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George Howard's polished
fusion of funk, jazz and urban soul helped the soprano saxophonist become
one of the most popular contemporary jazz performers of the '80s and '90s.
Since he concentrated on groove and overall sound instead of improvisation,
Howard never received much attention from jazz critics, but retained a
large audience well into his second decade of performing. Howard began
his musical career in the late '70s. He received his first break when
Grover Washington Jr., invited him on a tour in 1979. The tour helped
establish Howard's name, and in 1982 he released his debut album. The
record was a moderate hit, as was its follow-up, Steppin' out. It wasn't
until the release of Dancing in the sun that George Howard earned a large
audience. The album reached number one on the contemporary jazz charts.
Following this release he moved to MCA, where he released A nice place
to be, Reflections, Personal and Love will follow. All four records were
considerable successes on the charts. In 1991, he signed to GRP, where
he issued Love and understanding that year. It was followed by Do I ever
cross your mind in 1992. A home far away was released in 1994. All of
his GRP recordings were quite successful, confirming his place among the
most popular contemporary jazz performers of the '90s. His first five
years with GRP, plus a selection of his MCA recordings, were summarized
on The very best of George Howard. George Howard died of cancer march
29, 1998. A few months later, his last recording, a version of Sly Stone's
There's a riot goin' on, which was conceived as part of Blue Note's cover
series was released.
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