Stanley Turrentine - The Look Of Love
Released - August 1968
Recording and Session Information
Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, April 15 & May 27, 1968
Jimmy Nottingham, Snooky Young, flugelhorn; Benny Powell, bass trombone; Jim Buffington, French horn; Stanley Turrentine, tenor sax; Hank Jones, piano #1,2; Duke Pearson, piano, arranger #3; Kenny Burrell, guitar; George Duvivier, bass; Grady Tate, drums; overdubbed 14 piece strings, Thad Jones, arranger #1,2.
2091 tk.7 Blues For Stan
2092 tk.18 Smile
2093 tk.22 The Look Of Love
Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, May 2 & 27, 1968
Jimmy Nottingham, Snooky Young, flugelhorn; Benny Powell, bass trombone; Jim Buffington, French horn; Stanley Turrentine, tenor sax; Hank Jones, piano; Kenny Burrell, guitar #2-4; George Duvivier, bass; Grady Tate, drums; overdubbed 14 piece strings, Duke Pearson, arranger.
3011 tk.29 A Beautiful Friendship
3012 tk.37 This Guy's In Love With You
3013 tk.42 I'm Always Drunk In San Francisco
3014 tk.49 Emily
Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, May 13 & 27, 1968
Jimmy Nottingham, Snooky Young, flugelhorn; Benny Powell, bass trombone; Jim Buffington, French horn; Stanley Turrentine, tenor sax; Roland Hanna, piano; Kenny Burrell, guitar; George Duvivier, bass; Mickey Roker, drums; overdubbed 14 piece strings, Duke Pearson, arranger.
3023 tk.67 Cabin In The Sky
3024 tk.76 Here, There And Everywhere
3025 tk.92 MacArthur Park
Track Listing
| Side One | ||
| Title | Author | Recording Date |
| The Look of Love | Burt Bacharach, Hal David | April 15 1968 |
| Here, There and Everywhere | John Lennon, Paul McCartney | May 13 1968 |
| A Beautiful Friendship | Donald Kahn, Stanley Styne | May 2 1968 |
| Blues for Stan | Stanley Turrentine | April 15 1968 |
| This Guy's in Love With You | Bacharach, David | May 2 1968 |
| Side Two | ||
| MacArthur Park | Jimmy Webb | May 13 1968 |
| I'm Always Drunk in San Francisco | Tommy Wolf | May 2 1968 |
| Emily | Johnny Mandel, Johnny Mercer | May 2 1968 |
| Cabin in the Sky | Vernon Duke, John La Touche | May 13 1968 |
| Smile | Charlie Chaplin | April 15 1968 |
Liner Notes
This album marks a significant milestone in the history of Blue Note Records. It is the first time they have produced an album using strings as part of the instrumental arrangements.
Aware of the myriad artists who have recorded at some time or other, it is my opinion that the use of strings must have crossed their minds through the years since the acceptance of the string choir in jazz.
Whatever their reasons for delaying their decision until now, the combining of the brilliant tenor saxophone of Stanley Turrentine and strings, gives validity to this new tolerance of strings.
Stanley Turrentine, heir apparent to the Coleman Hawkins school of graduates which include alumni Ben Webster, Don Byas, the late Chu Berry, and the late Ike Quebec, stands almost alone in today's jazz world. While most tenor saxophonists have come under the influence of the late John Coltrane, Stanley has borrowed just enough to enhance his own style but has remained by and large a sensitive and lyrical tenor saxophonist with a full bodied sound.
Stanley's biography has been well documented on previous Blue Note albums where he has recorded as a leader, in combination with his wife Miss Shirley Scott, as a member of many all star groups and as a lead soloist on many of the Jimmy Smith albums.
His sound is distinctly his own, distinguished by a strong masculine approach to his instrument.
He shows he is a romanticist through his peerless adhering to the melodic line of the tune, never fearful of improvising but always within the melodic spirit of the composition.
In recording with a string choir, the problem facing many jazz producers is the proper deployment of the strings. Is the instrumental soloist to be featured? Should the strings be used to embellish, enhance or just decorate? And how much freedom is the soloist to be allowed? Duke Pearson, the first established jazz musician to be hired as an A&R Director, at Blue Note, has shown a remarkable facility for his light airy arrangements. While jazz contains many emotional facets from anger to beauty, Duke has shown a preference to lean towards the romanticism of the art.
