Blue Shirley Scott

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.

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 - 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.

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".

With Mosaic Records expanding its horizons over the past few years, fans of many different styles have had the opportunity to expand their collections and recent Mosaic honorees have included Mildred Bailey, Eddie Condon, Bobby Hackett, Chico Hamilton, and Anita O’Day. But to those long time followers, it continues to be the hard bop verities of the Blue Note label that have often been synonymous with Mosaic’s mail order dynasty. ~ AllAboutJazz

Deep Blue Organ Trio - Deep Blue Bruise (2004) {Delmark Records DE-556}
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© 2004 Delmark Records | DE-556
Jazz / Soul Jazz / Jazz Blues / Organ / Guitar

Philadelphia jazz singer Lou Lanza had an excellent point when he asserted that jazz improvisers who ignore rock and R&B songs "are cutting themselves off from a lot of worthwhile material." Lanza wasn't suggesting that jazz artists should totally give up the Tin Pan Alley standards they've been performing all these years – actually, he's done plenty of Cole Porter and Irving Berlin gems himself – but he was saying that if you're going to use popular songs as vehicles for jazz expression, there is no reason not to interpret Sting, Billy Joel or Prince along with Harry Warren and George Gershwin.

As the man who wrote the liner notes says, Stanley Turrentine may be the only Texas tenor player to come out of Pittsburgh - and you can hear several of the reasons why in this distillation of his Blue Note dates from 1960 to 1966, plus a grand leap all the way to 1984. Though his sound can be heard as early as the fairly conventional "Little Sheri," the real soulful Turrentine begins to emerge in "Since I Fell for You" with the 3 Sounds, and really explodes in the splendid "River's Invitation," thanks in large part to Oliver Nelson's great chart and Herbie Hancock's irresistible comping. "Smiley Stacy" is a Les McCann blues swinger that inspires a tough, characteristically pointed solo from Turrentine and some real burning from McCann and bassist Herbie Lewis - and he digs deeply into "God Bless the Child," with then-wife Shirley Scott acting cool and caressing on the Hammond organ…