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Sweet, smooth, and soulful – a heck of a great album from Stanley Turrentine, and one that's recorded in a mode that steps off nicely from his best work at CTI! The sound's a bit tighter than most of his sides as Mister T, but the groove is still quite similar – a warm approach to electric soul jazz, played by the best in the business, and topped off by some great lead solo work from Stan – all in that impeccable tone, and with some surprisingly creative solo flourishes that seem to pop out of nowhere and keep the record interesting! Wade Marcus arranged, and players include Paul Jackson, Harvey Mason, Bill Summers, and Joe Sample – on tunes that include "I'm Not In Love", "There Is A Place", "Stairway To Heaven", "Everybody Come On Out", "Hope That We Can Be Together Soon", and "Airport Love Theme".

A 70s soulful classic from the mighty Stanley Turrentine! Stan's not the bad "Mister T" on this set – he's more in a smooth, mellow mode – blowing over some nice soulful arrangements by Gene Page, ones that take the CTI funk approach, add in some strings, and create a bit of a Barry White sort of instrumental groove! The result is surprisingly great – a lot nicer than you might think – with plenty of slinky soulful numbers that have a subtle undercurrent of funk, and still feature some excellent and inventive blowing from Stan. Titles include "Midnight & You", "Blanket On The Beach", "I'm In Love", "Evil", "Pieces of Dreams", and "Deep In Love".

Use The Stairs is a near-forgotten date from 1980 – recorded at a time when Stanley Turrentine was still steeped in the fuller arrangements picked up during his CTI years – blowing beautifully as a soloist in the larger setting! The sound here is plenty darn hip – thanks to arrangements from Wade Marcus, who keeps the proceedings more in the soul side of the spectrum than the smooth jazz one. And as always, Turrentine almost sounds better here than in a small group – blowing with a "voice" that's tremendous, and which speaks volumes in a very small space. Other players include Cedar Walton on piano, Gene Bertoncini on guitars, Phil Bodner on reeds, and Grady Tate on drums – and titles include "Tomorrow", "The Lamp Is Low", "Till The Very End", "Jordu", "On A Misty Night", and "Pay The Price".

One of the best CTI albums from the early 70s – and one of Stanley Turrentine's funkiest records as well! The album's got a sharper edge than most other Turrentine albums of the time – a quality that goes beyond Stan's already soulful approach to the tenor, and which brings in some tight changes and more pronounced rhythms that really give the best cuts a great groove! The group's a sextet – with Bob James on electric piano, Milt Jackson on vibes, Cornell Dupree on guitar, Ron Carter on bass, and Billy Cobham on drums – and titles include a monster version of Weldon Irvine's "Sister Sanctified" – a great funk tune that's probably best known as the sample for "My Philosophy" by BDP! Other tracks include "Speedball", "Cherry", and "The Revs".

A really great later Blue Note session from Stanley Turrentine – a small combo set that's almost a return to the format of earlier years! The group's a strong one – and features Shirley Scott on organ, Jimmy Ponder on guitar, and Idris Muhammad on drums – playing in a style that's subtler and more laidback than his work with Lou Donaldson, but which still has a nice funk undercurrent. Stan's horn is in wonderful form on the record – really taking advantage of the longer tracks to open up with a mellow and exploratory tone – and the team of Scott and Ponder especially sounds great next to each other on the album. Tracks include "Boogaloo", "Buster Brown", and "Common Touch".

Stanley blows it sweet, mellow, and soulfully – in this wonderful post-CTI session from the 70s! The set features some swirling larger arrangements from Gene Page – done with a bit of the CTI sound lurking in the mix, but also a more complicated groove that almost takes on soundtrack-like proportions at times – a warmly-flowing groove that's lush without being soppy, and which really sets Turrentine up nicely for some sophisticated, mature solos on tenor. Stan's got some great company on the record – including Patrice Rushen on keyboards, David T Walker on guitar, and Freddie Hubbard on trumpet – and although the set's laidback, it's a lot more soulful than you might think – almost like a hip mellow soul set from the time, but with tenor instead of vocals. Includes covers of the Earth Wind & Fire tunes "Reasons" and "That's The Way Of The World", plus the tracks "Touching You", "T's Dream", and "Have You Ever Seen The Rain".

