What's your favorite Stanley Turrentine session?

[bluesbro]

Im trying to beef up my Stanley Turrentine collection. What is your favorite session that best showcases Mr Turrentine? Either as a leader or sideman. I guess mine still is the Kenny Burrel Midninght Blue. probably the first time I ever heard of Stan.

[reg]

hard to pick one but Hustlin' is my favorite

[mikelz777]

That's Where It's At

This one would be somewhere near the top. Mr. T and Les McCann made an excellent pair.

Up At Minton's

Another very strong consideration with Grant Green and Horace Parlan. Parlan and Mr. T were another excellent pair and all their recordings together are well worth checking out.

Edited August 11, 2008 by mikelz777

[Big Al]

That's Where It's At

This one would be somewhere near the top. Mr. T and Les McCann made an excellent pair.

Up At Minton's

Another very strong consideration with Grant Green and Horace Parlan. Parlan and Mr. T were another excellent pair and all their recordings together are well worth checking out.

I have to agree with mikelz77 here. I don't know if these are necessarily my favorites, but you certainly can't go wrong starting with these two!

[king ubu]

Yup, the Minton's is very good, in my opinion! Some mighty fine blues playing by Turrentine, and one of the most sympathetic bands he led, the trio of Parlan/Tucker/Harewood. Add Grant Green, and it can't be all bad!

The three albums he did with this band and brother Tommy in place of Green are mighty fine as well (two are on the Horace Parland Mosaic, the third is on his own Mosaic).

Hustlin' is very good as well.

And another classic sideman album is Kenny Burrell's "Midnight Blue".

Also the collaboration with the Three Sounds is good ("Blue Hour" - make sure you get the expanded Connoisseur 2CD set!)

On second thought, none of it is really that great, but then that's Stanley Turrentine... he's all about sound and feeling, and he's great at that! But he's not one of the most varied or whatever, but he's great at what he does!

Some more: Smith's "Back at the Chicken Shack" is great as well ("Midnight Special" didn't click that well with me and "Prayer Meetin'" I still don't "get").

Another fine one is that one Rare Groove, quartet with McCoy Tyner... ah yes, "Easy Walker" - some very good stuff on that one!

[Rooster_Ties]

Dizzy Reece -- "Comin' On!"

Edit: I can't tell you the first date I ever heard him on, but this was the first one I where I *really* took notice of him.

He's a good player in any context -- but I think he's a much better hard-bop guy, than soul jazz player -- even though he's much better known for his more soul-jazz leaning dates.

Edited August 11, 2008 by Rooster_Ties

[John Tapscott]

Look Out! - such a happy, swinging session

[Rooster_Ties]

The Mosaic set is quite wonderful too (and still available!!). I'm digging it out now, just cuz of this thread, and will try to give the whole thing a listen this week. These three sessions from that set are particularly good, if I'm remembering them right...

IN MEMORY OF -- Blue Mitchell (tp), Curtis Fuller (tb), Stanley Turrentine (ts), Herbie Hancock (p), Bob Cranshaw (b), Otis Candy Finch (d).

Englewood Cliffs, NJ, June 3,1964

1361 (tk.2) Fried Pies-1,2

1362 (tk.5) In Memory Of-1,2

1363 (tk.13) Sunday In New York

1365 (tk.30) Make Someone Happy-2

1364 (tk.35) Jodie's Cha Cha

1366 (tk.38) Niger Mambo-1

MR. NATURAL -- Lee Morgan (tp), Stanley Turrentine (ts), McCoy Tyner (p), Bob Cranshaw (b), Elvin Jones (d), Ray Barretto (conga).

Englewood Cliffs, NJ, September 4, 1964

1422 (tk.1) Shirley -2

1423 (tk.11) Wahoo (aka Stanley's Blues) -1

1424 (tk.14) Tacos -2

1425 (tk.22) Can't Buy Me Love (omit Barretto)

1426 (tk.23) My Girl Is Just Enough Woman For Me (omit Morgan & Barretto)

ANOTHER STORY -- Thad Jones (flh), Stanley Turrentine (ts), Cedar Walton (p), Buster Williams (b), Mickey Roker(d).

Englewood Cliffs, NJ, March 3,1969

3743 (tk.2) The Way You Look Tonight

3744 (tk.11) Quittin' Time

3745 (tk.22) Stella By Starlight (omit Jones)

3746 (tk.28) Six And Four

3747 (tk.31) Get It

[Soul Stream]

I really dig "A Chip Of The Old Block" and "Dearly Beloved". Hustlin' is definately up there though!

