Come Morning
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Album Summary
Come Morning arrived in 1981 on Elektra Records, and baby, it came right on time. Produced by Grover Washington Jr. himself alongside Nick Davis, this record found Washington deep in his creative stride — a man who had already proven to the world that a saxophone could make you feel things you didn't even know you had inside you. Recorded during a period when Washington was one of the most compelling voices in contemporary music, Come Morning captured that rare alchemy of jazz craftsmanship and soulful R&B warmth that only a handful of artists in any generation ever truly master. This was not an album made by accident — every note, every groove, every breath was the work of an artist fully in command of his gift.
Reception
- Come Morning performed solidly on the jazz and R&B charts, sustaining the commercial momentum Washington had built through his celebrated run of late 1970s recordings.
- Smooth jazz radio programmers embraced the album with open arms, finding in its groove-oriented sound exactly the kind of sophisticated accessibility their audiences were hungry for.
- The album was warmly received by Washington's loyal fanbase and contemporary jazz listeners who recognized in it a continued mastery of the form he had helped define.
Significance
- Come Morning stands as a refined statement of the smooth jazz aesthetic at the dawn of the 1980s, weaving together Washington's deeply rooted jazz sensibility with the funk and R&B textures that were reshaping popular music at the time.
- The album further cemented Washington's singular role as a bridge builder — a man who could walk comfortably between the world of serious jazz artistry and the broader mainstream without ever compromising the soul of either.
- As part of Washington's essential body of work, Come Morning contributed meaningfully to the cultural and commercial legitimacy of smooth jazz as a genre, helping lay the groundwork for the format that would dominate jazz radio throughout the decade that followed.
Tracklist
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A1 East River Drive 80
4:44
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A2 Come Morning 80
4:57
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A3 Be Mine (Tonight) 113
6:38
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A4 Reaching Out 81
4:08
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B1 Jamming 121
5:05
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B2 Little Black Samba 110
5:42
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B3 Making Love To You —
4:43
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B4 I'm All Yours 142
4:43
Artist Details
Grover Washington, Jr. was an American jazz saxophonist born on December 12, 1943, in Buffalo, New York, who became one of the most celebrated figures in contemporary jazz and smooth jazz throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Blending elements of jazz, R&B, funk, and soul, Washington developed a lush, accessible sound that appealed to both jazz purists and mainstream audiences, helping to define and popularize the genre that would later be known as smooth jazz. His landmark albums, including Mister Magic (1975) and Winelight (1980), were massive commercial successes, with Winelight earning him Grammy Awards and featuring the iconic Bill Withers collaboration Just the Two of Us, which became one of the best-known jazz-pop crossover hits of the era. Washington's ability to bridge the gap between jazz sophistication and popular music accessibility made him a pivotal figure in expanding jazz's audience during a period when the genre was struggling commercially. He remained a beloved and influential performer until his sudden death on December 17, 1999, and his work continues to shape contemporary jazz and the smooth jazz genre to this day.