Therefore, this blending of two romantics would lead the listener to believe that this album would be a heavy display of saccharine music, ideal only for rainy days and after hours.
Fortunately, this is not the case. Here are two remarkably similar musicians whose musical philosophies are etched in a set of delightfully warm charts where the emphasis is on love. I doubt whether Blue Note was particularly interested in the historical note that this album marks a first in the use of strings. It is the belief of this writer that in the many contexts where Stanley has recorded that this is just an addendum to a series of excellent albums, in which his horn has been used to exemplify the best in jazz. And the results are beautiful with no need to apologize or qualify because of their melodic themes.
God forbid that some quasi jazz critic comes along and says that Stanley Turrentine has sold out to the establishment because he has recorded a jazz album with strings!
On this album, Stanley and Duke have taken the best of the contemporary writers from Burt Bacharach to Johnny Mandel with a nostalgic nod to Vernon Duke and have proven that jazz can be right at home in the more accepted and familiar tunes.
Burt Bacharach's title tune to this writer reinforces our belief of what a tasteful musician can do with a tune that nestled for weeks on best selling charts and became almost a standard in the limited period of best selling records. Stanley soars and walks gently on the soft padding of the strings. He is nudged gently along by the rhythm section. His improvisational chorus is masterly. The Beatle's Lennon and McCartney are presented with "Here There and Everywhere." There is a melancholy sadness in this tune that Stan captures so well following the string and brass choir's introduction. Here more than any other tune, the saxophone almost vocalizes with its clarity under Stan's technical skill.
"Beautiful Friendship," has Stan in a swinging up-tempo opus that allows him maximum freedom. His triggering of notes which has become somewhat of a signature theme for him is very much in evidence.
Thad Jones of the famous Jones Brothers, (the others being Hank and Elvin) wrote "Stan's Blues." Thad an alumnus of Count Basie and currently co-leading one of the finest jazz orchestras with Mel Lewis in New York, captures the personality of this saxophonist in this loose blues that shows where much of Stan's influence is derived.
Allow this commentator to elaborate for a few moments on the third member of this musical team whose arrangements stand out. Thad Jones has made a smooth transition from the trumpet choir of Count Basie's band to one of the most active and sensitive arrangers on the New York scene. He is keenly aware of the need for the soloist to have maximum freedom within the arrangement. His arrangements weave an effective embroidered pattern which complement Stanley's playing.
Mr. Bacharach is represented again with his partner, Hal David, in "This Guy's In Love With You." Richie Haven's best selling "Mac Arthur Park" written by Jim Webb opens side two. The odd construction of this tune does not offer the easiest instrumental representation. Stan's dexterity as a musician is challenged and he meets it well.
Tommy Wolf, song writer and pianist, wrote "I'm Always Drunk in San Francisco" which has well earned its way to becoming a part of most current vocalist repertoire. Here, Stan tells us of the beauty of 'Frisco and he does it with Johnny Mandel's "Emily" forthrightly and always melodically. "Cabin in the Sky," which brought fame to Miss Ethel Waters many years ago, is Stan's affectionate tribute to the past. In his most personal manner, he has created a most listenable interpretation of this Vernon Duke tune.
The album closes with "Smile." This tune of optimum optimism has long been a favorite of the Broadway musical set. Here again, Stan's skill is fervently at work, in that incredible style that has become his over the years.
Certainly in this country which is wracked with a sickening kind of violence which seems to eliminate beautiful people who are willing to call attention to the wrongs being perpetuated, there is a need for the inclusion of love and beauty in our music. And if "The Look of Love" makes just a small contribution in this area, then the purpose of Stan and strings has been fulfilled.
—DEL SHIELDS
75th Anniversary Reissue Notes
This April/May 1968 project was Stanley Turrentine's first full blown commercial album. With a big budget thanks to Blue Note's new owners Liberty Records, Stanley recorded 10 songs with four brass and a full rhythm section. The arrangements were by Duke Pearson and Thad Jones who overdubbed a full string section a few weeks later.
The result is a mixed bag. Generally the suitability of the material is is what dictates success or failure. "MacArthur Park" and "Here, There, And Everywhere" are ill-suited for even a master interpreter like Turrentine. When the material improves with songs like "Cabin In The Sky", "Smile" or Thad Jones's "Blues For Stan", the music improves substantially. This is the first of two orchestral albums that Stanley would make before leaving Blue Note in 1969. He would return large productions a decade later for a number of Fantasy and Elektra albums.
Michael Cuscuna
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