Blue Shirley Scott

All of the many collaborations between organist Shirley Scott and tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine in the 1960s resulted in high-quality soul jazz, groovin' music that was boppish enough to interest jazz listeners and basic enough for a wider audience. This CD reissue has the duo (joined by bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Otis "Candy" Finch) performing a pair of Scott originals, Benny Golson's "Five Spot After Dark," Sonny Rollins' obscure "Grand Street" and the veteran standard "Flamingo."

During the 1960's, Shirley Scott's Impulse albums were often split between big band selections (with orchestras arranged by Oliver Nelson) and trio features. This CD reissue includes all of the contents from two of Scott's better Impulse albums, Great Scott and For Members Only. In general the eight trio numbers are the most rewarding performances on the disc since the material is fairly superior while the big band tracks emphasize then-current show and movie tunes. Overall this generous CD gives one a good overview of Shirley Scott's playing talents.

Shirley Scott & Stanley Turrentine - Blue Flames (1964) {Prestige OJCCD-328-2 rel 1995}
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© 1964, 1995 Prestige / Fantasy | OJCCD-328-2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Soul Jazz / Organ Hammond B-3 / Saxophone

All of the many collaborations between organist Shirley Scott and tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine in the 1960s resulted in high-quality soul jazz, groovin' music that was boppish enough to interest jazz listeners and basic enough for a wider audience. This CD reissue has the duo (joined by bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Otis "Candy" Finch) performing a pair of Scott originals, Benny Golson's "Five Spot After Dark," Sonny Rollins' obscure "Grand Street" and the veteran standard "Flamingo." The only fault of this CD reissue is its brief length, just 32 minutes.

One of Shirley Scott's stronger dates, this quintet outing matches her organ with tenor saxophonist Oliver Nelson, trumpeter Joe Newman, bassist George Tucker, and drummer Roy Brooks. The material is varied and includes such interesting tunes as "Blue Seven," "Wagon Wheels," and a swinging "Give Me the Simple Life." Boasting three strong soloists, there are a generous number of fireworks on this blowing session, which should greatly appeal to organ, Shirley Scott, and hard bop collectors.

Shirley Scott - Like Cozy (1960) {Prestige PRCD-24258-2 rel 2001}
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© 1960, 2001 Prestige / Fantasy | PRCD-24258-2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Soul Jazz / Hammond Organ / Piano

Shirley Scott was one of the Prestige family's most widely recorded artists, and for good reason: the organ's popularity was peaking during her years at the label and Scott handled what could be an overbearing instrument with sure-handed tastefulness and a jaunty sense of swing. Less well known, though, is her work on piano, which shares the spotlight on the two LPs joined herein. Both were made in 1960 for the Prestige subsidiary Moodsville, whose specialties were warming ballads and medium-bounce standards that placed a premium on melodic content. On these 16 trio tracks, widely familiar tunes, for the most part, Scott sustains Moodsville's trademark relaxed, after-hours groove, whether she's at the organ or piano (her stylings on the latter evince strong ties to Erroll Garner)–or, via overdubbing, performing on both simultaneously.

Shirley Scott - Workin' (1993) {Prestige PRCD-24126-2 rec 1958-1961}
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© 1958-61, 1993 Prestige / Fantasy | PRCD-24126-2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Soul Jazz / Jazz Blues / Organ Hammond B-3

A slightly odd, transitional release, 1966's Workin' finds organist Shirley Scott moving away from the small-combo format she worked in (most often with husband Stanley Turrentine) during the early '60s into slightly larger arrangements more in keeping with the mid-'60s trend toward groove-based soul-jazz in which she was the primary, and usually only, soloist. Tunes like "Autumn Leaves," which is practically a solo performance with absolutely minimal bass and drums (perhaps a nod to pianist Bill Evans, who did the tune regularly in a similarly stripped-down fashion), sit next to bluesy vamps like the extended, smoky "Chapped Chops" and gospel workouts like a groove-oriented version of the old church standard "Down By the Riverside," on which Scott sounds uncomfortably like the little old lady who plays choppy, repetitive, bass-heavy organ runs at the baseball stadium.

Shirley Scott - Queen of the Organ (1964) {Impulse! GRD-123 rel 1993}
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© 1964, 1993 Impulse! / MCA / GRP | GRD-123
Jazz / Hard Bop / Soul Jazz / Organ

This CD reissue brings back all of the music previously put out on the two-LP set The Great Live Sessions with the exception of one number ("Shirley's Shuffle") left out due to lack of space; with over 70 minutes of music, one cannot complain too much about the omission. Overall, this is a pretty definitive live set featuring organist Shirley Scott, tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Otis "Candy" Finch, one of the great soul-jazz combos of the 1960s.

The Hammond organ, named after its inventor Laurens Hammond, debuted in 1935 as a cost-effective electro-acoustic alternative to the gigantic pipe organs mainly installed in churches. Among Hammond’s first customers were George Gershwin and Count Basie. Jazz pianists like Basie, Fats Waller, Wild Bill Davis and Milt Buckner were the founding fathers of the instrument’s international conquest, which led across all styles of popular music, from jazz to progressive rock, with its heyday in the 1960s and '70s…

Stanley Turrentine - Hustlin' (1964) {2014 Japan SHM-CD Blue Note 24-192 Remaster UCCQ-5045}
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© 1964, 2014 Universal Japan / Blue Note | BN 75th The Masterworks | UCCQ-5045
Jazz / Hard Bop / Soul Jazz / Saxophone / Organ

Features the high-fidelity SHM-CD format (compatible with standard CD player) and the latest 24bit 192kHz remastering. One of Stanley Turrentine's few organ-based sessions for Blue Note – recorded in the company of his lovely wife Shirley Scott, who was really a cooker on the Hammond! The album's got a much stronger sound than most of Shirley's own from the time – played by a solid group that includes Kenny Burrell on guitar, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Otis Finch on drums. Tracks include "Trouble No 2", "Goin Home", "Ladyfingers" and "The Hustler".