Recorded in between his modernist masterpieces Let Freedom Ring and One Step Beyond, Tippin’ the Scales finds Jackie McLean returning to a safer, more straightforward hard bop scenario for a short spell. Since the album wasn’t really in keeping with the direction McLean was heading (and since that direction…

Although he is best known for his bluesy soul-jazz outings, tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine’s first Blue Note session as a leader was a much more traditional bop affair, and the resulting album, Look Out!, featuring a rhythm section of Horace Parlan on piano, George Tucker on bass, and Al…

Stanley Turrentine’s great blues-inflected tenor sax work for Blue Note Records in the 1960s helped build the template for what became known as soul-jazz, but Turrentine was always restless, and he recorded in a wide variety of formats, from trios to sextets, during his nine years at the label….

Other than a few short spots, Stanley Turrentine is the only significant soloist on this CD reissue which features a diverse program including “When the Sun Comes Out,” “Maybe September,” “You’re Gonna Hear from Me” and a previously unreleased rendition of Max Roach’s jazz waltz “Lonesome Lover.” Although he…

This is a typically excellent recording from the husband-wife team of tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine and organist Shirley Scott. With assistance from guitarist Kenny Burrell, bassist Bob Cranshaw, and drummer Otis Finch, Turrentine (who always had the skill of playing melodies fairly straight but with his own brand of…

Stanley Turrentine is the featured artist in this big band session with an all-star orchestra arranged and conducted by Oliver Nelson. While Nelson’s charts are funky and easygoing (without providing any solo space for the likes of Phil Woods, Clark Terry, and Jay Jay Johnson), they serve the purpose…

A Blue Note release with Les McCann on piano, Herbie Lewis on bass, and Otis Finch on drums. Small group format. Excellent (and exciting) soul-jazz session with Turrentine blowing hot. ~ Ron Wynn & Michael Erlewine

This 1961 groove date by Stanley Turrentine is an example of him at his fiery peak. Far from the slow groover of the CTI years, Turrentine’s early Blue Note sides were massive and bright, saturated in deep soul and blues. This set featured Turrentine’s wife, organist and composer Shirley…

Easy Walker is a fairly standard but highly enjoyable small-group soul-jazz session from Stanley Turrentine. Backed by a rhythm section of pianist McCoy Tyner, drummer Mickey Roker, and bassist Bob Cranshaw, Turrentine turns in a number of rich, round, and full-bodied leads which are perfectly complemented by Tyner’s strutting,…

In the mid- to late ’60s, Blue Note was beginning to take on the affectations of funk and a new kind of “cool.” For the most part, Turrentine steers clear of that style, and Rough ‘n’ Tumble is a pretty straight-ahead set, especially for 1966. “And Satisfy” and “Feelin’…