Stanley Kuberik

Any time the likes of Stanley Clarke, Al DiMeola and Jean-Luc Ponty are assembled, there is a good chance the results are going to be impressive. Clarke and DiMeola had played together in the legendary Return to Forever, producing some of the most intense playing in all of fusion; Jean-Luc Ponty had also made several excellent, very diverse recordings…

A superb modern jazz pianist, Stanley Cowell is a highly regarded artist whose work often pushes the boundaries of forward-thinking hard bop without ever falling into completely avant-garde territory. Cowell played with Marion Brown, Max Roach, Bobby Hutcherson, Clifford Jordan, Harold Land, Sonny Rollins and Stan Getz. Cowell played with trumpeter Charles Moore and others in the Detroit Artist's Workshop Jazz Ensemble in 1965–66. In 1971, Cowell co-founded the record label Strata-East with trumpeter Charles Tolliver. The label would become one of the most successful Black-led, independent labels of its day. During the late 1980s, Cowell was part of a regular quartet led by J.J. Johnson.

Organist Shirley Scott and her then-husband, tenor great Stanley Turrentine always made potent music together. This CD, which combines together the former Prestige LPs The Soul Is Willing and Soul Shoutin', finds "Mr. T." at his early peak, playing some intense yet always soulful solos on such pieces as Sy Oliver's "Yes Indeed," "Secret Love," and his memorable originals "The Soul Is Willing" and "Deep Down Soul." Scott, who found her own niche within the dominant Jimmy Smith style, swings hard throughout the set and (together with drummer Grassella Oliphant and either Major Holley or Earl May on bass) the lead voices play with such consistent enthusiasm that one would think these were club performances.

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. Standards and a couple of blues make up the repertoire, giving listeners a definitive look at the soulful Mr. T. near the beginning of his productive musical life.

Stanley Turrentine is the featured artist in this big band session with an all-star orchestra arranged and conducted by Oliver Nelson. While Nelson's charts are funky and easygoing (without providing any solo space for the likes of Phil Woods, Clark Terry, and Jay Jay Johnson), they serve the purpose to inspire the tenor saxophonist. Turrentine is quite soulful on Percy Mayfield's "River's Invitation," and his huge tone carries the day in a waltzing chart of the 1960s hit "A Taste of Honey." The artist also contributed some originals to the date, including the easygoing "Little Sheri," which features the unison flutes of Danny Bank and Jerry Dodgion, and "Mattie T," a gospel-like song that almost seems like a march.

This LP pairs trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and tenor-saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, two very individual players who always brought out the best in each other. They stretch out on long versions of "Povo" and "Gibraltar" that clock in around 19 minutes apiece. The backup rhythm section (guitarist Eric Gale, keyboardist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Jack DeJohnette) is a major asset and inspires the two horns to play reasonably creative solos.

Turrentine with Kenny Drew, Jr. (keyboards), Dave Strykier (guitar), Dwayne Dolphin (bass), and Mark Johnson (drums).
Stanley Turrentine was a 'monster' tenor player with a fantastic sound, a magnificent technique and a great jazz feel. On this album he is backed by a superb rhythm, that matches the mood both of the piece and of Turrentine perfectly. Whether it’s the gentle ballad style of "I Haven’t Got Anything Better to Do" or the funky "Don’t Mess with Mr. T.", they get it just right.