George Howard – The Very Best of George Howard and Then Some (1997)

George Howard always said that his music was not jazz, even while he appeared at jazz festivals. A fine R&B-ish soprano saxophonist heavily influenced by Grover Washington, Jr., Howard's recordings tended to be steady sellers but artistically quite erratic, geared toward a dancing funk audience. This best-of collection puts the focus on Howard's playing (the majority of the pieces are instrumentals) and is one of the better sets for listeners who want to actually hear his saxophone. Nine songs are drawn from eight of George Howard's GRP CDs, and there are two previously unreleased numbers from 1997 ("Midnight Mood" and "Find Your Way") that are among his final recordings.