Grover the Groove Meister had no problem gliding from his soul-jazz sound of the 1970s to the radio friendly smoothness of the 1980s as this three-for-one reissue reveals. Strawberry Moon has the classic feel of the era, mixing vocals and easy listening grooves, with Jean Carne oozing class on the blandest of melodies. Strawberry Moon was Washington's first Columbia release and saw him self-producing. This newfound confidence comes to the fore on the surprising contrasts of Then And Now. Washington revels in a straight-ahead jazz context, first of all singing on soprano on a Ron Carter tune (with Carter immaculate as ever). Then Washington takes it down on a fine rendition of a Hancock ballad, with the man himself chaste as ever on piano. But it's Flanagan's contribution to the elegant lyricism of ‘Something Borrowed, Something Blue’ that is the worth price of this 28-track bonanza alone. Time Out Of Mind immediately announces itself, however, as a child of its time: the acoustic jazz of Then And Now is dropped for drum machines and dull dance floor grooves, though Phyllis Hyman could sing the phone book and make you swoon.