Grover Washington Jr. 1978 -Live at the Bijou (@256)

Following the example of soulful peers such as Curtis Mayfield and Les McCann, Grover Washington Jr. used Live at the Bijou's concert setting to elaborate upon the grooves that fuel his repertoire and to showcase the talent of his supporting cast.

The three-piece rhythm section is in particularly fine fettle, mostly eschewing the fluidity of jazz in favor of sassy, rollicking funk that climaxes near the end of the disc with "Sausalito" (featuring percussionist Leonard Gibbs) and "Funkfoot."

Flautist Leslie Burrs grabs center stage with a long, Washington-esque solo on "Days in Our Lives," and keyboardist James Simmons and violinist John Blake also have their signature moments.

But the spotlight inevitably returns to Washington. Performing at the age of 34 at a neighborhood club in his native Philadelphia, the saxophonist is in prime form, tearing through "Mr. Magic" on tenor and prancing over "You Make Me Dance" with a fleet-fingered soprano solo. All told, Live at the Bijou ranks just behind Inner City Blues, Mister Magic, and Winelight as an essential part of his voluminous catalog