Grover Washington Jr. Ba'amurke ɗan wasan saxophon ne wanda ya shahara sosai a 1967-1999. A cewar Robert Palmer (na mujallar Rolling Stone), mai yin wasan kwaikwayon ya iya zama "mafi kyawun saxophonist wanda ke aiki a cikin nau'in fusion na jazz."
Ko da yake yawancin masu sukar sun zargi Washington da kasancewa mai karkata zuwa kasuwanci, masu sauraro suna son abubuwan da aka tsara don kwantar da hankulansu da abubuwan fastoci tare da taɓawa na jin daɗin birni.
Grover ya kasance koyaushe yana kewaye da kansa tare da mawaƙa masu hazaka, godiya ga waɗanda ya fitar da kundi da waƙoƙi masu nasara. Mafi yawan Haɗin gwiwar Tunawa: Kawai Mu Biyu (tare da Bill Withers), Ƙauna Mai Tsarki (tare da Phyllis Hyman), Mafi kyawun Har yanzu Ya zo (tare da Patti LaBelle). Ƙungiyoyin Solo suma sun shahara sosai: Winelight, Mister Magic, Inner City Blues, da sauransu.
Yara da matasa Grover Washington Jr.
An haifi Grover Washington ranar 12 ga Disamba, 1943 a Buffalo, New York lokacin yakin duniya na biyu. Kowa a cikin iyalinsa mawaki ne: mahaifiyarsa ta yi wasa a cikin mawakan coci; ɗan’uwa ya yi aiki a ƙungiyar mawaƙa ta coci a matsayin ɗan ƙungiyar; mahaifina ya buga tenor saxophone da fasaha. Daukar misali daga iyayensu, dan wasan kwaikwayo da kaninsa suka fara yin kida. Grover ya yanke shawarar bin sawun mahaifinsa kuma ya ɗauki saxophone. Ɗan’uwan ya soma sha’awar buga ganguna kuma daga baya ya zama ƙwararren mai buga ganga.
A cikin littafin Jazz-Rock Fusion (Julian Coryell da Laura Friedman) akwai layi inda saxophonist ya tuna game da yarinta:
“Na fara buga kayan kida tun ina dan shekara 10. Ƙaunata ta farko babu shakka waƙar gargajiya ce… Darasina na farko shine saxophone, sannan na gwada piano, ganguna da bass."
Washington ta halarci Makarantar Kiɗa ta Wurlitzer. Grover yana son kayan aikin sosai. Saboda haka, ya ba da kusan duk lokacinsa na kyauta gare su don koyon yadda ake wasa aƙalla a matakin asali.
Saksophone na farko mahaifinsa ne ya gabatar da shi a lokacin da mai yin wasan yana da shekaru 10. Tuni yana da shekaru 12, Washington ta fara shiga cikin wasan saxophone sosai. Wani lokaci da yamma yakan gudu daga gida ya tafi kulake don ganin shahararrun mawakan blues a Buffalo. Bugu da ƙari, yaron ya kasance mai sha'awar ƙwallon kwando. Duk da haka, saboda gaskiyar cewa tsayinsa bai isa ba don wannan wasanni, ya yanke shawarar haɗa rayuwarsa tare da ayyukan kiɗa.
Da farko, Grover ya yi kawai a wuraren kide-kide a makaranta kuma tsawon shekaru biyu ya kasance mawaƙin saxophonist na baritone a cikin ƙungiyar makada ta makaranta. Lokaci-lokaci, ya yi karatu tare da mashahurin mawaƙin Buffalo Elvis Shepard. Washington ya sauke karatu daga makarantar sakandare a 16 kuma ya yanke shawarar ƙaura daga garinsu na Columbus, Ohio. A nan ya shiga cikin Clefs huɗu, wanda ya fara sana'ar kiɗan sa na fasaha.
Ta yaya aikin Grover Washington Jr. ya bunkasa?
Grover ya zagaya Jihohi tare da Clefs huɗu, amma ƙungiyar ta watse a cikin 1963. Na ɗan lokaci, ɗan wasan ya taka leda a cikin rukunin Mark III Trio. Saboda cewa Washington bai yi karatu a ko'ina ba, a 1965 ya sami sammaci ga sojojin Amurka. A can ya yi wasa a cikin ƙungiyar makaɗa ta hafsa. A lokacin da ya keɓe, ya yi wasa a Philadelphia, yana aiki tare da nau'ikan gabobin gabobin da makada. A cikin rukunin sojoji, saxophonist ya sadu da mai buga bugu Billy Cobham. Bayan hidimar, ya taimaka masa ya zama wani ɓangare na yanayin kiɗa a New York.
