Critics hail SALIM WASHINGTON as a "fabulous sounding tenor saxophonist, bursting with energy," and as a musician who plays with great passion, intelligence, and control. The great PHAROAH SANDERS calls him "very colorful."

Washington is one of the tenor players who values originality while always paying tribute to the great saxophonists before him. He is often compared to JOHN COLTRANE because of the palpable spirituality and exploratory courage in his playing. Washington balks at this kind of praise, as he considers himself a disciple of the late giant, Coltrane, whom he sees as a kind of musical prophet. Washington continues the tradition of modernists such as LESTER YOUNG, DEXTER GORDON, RAHSAAN ROLAND KIRK, PHAROAH SANDERS, ALBERT AYLER, and the reigning master of the tenor saxophone, SONNY ROLLINS.

Salim is also unusual in that he is at once comfortable playing "inside" or "out." In fact, such a dichotomy doesn't really describe Washington's music; it simply swings into the truth. He eschews virtuosic displays for the sake of one upsmanship, instead valuing the old adage, "tell your story, baby." Washington is indeed a master story teller, spinning visions of revolutionary change as well as reverent humility before the beauty of creation and awe and wonder at not only the natural world, but the the interplay of cultures and histories that combine to reveal the human condition.