The late Philadelphian may have spawned countless inane imitators who micro-waved the tailend of his career in the mid-1990s, which sadly did soften into radio cheese of a fairly unpalatable kind, but he made superlative music for two-and-a-half decades prior to that. Grover's legacy is pivotal. This fine two-disc collection highlights it well. Although jazz and R&B had a longstanding relationship well before his rise, Washington put a progressive slant on ‘fusion’ in the early 1970s during his tenure at Motown and Kudu. By accident or design the influence of labelmates Marvin Gaye, (arrangers) Paul Riser and David Van De Pitte and soundtrack composers Quincy Jones and Lalo Schifrin permeated his material, ushering him towards what was really a form of instrumental soul music that is greatly enriched by the finesse of the string arrangements. They are of paramount importance. The coda of ‘Mister Magic’ and the overture of ‘Black Frost’, where the violins plot an eerie trajectory, are simply majestic, and would have provided a perfect bed for some of Marvin's own spectral double-tracking. Quite thrillingly, Grover offset that sophistication with a rugged funkiness in his improvisations, which are often piping hot and potently enhanced by extraordinary accompanists. If ‘Winelight’ is very welcome then the real jewel in the crown is ‘Asphalt Canyon Blues’, featured on the little heralded record Grover made with guitarist Kenny Burrell in 1984. It put him in the illustrious company of Ron Carter and Jack DeJohnette. Shame that Miles Davis didn't make that session.