Look up Hydra or hydra in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Hydra ("water serpent") is the name of the Lernaean Hydra, a many-headed serpent in Greek mythology. "Hydra" may also refer to:

Zoology[link]

• Hydra (genus), a genus of simple fresh-water animals

Astronomy[link]

• Hydra (constellation), the largest of the modern star constellations
• Hydra (moon), a satellite of Pluto

Places[link]

• Hydra (island), a Greek island
• Hydra, Algeria, a city
• Hydra, a wireless station at World War II Camp X

Military vehicles[link]

• Hydra class frigate, the name of a frigate class of the Hellenic Navy
• Greek battleship Hydra, a Hellenic Navy pre-dreadnought battleship
• HMS Hydra, the name of several Royal Navy vessels
• Hydra (ship), a hydrogen ship
• Hydra 70, an air-to-ground rocket

Music[link]

• Hydra (band), a Southern rock band
• Hydra (Iris album), a 2008 remix album by synthpop band Iris
• Hydra (Satariel album), a 2005 studio album by the melodic death metal band Satariel
• Hydra (Toto album), a 1979 album by Toto, and the title song
• "Hydra", a song by Dir En Grey from their 2000 album Macabre
• Hydra Entertainment, hip hop record label
• Hydra Head Records, an independent record label

Brands and company names[link]

• The Hydra, a literary magazine once edited by Wilfred Owen
• Hydra the Revenge, a roller coaster at Dorney Park
• Hydra Network, an internet advertising company
• Hydra (wrestler), American professional wrestler who is best known for his time in the wrestling promotion Chikara
• Hydra (chess), a chess computer
• Hydra (operating system)
• HYDRA Game Development Kit, a retro games development system, by André LaMothe
• Hydra 100, a multi-gpu hardware solution
• Hydra Technologies of Mexico, a firm dedicated to the design and development of unmanned aerial vehicles

Popular culture[link]

• Hydra (film), a 2009 low-budget monster movie
• HYDRA, a secret criminal organization in the Marvel Universe
  • Viper (Madame Hydra), a Marvel supervillain, and enemy of the Avengers
• Hydra (Transformers), one of several Transformers characters
• Hydra (Dungeons & Dragons), a reptilian magical beast that has anywhere from five to twelve heads
• The Hydra, a Cthulhu Mythos deity created by Henry Kuttner
  • Mother Hydra, co-ruler of the Deep One race and consort of Father Dagon in the fictional Cthulhu mythos
• The Hydra flak tank in the Warhammer 40,000 universe
• Hydra, a Dharma Initiative station on the TV series Lost
• Hydra (Chuck), a database on the TV series Chuck
• Hydra, a character in the anime/manga UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie

See also[link]

• Hydro (disambiguation)
• All pages beginning with "hydra"
• All pages with titles containing "hydra"

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Grover Washington, Jr. (December 12, 1943 - December 17, 1999)^[1] was an American jazz-funk / soul-jazz saxophonist. Along with George Benson, John Klemmer, David Sanborn, Bob James, Chuck Mangione, Herb Alpert, and Spyro Gyra, he is considered by many to be one of the founders of the smooth jazz genre.^{[citation needed]} He wrote some of his material and later became an arranger and producer.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Washington made some of the genre's most memorable hits, including "Mister Magic," "Reed Seed," "Black Frost," "Winelight," "Inner City Blues" and "The Best is Yet to Come". In addition, he performed very frequently with other artists, including Bill Withers on "Just the Two of Us" (still in regular rotation on radio today), Patti LaBelle on "The Best Is Yet to Come" and Phyllis Hyman on "A Sacred Kind of Love". He is also remembered for his take on the Dave Brubeck classic "Take Five", and for his 1996 version of "Soulful Strut".

Washington had a preference for black nickel-plated saxophones made by Julius Keilwerth. These included a SX90R alto and SX90R tenor. He also played Selmer Mark VI alto in the early years. His main soprano was a black nickel plated H.Couf Superba II (also built by Keilwerth for Herbert Couf) and a Keilwerth SX90 in the last years of his life.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Washington was born in Buffalo, New York on December 12, 1943. His mother was a church chorister, and his father was a collector of old Jazz gramophone records and a saxophonist as well, so music was everywhere in the home. He grew up with the great jazzmen and big band leaders like Benny Goodman, Fletcher Henderson, and others like them. At the age of 8, Grover Sr. gave Jr. a saxophone. He practiced and would sneak into clubs to see famous Buffalo blues musicians.

Early career[link]

Washington left Buffalo and played with a Midwest group called the Four Clefs and then the Mark III Trio from Mansfield, Ohio. He was drafted into the U.S. Army shortly thereafter, which was to be to his advantage, as he met drummer Billy Cobham. A music mainstay in New York City, Cobham introduced Washington to many New York musicians. After leaving the Army, Washington freelanced his talents around New York City, eventually landing in Philadelphia in 1967.^[1] In 1970 and 1971, he appeared on Leon Spencer's first two albums on Prestige Records, together with Idris Muhammad and Melvin Sparks.

