Jim Alfredson Posted December 16, 2015 Report Share Posted December 16, 2015 I'm a little surprised that we haven't had a thread about Stanley Turrentine. Or maybe we have but I can't find it. But in any case, here is one. Stanley is one of my favorite saxophonists. His tone and phrasing always bring a smile to my face and make me want to dance, no matter my mood. I adore the records he did with Shirley Scott, his wife from 1960 to 1970. Right now I'm listening to 'Never Let Me Go', which is one of my favorites. The rhythm section of Major Holley on bass and Al Harewood on drums swings like mad. I love his work with Max Roach, too in the quartet with his brother, Tommy. This is one of my favorite albums of that era: I never had the pleasure of seeing Stanley T live. I was going to see him in Ann Arbor at one of the last Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festivals in 2000 but he died just days before his scheduled appearance. What I love most about his playing is his melodic interpretations. He could play any song and make it sound good. Long live Stanley T and his big tenor sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Dolan Posted December 16, 2015 Report Share Posted December 16, 2015 I don't know whether there's been a thread or not, but a few years ago someone here turned me on to Blue Hour with Stanley Turrentine & The Three Sounds. Fantastic fucking album. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Kart Posted December 17, 2015 Report Share Posted December 17, 2015 May have been introduced to him on Tommy Turrentine's Time album, which is the Roach group under Tommy's name. Immediately clear that he had his own thing, so damn melodic. Caught him once live in 1984 at a Chicago club. Sounded great. Review of that performance (with a typo): http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1984/06/29/page/197/article/turrentines-soulful-saxophone-speaks-a-sound-all-its-own Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnblitweiler Posted December 17, 2015 Report Share Posted December 17, 2015 22 minutes ago, Larry Kart said: May have been introduced to him on Tommy Turrentine's Time album, which is the Roach group under Tommy's name. Immediately clear that he had his own thing, so damn melodic. Caught him once live in 1984 at a Chicago club. Sounded great. Review of that performance (with a typo): http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1984/06/29/page/197/article/turrentines-soulful-saxophone-speaks-a-sound-all-its-own Thanks for the review, Larry. That's it, exactly! That's his feelings, that's how he tells his stories. And yes, he should have been from Texas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted December 17, 2015 Report Share Posted December 17, 2015 He was the perfect CTI artist in that the setting enhanced what he was already doing rather than compromised/distracted/altered it. But apart from that, just so freakin' natural a player. That Blue Note run is one triumph after another, people talk about the great Blue Note runs, sometimes Stanley T. gets overlooked, but that's just wrong. And the cross-label shit with Shirley Scott? C'mon, naturallovesexmusic. CTI getting it right: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Berger Posted December 17, 2015 Report Share Posted December 17, 2015 He had some phenomenal sideman appearances in the 60s for Jimmy Smith, Shirley Scott, Duke Pearson and Kenny Burrell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HutchFan Posted December 17, 2015 Report Share Posted December 17, 2015 (edited) Jim, you're so right about Stanley and the CTI's. I know that Sugar is the "classic" -- but Salt Song is my fave. The other Stanley Turrentine that really makes me smile is Jubilee Shout!!! Along with Stanley, it features Tommy T., Sonny Clark and some FANTASTIC Kenny Burrell. Of course, Stanley ain't half bad on KB's Midnight Blue either! Edited December 17, 2015 by HutchFan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted December 17, 2015 Report Share Posted December 17, 2015 My favorite BN might be Hustlin'. The comping interplay between Scott & Burrell on that record is so freeing. They don't take up space, they clear it out. Remarkable. I mean, I've heard one person's comp create more clutter than it's worth, these are two people and they're opening up a lane big enough for the proverbial Truck Of Swing could drive through with its eyes closed. Credit also to Messrs. Cransahw * Finch for that two, but...just a reminder of how big bands just to work, sections vs section, sum greater than parts, not of this world, but definitely of that one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HutchFan Posted December 17, 2015 Report Share Posted December 17, 2015 (edited) Never heard Hustlin'. Sounds splendid. I'm adding it to my list. 2 hours ago, Jim Alfredson said: Long live Stanley T and his big tenor sound. Great idea for a thread, Jim!!! And, yes, long live the REAL Mr. T!!!! Edited December 17, 2015 by HutchFan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danasgoodstuff Posted December 17, 2015 Report Share Posted December 17, 2015 The whole first side (on LP) of Dearly Beloved has a lovely flow to it, just Stan and Shirley and a drummer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted December 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2015 Yes, I think Hustlin' is my second fav. And I totally agree with the comping comment. Kenny Burrell is just masterful. Anyone else notice the sudden shift from stereo to mono on the second track, at the beginning of Scott's solo? I assume there was an issue with the stereo recorder at the session, as I have the original vinyl and it does the same thing. If I recall correctly, Rudy always had a mono safety running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjzee Posted December 17, 2015 Report Share Posted December 17, 2015 Excellent thread. When I was "coming of age" in jazz listening, I gave Stanley short shrift because of his run of albums on Fantasy, but now I know where the good shit is. I'd like to put in a special word for this: I also liked this later album: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJ Shearn Posted December 17, 2015 Report Share Posted December 17, 2015 Let's not forget "Blue Flames" on Prestige, great disc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted December 17, 2015 Report Share Posted December 17, 2015 (edited) Funny, my iTunes went a little haywire on me yesterday and morphed from some rock playlist (when I left the room) into jazz (when I came back). I didn't immediately recognize the player but I thought damn, modern yet very "meaty", soulful and in the pocket. Of course it was Stanley Turrentine, the "Mr. Natural" album (with one Lee Morgan). My favorites include "Z.T.'s Blues" and "Comin' Your Way". I also *love* his CTI Greatest Hits CD ("The Best Of Stanley Turrentine") - really does a great job of sampling that era. Edited December 17, 2015 by Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted December 17, 2015 Report Share Posted December 17, 2015 Loved Mr. T from the moment I heard him (might have been on Midnight Blue but I am not 100%) but 1A and 1B will always be Blue Hour and Gene Harris Trio +1. Slow, mellow blues on the former and one of the all-time greasiest recordings on the latter. So if you like Stan but thought Blue Hour was 'sleepy' or some such, don't sleep on Gene Harris Trio +1. Gene and Stanley tear it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmonahan Posted December 17, 2015 Report Share Posted December 17, 2015 Haven't gotten that Mosaic set out in a while. I'll give a couple of discs a spin! gregmo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted December 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 The Mosaic set is a gem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim R Posted December 18, 2015 Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 (edited) On 12/16/2015 at 3:10 PM, Jim Alfredson said: I'm a little surprised that we haven't had a thread about Stanley Turrentine. Or maybe we have but I can't find it. I knew there had to be some Stanley T threads here. I've always been a big fan too, and collected his stuff rabidly. I don't remember where I started with him, but I do remember loving the Blue Note twofer LP that included some of that large ensemble material that didn't make it to CD until relatively recently (the Duke Pearson-arranged stuff that ended up on "Prodigal Son" and "A Bluish Bag"). I particularly loved his knack (like Hampton Hawes) of making something special out of 60's pop material that relatively few other jazz players were playing. By the way... I struggled to find the above threads using google until I included "site:" in front of "organissimo.org" (site:organissimo.org "stanley turrentine"), which brought up the links. Edited December 18, 2015 by Jim R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted December 18, 2015 Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 Speaking of Duke Pearson & Stanley Turrentine, this one was always on the jazz radio here well into the 1990s. That Turrentine solo, geez, you talk about radio-ready in all the right ways!.That last note! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tDRH30Wc2c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjRWditGKRY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a1K7J3Yr2E https://youtu.be/2tDRH30Wc2c https://youtu.be/YjRWditGKRY https://youtu.be/2a1K7J3Yr2E ...and not one of those works, does it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted December 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 I wonder if the software has a limit on how many videos you can post in one thread? Because now the YouTube links are not automatically parsing for me either. Weird. I'll send out yet another support ticket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidewinder Posted December 18, 2015 Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 On 17 December 2015 at 2:30 AM, mjzee said: I also liked this later album: The one time I got to see Stanley T. play live he did some of the material from that album. Jazz Alley in Seattle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Friedman Posted December 18, 2015 Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 Stanley made so many terrific albums on Blue Note that this one may get overlooked. Turrentine and Les McCann fit together like bacon and eggs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Kart Posted December 18, 2015 Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 1 hour ago, Peter Friedman said: Stanley made so many terrific albums on Blue Note that this one may get overlooked. Turrentine and Les McCann fit together like bacon and eggs. The groove on "Smile, Stacey" is ridiculous. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wcFx26D5Ck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted December 19, 2015 Report Share Posted December 19, 2015 Like Dan, I first heard Stanley on 'Midnight special'. Couldn't afford to buy Blue Note LPs in the early sixties, because they cost 70% more than regular UK mfd LPs, but I'd go into the first HMV shop in Oxford Street and take a couple of LPs into a both, listen to 'Midnight special' or later 'Back at the Chicken Shack' and buy maybe a Ray Charles LP. I don't have QUITE everything he recorded. I only have a couple of his Fantasy LPs (but 'Everybody come on out' is VERY good indeed) and only 2 of his Elektra albums (and they're both not very good), even though Stan's playing is STILL super; he could rise above any kind of shit thrown at him, though one still doesn't want MUCH of that, thanks. And I didn't like 'Quiet as it's kept' when I bought it, so I've kept off those Roach-style albums, including the Tommy T album. But I think I have pretty well everything else. I saw him live in NYC in 1990 at Sweet Basil and, despite inordinately high prices for entry and drinks, loved it! One of my favourites is 'ZT's blues'. Don't know WHY that wasn't included in the Mosaic box. And 'Easy walker', too. Yes, think I'll get that out and rip it to my hard drive this afternoon. MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomsMobley Posted December 20, 2015 Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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