A stone smoker from the great Stanley Turrentine – an album that's got a lot more of an edge than some of his other Blue Note dates from the time – yet, for some odd reason, wasn't issued until the end of the 70s! The group's a crackling septet – yet still put together relatively loosely, not with the tighter arrangements that would show up so often in Turrentine's years. Stan's got a nice raw tone on tenor – and other players include Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, and Herbie Hancock on piano – plus great rhythms from Bob Cranshaw on bass, Otis Finch on drums, and Mickey Roker on percussion. The percussion brings in a nice extra kick – almost a bit of a Latin vibe at times – and titles include "Make Someone Happy", "In Memory Of", "Niger Mambo", "Fried Pies", and "Jodi's Cha Cha".

A great album – with a really swinging groove! Stanley's soulful horn is set in a slightly larger group, in the style that would dominate his later years for the Blue Note label. Duke Pearson arranged the set, and players include James Spaulding, Blue Mitchell, Grant Green, Pepper Adams, and McCoy Tyner. Tracks are of medium length, with Stan blowing some nicely-pinched solos on titles like "Shake", "Walk On By", and "And Satisfy" – all with tight arrangements by Pearson.

A big hit for Stanley Turrentine – and a pretty darn nice record of extended groovers, with a harder sound than you might expect from the tongue-licking cover, and a title of Sugar! The record's only got three cuts – one of them Stanley's famous version of "Sugar", the other two pretty nice ones ("Sunshine Alley" and "Impressions") – all done in a mode that sounds a lot more like harder Prestige sessions from the same time – that great period when the label was stretching out with some electric piano jazz funk. Butch Cornell's on organ, and his work on the album's part of its success, as is the nice hard drumming of Billy Kaye, who actually hits an Idris Muhammad-ish groove at parts! Titles include "Sugar", "Sunshine Alley", and "Impressions".

A collection of tracks that Stanley Turrentine recorded for CTI during his best stretch of the 70s – when he was changing his style from more traditional soul jazz to the warm mellow sound that scored him some big hits during the decade. The set features an incredible reading of "Vera Cruz", done with Deodato on piano, and at a breakaway speed that's just great, and worth the price of the record alone. Other tracks feature piano by Harold Mabern or organ by Butch Cornell – and titles include "The Stretch", "Just As I Am", and "Pieces Of Dreams".

Full funky work from the great Stanley Turrentine – an album that has him blowing beautifully over larger backings arranged and conducted by Claus Ogerman! Claus is a bit more fluid here than usual – still using a fairly orchestral approach to the record, but also bringing in some of the bluer modes that had been forged for this sort of a session over at Kudu and CTI – a setting that Turrentine was quite familiar with by this time! As always with a bigger date like this, Stan's got a great way of setting an edge that really cuts through the largeness – a proud, loud, personal voice at the front of the pack – a key illustration of why he was always such an in-demand player for this sort of date. Titles include "Sugar", "Walkin", "Ann Wonderful One", "Stan's Thing", "Hudson Parkway", and "Peace Of Mind".

During the early 60s, Blue Note wisely cut a number of sessions that took advantage of their soulful in-house rhythm trio The Three Sounds. The group recorded more than a few successful albums under their own name – but they also did a few great records that feature them backing up a more famous soloist. Such is the case with this one, in which Gene Harris and crew back up Stanley Turrentine for a beautifully mellow set of late nite tracks, played with an easy rolling groove missing from some of Turrentine's other, more full-on sessions at the time. Titles include "Blue Riff", "I Want A Little Girl", and "Willow Weep For Me".

