Tag Archives: Stanley Turrentine

Listening Room – “Hustlin”

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Stanley Turrentine – “Love Letters”

Stanley Turrentine – “The Hustler”

From “Hustlin” : 1964 : Blue Note BLP 4162

This 1964 session is another great album from the husband and wife team of Stanley Turrentine and Shirley Scott.  All of their recordings are worth checking out and this one is no exception, especially with the addition of Kenny Burrell on guitar.  One year earlier Turrentine had joined Burrell on his classic album “Midnight Blue”, so the two were familiar with each other and it shows.  The somewhat obscure drummer Otis Finch anchors the group very well, and as always Bob Cranshaw is solid on the bass.  When Blue Note put out “Hustlin” in 2002 as part of their Rudy Van Gelder series it was the first time that the album had been released on CD in the U.S.

Players:
Stanley Turrentine – Tenor Sax
Shirley Scott – Organ
Kenny Burrell – Guitar
Bob Cranshaw – Bass
Otis Finch – Drums

Listening Room – “Sugar”

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Sugar

Stanley Turrentine – “Sugar”

Stanley Turrentine – “Impressions”

Stanley Turrentine – “Sugar (Live)”

From “Sugar” : 1970 : CTI 6005

“Sugar” was Stanley Turrentine’s debut recording for CTI, a label for whom he would go on to record a string of fantastic albums.  The original album only contained three tracks, while the out-of-print 1991 CD reissue added on a bonus live track of the title track (included here) which is a killer take on the album version that adds Johnny Hammond, Hubert Laws and Billy Cobham to the band [recorded at the Southgate Palace in Los Angeles in 1971].  The whole album is a showcase for Turrentine’s smoldering soul jazz saxophone sound, while Freddie Hubbard (who would record a few masterpieces for CTI) and George Benson are also in top form.  The band’s take on Coltrane’s Impressions closed out the original LP in fine fashion with the players firing on all cylinders.

Players:
Stanley Turrentine – Tenor Sax
Freddie Hubbard – Trumpet
Hubert Laws – Flute (Live track only)
Lonnie Liston Smith – Electric Piano
Johnny Hammond – Electric Piano (Live track only)
George Benson – Guitar
Butch Cornell – Organ
Ron Carter – Bass
Richard “Pablo” Landrum – Congas
Billy Kaye – Drums
Billy Cobham – Drums (Live track only)

From “Sunday Night”, 1989.  Stanley Turrentine – Sax, Hiram Bullock – Guitar, Philippe Saisse – Keys, Don Alias – Percussion, Tom Barney – Bass, J.T. Lewis, Drums.

Listening Room – “Back At The Chicken Shack”

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Back At The Chicken Shack

Jimmy Smith – Back At The Chicken Shack

Jimmy Smith – Messy Bessie

Recorded for Blue Note in 1960, “Back At The Chicken Shack” set the bar for Hammond B3 driven soul-jazz records.  A young Stanley Turrentine is in top form, as is Kenny Burrell on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums.  Smith wrote two songs for the album, the classic title track as well as the groover Messy Bessie.

Players:
Jimmy Smith – Hammond B3
Stanley Turrentine – Tenor Sax
Kenny Burrell – Guitar
Donald Bailey – Drums