Skylarkin' (Grover Washington Jr. album) explained

Skylarkin'
Type:	Studio
Artist:	Grover Washington Jr.
Cover:	Skylarkin' (Grover Washington Jr. album cover).jpg
Released:	1980
Recorded:	October 1979
Studio:	Rosebud Recording, New York City, New York
Genre:	Jazz
Length:	36:00
Label:	Motown
Producer:	Grover Washington Jr.
Prev Title:	Paradise
Prev Year:	1979
Next Title:	Winelight
Next Year:	1980

Skylarkin' is a 1980 studio album by American jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. The record was released via Motown Records.

Critical reception

The Globe and Mail wrote: "A highly commercial venture, as much of Washington's music has been ... it sounds like any number of elevators, even though Washington plays well within the music's severe confines."^[1]

Track listing

1. "Easy Loving You" - 7:17
2. "Bright Moments" (Roland Kirk) - 6:25
3. "Snake Eyes" - 4:25
4. "I Can't Help It" (Stevie Wonder, Susaye Greene) - 6:26
5. "Love" (Ralph MacDonald, William Salter, David Stevens) - 5:18
6. "Open Up Your Mind (Wide)" (Ronnie Wilson, Charlie Wilson) - 6:06

All tunes written by Grover Washington Jr. except as noted parenthetically above.

Personnel

Band

• Grover Washington Jr. – soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, flute, Prophet-5, ocarina, arrangements (1, 2, 3)
• Richard Tee – acoustic piano, electric piano
• Eric Gale – guitars
• Marcus Miller – bass
• Idris Muhammad – drums
• Ralph MacDonald – percussion, Syndrums

Additional musicians

• Jon Faddis – flugelhorn (1)
• Alex Otey – trumpet (1)
• Jorge Dalto – acoustic piano solo (2)
• Paul Griffin – clavinet (3)
• Ed Walsh – Oberheim 8-Voice synthesizer (4)
• William Eaton – arrangements (4, 5, 6), conductor

Production

• Grover Washington, Jr. – producer
• Richard Alderson – engineer
• Ed Heath – assistant engineer
• Anthony MacDonald – assistant engineer
• Lamont Moreno – assistant engineer
• George Marino – original mastering at Sterling Sound (New York, NY).
• John Matousek – CD mastering at Masterworks (Hollywood, CA).
• Scott Charles – production coordination
• Ginny Livingston – art direction, design
• John Cabalka – art direction, design
• Bill Imhoff – cover illustration

Charts

Chart (1980)	Peak position
US Billboard Pop Albums^[2]	24
US Billboard Top Jazz Albums	1
US Billboard Top Soul Albums	8

Singles

External links

• Grover Washington Jr. – Skylarkin' at Discogs

Notes and References

1. News: Miller . Mark . Jazz . The Globe and Mail . 19 Apr 1980 . F6.
2. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p136173/charts-awards/billboard-albums|pure_url=yes}} Grover Washington Jr. US albums chart history]. allmusic.com. 2011-10-13.
3. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p136173/charts-awards/billboard-singles|pure_url=yes}} Grover Washington Jr. US singles chart history]. allmusic.com. 2011-10-13.