An amazing album from Stanley Turrentine – quite different than most of his other sessions for CTI, but in a really great way! Stan's playing here with arrangements from Deodato – in a swirling, Brazilian jazz influenced mode that's similar to their work together with Astrud Gilberto on her CTI album – save for the fact that this set's all instrumental, with Turrentine's tenor in the frontline! The sound is wonderful – soaring, swirling, and plenty darn soulful when Stan's tenor comes into play – and in a way, the album's almost an instrumental companion to the Gilberto CTI album. Instrumentation includes some great keyboards from Deodato and Richard Tee – plus guitar from Eric Gale – and tracks include "Gibraltar", "Salt Song", "I Haven't Got Anything Better To Do", and "Storm".

Burning live set of deep bluesy grooves featuring the great hard early tone of Stanley Turrentine! Grant Green and Horace Parlan set up a mean vibe alongside George Tucker and Al Harewood – and the setting of Minton's Playhouse seems to drive the group into a nice tight frenzy. The whole session's a killer, with a groove that's as good as any of Stan's early Blue Notes. Titles include "Later at Minton's", "Come Rain or Come Shine", "Love for Sale" and "Summertime".

A landmark concert from the mid 80s – one held to honor the resurrection of the Blue Note label, featuring a wealth of some of the best players for the label – from the 80s back to the 50s bebop years. This is the third of 4 LPs, issued both separately and in a box set format. This volume features an all-star line-up with Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard, Johnny Griffin, Curtis Fuller, Walter Davis Jr., Jimmy Smith, Stanley Turrentine, Lou Donaldson, Kenny Burrell, Reggie Workman, Grady Tate, and Grover Washington Jr. Tracks include "Moanin'", "A Child Is Born", "The Jumpin' Blues", "Summertime", "I'm Glad There Is You", and "Medley: Blues Walk/Getting' Sentimental Over You".

Donald Byrd's second foray into the "with voices" genre – done with the same arranging talents of Coleridge Perkinson, the lyrical modernist who made Donald's A New Perspective such a success! The group that plays with Byrd is excellent, and includes Freddie Roach, Herbie Hancock, Stanley Turrentine, and Grant Green – all of whom blend beautifully with the choir, and know when to lay back, and when to come out strong with hard rhythm playing and good solos. Donald Byrd and Duke Pearson wrote all of the tunes, and the set's got some beautiful shimmering solos by Byrd which just float dreamily over the album's gorgeous orchestrations. With the tracks "Pearly Gates", "March Children", "Brother Isaac", and "I'm Tryin' To Get Home".

Great work by The Heath Brothers – a lot slicker and smoother than their earlier album for Strata East, but still filled with a soulful jazzy approach that befits their rich talents! By the point of this set, Jimmy Heath, once a rougher talent on the tenor, had emerged as one of the smooth soul maestros on the instrument – ranking next to Grover Washington Jr and Stanley Turrentine for a mellifluous sound and well-timed approach to the solo. Heath's written some great tracks here that are underpinned nicely by brother Percy's strong work on bass – still acoustic amidst some added electric instrumentation on some of the tracks. Titles include "Passion Flower", "Move to The Groove", "Feelin Dealin", "Project S", "The Voice Of The American Saxophone (from Afro American Suite of Evolution)", and "A Time & A Place (There's)".

Landmark early work from the legendary Weldon Irvine – recorded way back when he was first coming to fame with Nina Simone, but done as an obscure indie effort for his tiny Nodlew label! The set's a wicked batch of keyboard-heavy funk – at a level that's similar to some of the best titles on Black Jazz or Strata East at the time, but also filled with an even richer array of colors and musical ideas. Weldon's work on electric piano is worth the price of admission alone – often spare, spacious, and perfectly placed – especially on the funky classics "Homey", "Mr Clean", and "Sister Sanctified" – a tune later cut by Stanley Turrentine, but heard here in Weldon's original version! Other cuts include "Gloria", "Juggah Buggah", "Blues Wel-Don", and "Liberated Brother".

