JAZZ REVIEW : Washington Weaves Magic Without Mirrors

Saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. was in top form during the first of two sets Monday night at Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay. Backed by an airtight, six-piece band, Washington delivered exactly what the audience wanted: a mix of his older, funkier jazz along with his newer, glossier FM radio hits. And he dedicated the set to blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, who died in a helicopter crash Monday in Wisconsin.

“We’re gonna jam instead of grieving,” Washington said.

Playing with equal force and dexterity on baritone, tenor, alto and soprano saxes, Washington, 46, proved that he is still head and shoulders above most of his younger competition. Unlike some of today’s commercial jazzmen, who play it safe with syrupy melodies unbroken by improvisations, Washington is a legitimate innovator who brings fresh inventions to even the simplest, funkiest tunes.

Washington was among the earliest jazzmen to go electric and reach a wider audience. He was also among the best, and the 1970s ballads and funk-jazz numbers that first brought him commercial success hold up extremely well next to the light popular jazz produced by other artists today.

A 10-song set provided a capsule history of his career, which took off with the 1975 hit album “Mr. Magic.” The difference between then and now was clear when Washington moved, early in the set, from the ‘70s song “Hydra” to “Nice and Easy,” from the 1989 “Time Out of Mind” album. “Hydra” featured a no-nonsense funky back beat and plenty of room for improvisations. “Nice and Easy” was a smoother blend of Washington’s sax and synthesized keyboard parts--provided by Bill Jolly and Curtis Dowd--layered over a simmering Latin beat.

Some of the evening’s finest moments came with Washington on soprano sax. Snake-charming, high-end melodies evoked the spirit of the late John Coltrane. Although Washington amplifies all of his saxes, he uses electricity as a tool, not a gimmick. His musical ideas and the earthy tone of his horns always take precedence.

His playing runs the gamut from unfettered screeching and squealing, which would sound like avant-garde New York loft jazz if not tethered by his band’s funky beat, to simpler patterns repeated for their rhythmic effect.

Other highlights included the slow, romantic side of Washington on “Take Me There,” guitarist Richard Lee’s sensuous Wes Montgomery-like solo on “Blues for D.P.,” and a tight blend of Washington’s tenor sax with electronically enhanced background vocals on “Feelings.”

A medley near the end of the set mixed some of Washington’s best originals with his covers of popular favorites, most notably singer Marvin Gaye’s “Inner City Blues” and “Mercy Mercy Me.”

The crowd’s standing ovation brought the group out for an encore. Washington chose “Mr. Magic,” the title track from the album that gave him his nickname. Bassist Lanar Brantley supplied a rollicking solo that moved freely beyond the boundaries of the song to quote bass lines from Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and the current rap hit by M.C. Hammer, “U Can’t Touch This.”