„When most lists of the Top 25 Jazz Albums of All Time are compiled, Winelight is nowhere to be seen. It likely wouldn’t make the top 100 for the truly hardcore fan who likes their music with a rougher edge than smooth jazz provides. No way does it knock a Kind of Blue, A Love Supreme, Time Out or Blue Trane off the list, but when the list includes the 25 most influential jazz albums, Winelight belongs in there as much as Head Hunters or Breezin‘ for taking jazz into a brand new direction even if everybody wasn’t happy with where it went.“ (Jeff Winbush, allaboutjazz, on WINELIGHT)
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Michael Engelbrecht:
This is one of those “AAD” CD’s, which means it was recorded and mixed in analog format; the final “D” represents the digital CD medium it is distributed on. As a reference, most modern CD recordings are “DDD”, which means the source material never leaves the digital domain (until it comes out of your speakers)! The writing on Winelight is a great example of the “complexity of simplicity”.
The story goes that Grover Washington, Jr. was taking a writing and composition class at a nearby University during the time leading up to the recording of Winelight, and he submitted a couple of the tracks that ended up on the album for a final grade. Well, he received a “C” for his work which was sited as being “too simplistic” in melody and form. Guess who had the last laugh?
Typical of his performances over the years, Ralph MacDonald’s percussion grooves are both refreshing and intricate; checkout the interplay between percussion instruments as well as with the drums. The progression from single-time, to double-time, back to single-time on Take Me There is executed to perfection (and there were no drum machines or “click-tracks” back in the day). You’ll often hear these musicians reference the Winelight sessions as a high point in their career when interviewed.
(Stanton Zeff)