Key early work by Abbey – no so much the "blue" album you'd guess from the title, but a session that's filled with the kind of anger and emotion that makes us love her so much when she's this good! The group here is very hip – an ensemble brought to the date by her then-partner Max Roach – with Max on drums, Tommy Turrentine on trumpet, Stanley Turrentine on tenor, and Julian Preister on trombone – all working with Abbey in a mode that's quite similar to her best appearances on Roach records from the same stretch! Titles include her amazing early version of "Afro Blue", plus "Lonely House", "Come Sunday", "Let Up", and a great version of Oscar Brown, Jr's "Brother Where Are You?"

A darkly-grooving killer from pianist Horace Parlan – and one of our favorite Blue Note albums ever! Although Parlan's always a great player on other sides for the label, this album has him stepping out with an extra edge that's really amazing – working with brothers Tommy and Stanley Turrentine to craft some tunes that roll with the propulsive energy of the best Blue Note hardbop sides, but which also have some edgier moments, and almost point the way towards some of the new thing experiments that would transform the work of Jackie McLean! All players are still quite straight, but they've got a way of putting together tones and textures that's really wonderful – heard to famous effect on the album's early version of Booker Ervin's track "Skoochie" – but soaring all the way through on titles that include "On The Spur Of The Moment", "Ray C", "Al's Tune", and "Pyramid".

Sweet electric grooving from Houston Person – an album that features his soulful tenor set in larger arrangements than on his earlier small combo Prestige sessions, in a mode that's a bit like some of the larger jazz sets coming out on CTI and Kudu at the time! Like Stanley Turrentine, who also made a similar shift during this period, Houston turns out to be an extremely strong soloist in this sort of setting – hitting new notes on the laidback ballads, and playing with a richly expressive style that somehow seems even more possible than before, since the core rhythms and melodies are handled by the other players in the ensemble, and Houston's main job is just to blow freely on his solos. Billy Ver Planck does the orchestrations, and the group includes Hubert Laws, Victor Paz, and Cedar Walton. Tracks include "Everything's Alright", "Bleeker Street", "Let's Call This", and "Moan Er-uh Lisa".

Sockin soul work from Mongo Santamaria – a real killer of an album, with a dope 70s sound! The album features Mongo hitting a nice blacksploitation mode – fuller arrangements than before, plus lots of electric touches on guitar, bass, and keyboards. Marty Sheller did most of the arrangements – taking things up a few notches from his 60s recordings with Mongo – and other players include Armando Peraza, Bernard Purdie, Neal Creque, Stanley Turrentine, and Eddie Gale. Titles include "Geechee Girl", "Sometimes Bread", "Hippo Walk", "The Letter", "Tell It", "Listen Here", and "Afro Walk".

Sockin soul work from Mongo Santamaria – a real killer of an album, with a dope 70s sound! The album features Mongo hitting a nice blacksploitation mode – fuller arrangements than before, plus lots of electric touches on guitar, bass, and keyboards. Marty Sheller did most of the arrangements – taking things up a few notches from his 60s recordings with Mongo – and other players include Armando Peraza, Bernard Purdie, Neal Creque, Stanley Turrentine, and Eddie Gale. Titles include "Geechee Girl", "Sometimes Bread", "Hippo Walk", "The Letter", "Tell It", "Listen Here", and "Afro Walk".

A lean little set from Jimmy Smith's back to basics years of the early 80s – an album that's recorded in a relatively old school soul jazz mode! Jimmy's mostly playing Hammond here – but also uses a bit of Arp strings at times – and the rest of the group members include George Benson on guitar, Ron Carter on bass, Grady Tate on drums, and Stanley Turrentine on tenor sax – all playing in modes that are nicely laidback and open. There's a bit of 70s warmth to the production of the record, but little other in the way of modern touches – and in a way, the record almost takes us back to the sound of Jimmy during his very last years at Verve, when he'd mostly returned to small combo work. Titles include "MASH", "I'll Drink To That", "Off The Top", "Endless Love", "Mimosa Love", and "Ain't Misbehavin" – plus a few words spoken by Jimmy at the end!

