Great work from Gloria Coleman – an overlooked genius on the organ, and part of an elite group of female keyboardists that includes Shirley Scott, Rhoda Scott, and Trudy Pitts! Coleman almost never got the chance to record, but clearly had a sharpness that was honed from years in the clubs – a tight, soulful approach to the instrument that also has her working the bass pedals as strongly as the keys – and an ability to sing at all the right times, in a soul-drenched mode that's even deeper than the vocalizations of Trudy Pitts on her late 60s albums for Prestige. The group's got James Anderson on tenor, Dick Griffin on trombone, Ray Copeland on flugelhorn, and Earl Dunbar on guitar – and titles include the funky "Bugaloo for Ernie", a great version of Kenny Dorham's "Blue Bossa", Blue Mitchell's "Fungi Mama".
The circumstances surrounding the recording of this album are as important as the music you will hear and enjoy. Inspired by the songbook of Count Basie, tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine and his wife of four years, organist Shirley Scott, planned on recording with a septet, and went into the studio with that band on October 12, 1963, but those sessions were scrapped. On October 14, two tracks were finished and included here, but October 21 saw the band pared down to a quintet, and the results were acceptable. Trumpeter Blue Mitchell's contributions were quite desirable, he was the second lead voice in the ensemble, and success was attained. Turrentine and Mitchell played together in the 1954 edition of the Earl Bostic ensemble, and happily renew their musical friendship…
These nine ballads were recorded by Stanley Turrentine between 1962 and 1969. Apart from being a genuinely wonderful set of romantic tunes, Music for Lovers showcases a soft side of the great tenor's playing. Turrentine is one of the quintessential soul-jazz saxophonists. His Blue Note recordings from the 1960s with Shirley Scott are generally the works cited, but there is so much other material on offer that a small collection like this is welcome. A pair of ballads with Scott on organ are here, representing that darker groove aspect, but so are tunes with pianists like Sonny Clark, McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock, Horace Parlan, and Cedar Walton…
The circumstances surrounding the recording of this album are as important as the music you will hear and enjoy. Inspired by the songbook of Count Basie, tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine and his wife of four years, organist Shirley Scott, planned on recording with a septet, and went into the studio with that band on October 12, 1963, but those sessions were scrapped. On October 14, two tracks were finished and included here, but October 21 saw the band pared down to a quintet, and the results were acceptable. ~ AllMusic
New York-based trumpeter, composer and educator Charles Tolliver presents Connect, his first studio album in 13 years.
Rare selections, Groove & Tururut are a series of posts about hidden and unique collections of music from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, more or less rare and more or less widespread, and probably made in foreign editions aimed at minorities. We add that the vast majority are also physically obsolete. Small treasures that make the B-side of our discography.