Stanley Kuberik

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 Scott, and a pair of alternating rhythm sections. The first is Major Holley on bass and Al Harewood on drums, and the second is with Sam Jones and Clarence Johnston. Latin Conguero Ray Barretto appeared with the Holley/Harewood band. The set opens with a stomping version of Lloyd Price's "Trouble," with Scott taking the early solo while driving the groove…

The second of three albums tenor sax man Stanley Turrentine did for Elektra after leaving Fantasy Records, 1981's Tender Togetherness featured an electric jazz-funk hybrid sound that packed a good deal more punch and brightness than its predecessor, 1979's Betcha. Produced by Earth, Wind & Fire's Larry Dunn (EW&F's "After the Love Has Gone" is given a treatment here), and featuring a subtle, almost Latin feel, the album bounces and bubbles along on an almost continuous joyful light R&B groove. Turrentine's sax lines are full of that steady, strong bluesy tone that has become his signature, but this time around he is very much a part of the ensemble, and Tender Togetherness is richer for it, sounding very much like a whole piece of fabric from the opening notes of the bright, airy "Hermanos" to the playful funk of the album closer…

Stanley Turrentine's stint with Creed Taylor's CTI label may not have produced any out-and-out classics on the level of the very best LPs by Freddie Hubbard, Hubert Laws, or George Benson, but the bluesy tenorist's output was consistently strong and worthwhile for all but the most stridently anti-fusion listeners. Salt Song was Turrentine's second album for CTI, and while it's perhaps just a small cut below his debut Sugar, it's another fine, eclectic outing that falls squarely into the signature CTI fusion sound: smooth but not slick, accessible but not simplistic. In general, keyboardist Eumir Deodato's arrangements have plenty of light funk and Brazilian underpinnings, the latter often courtesy of percussionist Airto Moreira…

The ever-popular "Stanley Gibbons Great Britain Concise" provides the perfect catalogue for the collector seeking more detailed information than that provided by the Collect British Stamps checklist, without the comprehensive coverage of the five-volume specialised series. The new 22nd edition is again in full colour throughout, providing, as always, priced listings of definitives and commemoratives, regionals, postage dues, departmental officials, postal fiscals, errors, first day covers, booklets, specimens and post office label sheets ('smilers')…

Playing piano-style single-note lines on his Hammond B-3 organ, Jimmy Smith revolutionized the use of the instrument in a jazz combo setting in the mid-'50s and early '60s, and arguably his best albums for Blue Note during this period were the ones he did with tenor sax player Stanley Turrentine. Recorded on February 8, 1963, at Van Gelder Studio in New Jersey, and featuring Quentin Warren on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums in addition to Smith and Turrentine, Prayer Meetin' is a delight from start to finish. Forming a perfect closure to Smith's trio of albums with Turrentine (Midnight Special and Back at the Chicken Shack were both released in 1960), Prayer Meetin' was the last of four albums Smith recorded in a week to finish off his Blue Note contract before leaving for Verve…

Stanley Turrentine was just beginning to turn heads in jazz circles in the early '60s when he made an appearance at Minton's with guitarist Grant Green, pianist Horace Parlan, bassist George Tucker, and drummer Al Harewood. The group mixes hard bop with funk and soul jazz; Turrentine's tone, sound, and pacing are good, although he wasn't yet the master at ballads he would be later in his career.

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, sympathetic piano. Largely divided between midtempo grooves and slow blues, with a couple of pop covers like "What the World Needs Now Is Love," thrown in, Easy Walker doesn't offer much challenging material, but it does let the musicians work a good groove, and occasionally showcase their improvisational skills, making it a good, relaxing soul-jazz session.