Grover Washington Jr’s original bandmates gather for tribute performance next month
Grover Washington Jr.‘s bandmates and friends will gather for a celebration of the legendary saxophonist on Tuesday, July 18th, sharing the stage for the first time since his untimely death nearly 20 years ago. The performance will take place at the Temple University Performing Arts Center; tickets and information can be found here.
Joining the tribute are several original members of Washington’s band, including keyboardist Bill Jolly, keyboarding Donald Robinson, guitarist Richard Lee Steacker, bassist Gerald Veasley, drummer Steve Wolf, and percussionist Pablo Batista. Saxophonists Gerald Albright and Najee will also pay tribute to their late mentor, while heralded jazz and pop singer Jean Carne contributes vocals.
Presented by WRTI in conjunction with Philadelphia Jazz Project, WXPN, and NPR’s nationally syndicated radio show Jazz Night in America, the performance will be recorded for a public radio broadcast later this fall.
Watch Washington and a later iteration of his band perform “Just the Two of Us” from his 1980 Grammy Award winning Winelight LP below.