin Books.
- Christgau, Robert. (June 16, 1975). "Consumer Guide". [[The Village Voice]].
- "Grover Washington Jr. US albums chart history". allmusic.com.
- "Grover Washington Jr. US singles chart history". allmusic.com.
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