Jimmy Smith and Stanley Turrentine go head to head in a great little set for Blue Note – spare quartet grooving, with lots of room for soulful solos! Turrentine's simply great at this point – playing with a raspy edge on the bottom of his tone, sounding dark and mysterious – not nearly as sweet as in later years. Smith is wonderful too – still with traces of the rough experimental approach to the Hammond that he used in his first few Blue Note sides, but with a bit more of a defined and swinging sound. Titles include "Stone Cold Dead in the Market", "Red Top", and "Picknickin'".

A simple formula, but one of Shirley's best records from the mid 60s, and a tight batch of quartet tracks that also features Stanley Turrentine on tenor. The title cut's a classic jazz stepper in Chicago, with a subtly loping groove that works pretty darn well. Other tracks include "Blue Bongo", "The Feeling Of Jazz", and "Shirley".

Sweet Lou, but funky Lou too – a perfect blend of modes that makes for one of Donaldson's last great albums for Blue Note! The set's got some fuller arrangements from Horace Ott – but given Ott's work in the indie soul world during the 60s, there's still a nice edge to the record too – a mode that blends Lou's alto sax with some electric grooves in the CTI/Kudu mode – yet still with plenty of respect for the soloist at the helm! There's a bit of female chorus vocals on the record – used in a hip way to underscore the chorus bits on some of the more soulful tunes – and Donaldson almost does a Stanley Turrentine bit on the ballads, by blowing these soulful lines that sound surprisingly great in the modern setting. Rhythm features Pretty Purdie on drums, Cornell Dupree on guitar, and Horace Ott on keyboards – and titles include the funky classic "Peepin", a remake of the earlier "Herman's Mambo", and a sweet take on Bobby Womack's "You're Welcome Stop On By" – as well as the cuts "Hip Trip", "Lost Love", and "if You Can't Handle It Give It To Me".

Incredible 70s work from the lovely Astrud Gilberto – a rare effort for the CTI label that has her teaming up with arranger Eumir Deodato and saxophonist Stanley Turrentine – all in a groove that's totally different than most of her earlier work! Astrud's breathy vocals are still wonderfully intact – but they're given a more spacious approach in the arrangements – strings mixes with rolling basslines, soaring keyboards, and stone cold tenor from Stanley – in a groove that's simply wonderful, and which takes off in a whole new direction than before! Other players include Airto, Sivuca, Hubert Laws, and Dom Um Romao – and tracks include classic versions of "Ponteio", "Vera Cruz", and "Zazueira" that are all some of the most grooving takes on the tunes ever – plus "Historia De Amor", "Where There's A Heartache", "Brazilian Tapestry", and "Wanting Things".

Landmark early work from the legendary Weldon Irvine – recorded way back when he was first coming to fame with Nina Simone, but done as an obscure indie effort for his tiny Nodlew label! The set's a wicked batch of keyboard-heavy funk – at a level that's similar to some of the best titles on Black Jazz or Strata East at the time, but also filled with an even richer array of colors and musical ideas. Weldon's work on electric piano is worth the price of admission alone – often spare, spacious, and perfectly placed – especially on the funky classics "Homey", "Mr Clean", and "Sister Sanctified" – a tune later cut by Stanley Turrentine, but heard here in Weldon's original version! Other cuts include "Gloria", "Juggah Buggah", "Blues Wel-Don", and "Liberated Brother".

A full funky session from master drummer Bernard Purdie – a set that expands out his previous Prestige vibe, and almost goes for a soundtrack scope to match the record's Shaft title! The set leads off with a great take on the Isaac Hayes hit – one that follows in the same fully-flowing, slow-building mode as Ike's – but which comes across here as an instrumental with some great solo work from Houston Person – playing here almost in a Stanley Turrentine sort of mode! Other tracks continue the hip mix of jazz and larger backings – and feature a lineup of players that includes Neal Creque on electric piano, Gerry Thomas and Danny Moore on trumpets, Willie Bridges and Houston Person on tenors, Billy Nichols and Lloyd Davis on guitars, Gordon Edwards on Fender bass, and Norman Pride on congas. The sound is warm without ever sounding too smooth – and Purdie's funky drums at the bottom ensure that most tunes are nicely lively. Titles include "Shaft", "Butterfingers", "Summer Melody", "Changes", "Way Back Home", and "Attica".

