Recorded just two years before his untimely death this concert fully illustrates why Gil Scott-Heron felt the need to name check Philadelphian legend Washington alongside the likes of Ellington on ‘Is That Jazz?’ The inquiry also invokes the gremlin that stalked the latter part of Washington's career, namely the moniker of ‘smooth jazz’ progenitor that became more of a millstone than a milestone. Critics who accuse the saxophonist of adulterating ‘America's greatest artform’ might find some ammunition scattered liberally over this performance, mostly in a few trite melodies that veer uncomfortably close to ‘easy listening’. A bigger problem is the garish if not plastic character of some of the keyboard sounds. Yet these shortcomings cannot detract from the artistry that made Washington Jnr a key figure in black music in the 1970s and 1980s. As can be heard on tracks such as ‘Black Frost’, ‘Sassy Stew’, ‘Sausalito’ and above all ‘Mr Magic’ he personalised the tradition of instrumental R&B with a distinctive blend of hard funk backbeats, improvisatory nouse – his soprano playing really is a thing of beauty – and a strong latin-Caribbean sensibility. If there is a good argument for some trimming of the 75 minutes of audio here there is also a valid need for recognition of the stature of the leader-composer and the quality of his accompanists.