[king ubu]

Dizzy Reece -- "Comin' On!"

Edit: I can't tell you the first date I ever heard him on, but this was the first one I where I *really* took notice of him.

He's a good player in any context -- but I think he's a much better hard-bop guy, than soul jazz player -- even though he's much better known for his more soul-jazz leaning dates.

I first noticed him on "Back at the Chicken Shack", then again several years later on his own "Up at Minton's", and then again a third time, a while later, on Reece's wonderful "Star Bright"! Good call on "Soundin' Off" - and interesting about comparing his hard-bop vs. soul jazz playing. Not sure where I stand on that, not even sure the distinction makes a lot of sense...

Where'd you put the recordings with Roach? They're marvellous! Some on Mercury (part of the great Roach Mosaic), and then there's a marvellous live recording out on Enja, "Long As You're Living Yours", by the same band (w/Tommy T and Julian Priester).

[Chuck Nessa]

I first noticed him on "Back at the Chicken Shack", then again several years later on his own "Up at Minton's", and then again a third time, a while later, on Reece's wonderful "Star Bright"!

Funny, his playing on "Star Bright" never caught my attention.

[Peter Friedman]

I tend to agree with what a number of people have already said.

Under Turrentine's leadership:::

Look Out

Up At Minton's

As a sideman with Horace Parlan:

Speakin" My Piece

On The Spur Of The Moment

[jazzbo]

Okay, you know what he meant to say!

Don't overlook ANY of the appearances with Max Roach.

[Big Al]

On second thought, none of it is really that great, but then that's Stanley Turrentine... he's all about sound and feeling, and he's great at that! But he's not one of the most varied or whatever, but he's great at what he does!

I agree with that last part, but I believe Stanley was a strongly varied player! He fit right in with organ trios, piano trios, quintets & sextet small combos, big bands... heck, even his CTI stuff is a force to be reckoned with!

[bluesbro]

I think 'Up at Minton's' is next

[JSngry]

hard to pick one but Hustlin' is my favorite

One of mine too.

Along with Shirley Scott's Queen Of The Organ & an Impulse! LP known as Everybody Loves A Lover that I don't think has been reissued.

I also dig most of Stanley's CTI work. Sugar is kinda not exactly what I want it to be, but Salt Song & Don't Mess With Mister T are.

Duke Pearson's The Right Touch, that's another good one for Turrentine.

Truthfully, the guy was pretty damn consistent as leader and sideman on Blue Note, CTI, Prestige, & Impulse! Explore freely there, i say.

And do not overlook his work with Max Roach. Not nearly as distinctive as what came after, but damn fine nevertheless, and necessary information lest one think of him strictly as a "Soul Jazz" player who wasn't equipped to deal with more "challenging" material. Au contraire!

Edit to add: BLUE HOUR!!!

Edited August 11, 2008 by JSngry

[Dan Gould]

Edit to add: BLUE HOUR!!!

The GHF says

OH HELL YEAH!!!

[sidewinder]

A big favourite is the 'Another Story' session with Thad Jones. A real low-key gem, that one..

[BruceH]

I've always really liked his work as sideman on the Duke Jordan album Flight To Jordan.

[felser]

I'll put in another vote for "That's Where It's At". Didn't expect to be blown away by that one (I'm not big on McCann from that period, though I really like the "Swiss Movement"/"Invitation To Openness"/"Live At Montreux" recordings later on), but I was/am.

[Sundog]

In addition to many already mentioned, as a sideman...

Gene Harris Trio Plus One

[Shrdlu]

This is a hard one, as Stanley was consistently good.

I've never heard him on a bad session. I have all his Blue Note sessions, I think - you need a couple of those later "LT" LPs to get the lot.

My first taste was the abovementioned Duke Jordan album (a mono BN LP, yum yum) and that was more than enough to make me a fan.

The sessions with his bro Tommy and Horace Parlan are very tasty.

But it's all good. Sorry if that's frustrating. At least you are safe buying any of his records.

[Tom in RI]

For a later date try More Than a Mood on Musicmasters, a quartet date from 1992 with Cedar Walton, Ron Carter and Billy Higgins. Freddie Hubbard sits in on a couple of cuts also.

[Ron S]

Another for Blue Hour. Be sure to pick up the 2-disc "Complete Blue Hour Sessions":

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Sessions-St...8906&sr=1-1

[Rooster_Ties]

I may be the only one here with this opinion, but "Blue Hour" puts me to sleep every time. Never made it through more that 2-3 cuts, at most. (Bonus disc too for the most part, though not as much as the first disc.)