Nice set in which Shirley plays with a number of different groupings – nearly all of which are bigger than her usual trio. The long cut "How Sweet" features Joe Newman and Oliver Nelson teaming up on frontline horns; the groovy "As It Was" features Stanley Turrentine on tenor; and the bop standard "Now's The Time" features Lem Winchester on vibes. Other tracks include "Out Of This World", "Café Style", and "Ebb Tide", which always sounds nice on the organ!

A nice one by Shirley – with more of a funk groove than earlier work, and a little bit more of a soul jazz sound than some of her Prestige albums. The record features Eric Gale playing some nice guitar, plus Stanley Turrentine blowing tenor on a number of cuts, and Shirley on organ, and even singing on one track. The tracks are a bit longer than usual, too – and titles include a cover of "Think", plus "Soul Song", "Mr. Businessman", "When A Man Loves A Woman", and "Like A Lover".

One of the strongest albums that Shirley Scott ever cut with Stanley Turrentine – organ and tenor working together perfectly in a mellow soulful groove, sliding easily from track to track in a mode that still satisfies mightily over the years! The group is tight, soulful quartet, featuring Major Holley and Grasella Oliphant in the rhythm section,and titles include "Stolen Sweets", "The Soul Is Willing", "I Feel Alright", "Yes Indeed", "Remember" and "Secret Love".

The quintessential sound of late 60s Horace Silver – on one hand still very much in the Blue Note soul jazz groove that earned him plenty of jukebox single play, but on the other hand really stretching out with a style that's a bit more righteous than before! Horace shows that he can still pen a hit when he wants – and gave the world the tune "Psychedelic Sally" with this set – but he also displays a penchant for more complicated rhythms and freer horn expressions on beautiful tunes like "Kindred Spirits", "Rain Dance", and "Jungle Juice". The group's filled with great players – from tenor work by Stanley Turrentine and Bennie Maupin, trumpet by Charles Tolliver, and drums by a young Billy Cobham!

One of Bostic's best – played with a group that includes Stanley Turrentine and John Coltrane, although you'd never know it, because Earl's alto sax is right up front in the mix. There's no problem with that, though – and as you'll hear from his tone, it's more than likely that Trane and Stan picked up a bit of their sound from Earl, who they both acknowledge as being a strong inspiration during this period. Titles include "Sleep", "Cherokee", "Night & Day", "Linger Awhile", and "For You".

A pretty darn sweet album from some of CTI's biggest players! Herbie, Stanley Turrentine, Eric Gale, Freddie Hubbard, and Ron Carter all join together in a super-nice live set – with an album-side version of Herbie's synth funky classic "Hornets", done in a hard-wailing style! Side two contains Freddie's "Gibraltar", more of a straight jazz track – but still done here with some excellent electric piano, and a tight soulful groove! Very very nice!

A partner album of sorts to Jimmy Smith's classic Midnight Special album – recorded during the same sessions as that one, and also featuring Stanley Turrentine on tenor and Kenny Burrell on guitar! The sound here is almost even more open and stretched out – with only 4 long tracks on the album, 2 on each side – all offering up plenty of room for Jimmy to hit the Hammond with that keenly imaginative approach to a solo he was showing at this time – a style that proved that the instrument could do a lot more than just make weird noises or pump up the rhythm. Turrentine's tenor more than matches Jimmy's solos for imagination – and titles include "When I Grow Too Old To Dream", "Messy Bessie", "Minor Chant", and "Back At The Chicken Shack".