Al'amuran Washington sun inganta - ya yi a cikin ƙungiyoyin kiɗa daban-daban, ciki har da Charles Erland, ya rubuta abubuwan haɗin gwiwa tare da shahararrun masu wasan kwaikwayo (Melvin Sparks, Johnny Hammond, da dai sauransu). Kundin farko na Grover Inner City Blues an fito da shi a cikin 1971 kuma ya zama abin bugawa nan take. faifan bidiyon da farko ya kamata na Hank Crawford ne. Furodusa mai ra'ayin kasuwanci Creed Taylor ta haɗa masa jerin waƙoƙin pop-funk. Duk da haka, an kama mawakin, kuma ya kasa yin su. Sannan Taylor ya kira Grover don yin rikodi kuma ya fitar da wani rikodin a ƙarƙashin sunansa.
Washington ta taɓa yarda da masu yin tambayoyi, "Babban hutuna shine sa'a makaho." Koyaya, ya ji daɗin babban shaharar godiya ga kundi Mister Magic. Bayan da aka saki, da saxophonist ya fara gayyatar zuwa ga mafi kyau events a kasar, ya taka leda tare da manyan mawakan jazz. A shekara ta 1980, mai wasan kwaikwayo ya saki tarihinsa na al'ada, godiya ga wanda ya sami kyautar Grammy guda biyu. Bugu da ƙari, Grover an ba shi lakabin "Mafi kyawun Mai Yin Kayan Aikin Gida".
A lokacin rayuwarsa, mai yin wasan kwaikwayo zai iya fitar da kundi 2-3 a cikin shekara guda. Tsakanin 1980 zuwa 1999 kawai An fitar da bayanai guda 10. Mafi kyawun, a cewar masu suka, shine aikin Soulful Strut (1996). Leo Stanley ya rubuta game da ita, "Kwarewar kayan aiki na Washington ta sake yanke haske, ta sa Soulful Strut ya zama wani rikodin cancanta ga duk masu sha'awar jazz na rai." Bayan mutuwar mai zane a 2000, abokansa sun fito da kundi na Aria.
Salon kiɗan Grover Washington Jr.
Shahararren saxophonist ya haɓaka salon kiɗan da ake kira "jazz-pop" ("jazz-rock-fusion"). Ya ƙunshi haɓakar jazz zuwa bugun bouncy ko bugun dutse. Yawancin lokaci masu fasahar jazz irin su John Coltrane, Joe Henderson da Oliver Nelson sun rinjayi Washington. Duk da haka, matar Grover ta iya sha'awar shi a cikin kiɗan pop.
"Na shawarce shi da ya saurari ƙarin kiɗan pop," Christina ta gaya wa mujallar Rolling Stone. "Niyyarsa ita ce buga jazz, amma ya fara sauraron nau'o'i daban-daban kuma a wani lokaci ya gaya mini cewa yana so ya buga abin da yake so ba tare da lakafta shi ba." Washington ya daina iyakance kansa ga kowane imani da al'ada, ya fara kunna kiɗan zamani, "ba tare da damuwa da salo da makarantu ba."
Masu suka sun kasance cikin shakku game da kiɗan Washington. Wasu sun yaba, wasu kuma suna tunani. An yi babban korafi game da kasuwancin abubuwan da aka tsara. A cikin wani bita na kundi nasa Skylarkin (1979), Frank John Hadley ya ce "idan da 'yan jazz saxophonists na kasuwanci sun tashi zuwa matsayi na sarauta, Grover Washington Jr. da ya kasance ubangidansu."
Rayuwar ɗan wasan kwaikwayo
Yayin da yake yin wasa a ɗaya daga cikin kide-kidensa na ƙasashen waje, Grover ya sadu da matarsa Christina ta gaba. A lokacin, tana aiki a matsayin mataimakiyar edita don buga littattafai na gida. Christina ta tuna da farkon dangantakarsu da jin daɗi: “Mun haɗu a ranar Asabar, kuma a ranar Alhamis mun fara zama tare.” A 1967 suka yi aure. Bayan sallamar Washington daga hidima, ma'auratan sun koma Philadelphia.
Suna da 'ya'ya biyu - 'yar Shana Washington da ɗan Grover Washington III. Ba a san komai game da ayyukan yaran ba. Kamar mahaifinsa da kakansa, Washington III ya yanke shawarar zama mawaƙa.
A cikin 1999, mawaƙin ya tafi wurin saitin Nunin Farko na Asabar, inda ya yi waƙoƙi huɗu. Bayan haka, ya nufi dakin koren. Yayin da yake jira ya ci gaba da yin fim, ya sami bugun zuciya. Nan da nan ma’aikatan Studio suka kira motar daukar marasa lafiya, amma da isar su asibiti, Washington ta riga ta mutu. Likitoci sun yi rikodin mai zanen ya sami bugun zuciya mai yawa.
