Along with George Benson, Grover Washington, Jr. virtually invented smooth jazz. He's one of the chief architects who built the bridge between hard-core bebop and blistering R&B. He played both beautifully. In a recording date originally intended for Hank Crawford, Washington established his voice as a purveyor of deep-felt soul. He took Marvin Gaye's anthem of ghetto anguish and demonstrated that the ability to transform pain into poetry is a hallmark of African-American music.