ProJazz.net

Inner City Blues is the debut studio album by saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. It was recorded at the Van Gelder Studio in September 1971 and released in 1972 via Kudu Records.

Reception.
Thom Jurek of AllMusic gave the album 4 stars and stated: “This is an amazing debut in so many ways, and it was followed by a run of albums for the label through the end of the ’70s when Washington left for Elektra. Inner City Blues remains standing today as a landmark and a turning point in jazz.”

Track listing:
“Inner City Blues” (Marvin Gaye, James Nyx Jr.) – 7:10
“Georgia on My Mind” (Hoagy Carmichael, Stuart Gorrell) – 4:38
“Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” (Gaye) – 5:07
“Ain’t No Sunshine” (Bill Withers)/”Theme from Man and Boy” (AKA “Better Days”) (J.J. Johnson) – 8:32
“Until It’s Time for You to Go” (Buffy Saint-Marie) – 4:35
“I Loves You Porgy” (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, DuBose Heyward) – 5:05

Personnel:
Grover Washington Jr. – alto saxophone, tenor saxophone
Bob James – electric piano, arrangements and conductor
Richard Tee – organ
Eric Gale – guitars
Ron Carter – basses
Idris Muhammad – drums
Airto Moreira – percussion
Donald Ashworth – baritone saxophone
Wayne Andre – trombone
Thad Jones – trumpet, French horn
Eugene Young – trumpet, flugelhorn
Hilda Harris – vocals
Marilyn Jackson – vocals
Maeretha Stewart – vocals
Tasha Thomas – vocals

String section:

Maurice Brown, Charles McCracken, Alan Shulman and Anthony Sophos – cello
Julius Brand, Paul Gershman, Julius Held, Leo Kahn, Harry Katzman, Raoul Poliakin, Max Pollikoff and Paul Winter – violin

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Released: 1972
Recorded: September 1971
Studio: Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
Length: 35:07
Label: Kudu
KU-03
Producer: Creed Taylor