Washington's big break came at the expense of another artist. Alto sax man Hank Crawford was unable to make a recording date with Creed Taylor's Kudu Records,^[2] and Washington took his place, even though he was a backup. This led to his first solo album, Inner City Blues. He was talented and displayed heart and soul with soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones. Refreshing for his time, he made headway into the jazz mainstream.

Fame[link]

Whilst his first three albums established him as a force in jazz and soul music, it was his fourth album in 1974, Mister Magic, that proved a major commercial success. The album climbed to number 10 in Billboard's Top 40 album chart and the title track reached #16 on the R&B singles chart (#54, pop). All these albums included guitarist Eric Gale as a near-permanent member in Washington's arsenal.^[1] His follow-up on Kudu in 1975, Feels So Good also made #10 on the album chart.

A string of acclaimed records brought Washington through the 1970s, culminating in the signature piece for everything he would do from then on. Winelight (1980) was the album that defined everything Washington was then about, having signed for Elektra Records, part of the major Warner Music group. The album was smooth, fused with R&B and easy listening feel. Washington's love of basketball, especially the Philadelphia 76ers, led him to dedicate the second track, "Let It Flow", to Julius Erving (Dr. J). The highlight of the album was his collaboration with soul artist Bill Withers, "Just the Two of Us," a huge hit on radio during the spring and summer of 1981, peaking at #2 on the Hot 100. The album went platinum in 1981, and also won Grammy Awards in 1982 for Best R&B Song ("Just The Two of Us"), and Best Jazz Fusion Performance ("Winelight"). "Winelight" was also nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.^[1]

In the post-Winelight era, Washington is credited for giving rise to a new batch of talent that would make its mark in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He is known for bringing Kenny G to the forefront as well as such smooth jazz artists as Walter Beasley, Steve Cole, Pamela Williams, Najee, and George Howard. His song Mr. Magic is noted as being influential on Go-go music starting in the mid-1970s.^[3]

Death[link]

On December 17, 1999, while waiting in the green room after taping four songs for The Saturday Early Show, at CBS Studios in New York City, Washington collapsed. He was taken to St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 7:30 p.m. He was 56 years old. His doctors determined that he had suffered a massive heart attack.^[1]

Tributes[link]

A large mural of Washington, part of the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, is just south of the intersection of Broad and Diamond Streets.^[4]

Discography[link]

As leader[link]

• 1971: Inner City Blues (Kudu Records)
• 1972: All the King's Horses (Kudu)
• 1973: Soul Box (Kudu)
• 1974: Mister Magic (Kudu)
• 1975: Feels So Good (Kudu)
• 1976: A Secret Place (Kudu)
• 1977: Live At The Bijou (Kudu)
• 1978: Reed Seed (Motown)
• 1979: Paradise (Elektra Records)
• 1980: Skylarkin' (Motown)
• 1980: Winelight (Elektra)
• 1981: Come Morning (Elektra)
• 1981: Baddest (Motown)
• 1982: The Best Is Yet To Come (Elektra)
• 1984: Inside Moves (Elektra)
• 1986: House Full Of Love (Music from The Cosby Show) (Columbia Records)
• 1987: Strawberry Moon (Columbia)
• 1988: Then and Now (Columbia)
• 1989: Time Out of Mind (Columbia)
• 1992: Next Exit (Columbia)
• 1994: All My Tomorrows (Columbia)
• 1996: Soulful Strut (Columbia)
• 1997: Breath of Heaven: A Holiday Collection (Columbia)
• 2000: Aria (Columbia)
• 2001: Discovery - The First Recordings (Prestige)
• 2010: Grover Live (G-Man Productions, Inc.)

As sideman[link]

With Kathleen Battle

• So Many Stars (Sony, 1995)

With Kenny Burrell

• Togethering (Blue Note, 1985)

With Dexter Gordon

• American Classic (Elektra, 1982)

With Urbie Green

• Señor Blues (CTI, 1977)

With The Mark III Trio

• Let's Ska at the Ski Lodge (Downhill, 1964)

With Gerry Mulligan

• Dragonfly (Telarc, 1995)

With Don Sebesky

• Giant Box (CTI, 1973)

With Leon Spencer

• Sneak Preview (Prestige Records, 1970)
• Louisiana Slim (Prestige, 1971)

With Mal Waldron

• My Dear Family (Evidence, 1990)

With Randy Weston

• Blue Moses (CTI, 1972)

With Bill Withers

• "Just the Two of Us" (Columbia Records, 1981)
• "In the Name of Love" (Columbia, 1981)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Grover Washington, Jr. at Legacy Recordings
• Grover Washington TV Interview from C Music TV
• Jazz Conversations with Eric Jackson: Grover Washington Jr. from WGBH Radio Boston
• Grover Washington Jr. At Find A Grave