Stanley Turrentine - Return Of The Prodigal Son
Released - 2008
Recording and Session Information
Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, June 23, 1967
Joe Shepley, Marvin Stamm, trumpet, flugelhorn; Garnett Brown, Julian Priester, trombone; Al Gibbons, alto sax, flute, bass clarinet; Stanley Turrentine, tenor sax; Joe Farrell, tenor sax, flute; Mario Rivera, baritone sax; McCoy Tyner, piano; Bob Cranshaw, bass; Ray Lucas, drums; Duke Pearson, arranger.
1910 tk.4 Better Luck Next Time
1911 tk.11 Bonita
1912 tk.14 Return Of The Prodigal Son
1913 tk.16 Flying Jumbo
1914 tk.27 Ain't No Mountain High Enough
1915 tk.32 New Time Shuffle
Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, July 28, 1967
Blue Mitchell, trumpet; Garnett Brown, trombone; James Spaulding, alto sax, flute; Stanley Turrentine, tenor sax; McCoy Tyner, piano; Duke Pearson, organ, arranger; Bob Cranshaw, bass; Ray Lucas, drums; Richard Landrum, congas, bongos, tambourine.
1928 tk.3 The Look Of Love
1929 tk.14 You Want Me To Stop Loving You
1930 tk.18 Dr. Feelgood
1930 tk.21 Dr. Feelgood (Alt. Take)
Unissued Takes
1931 tk.34 Up, Up And Away
1932 tk.36 Georgy Girl
1933 tk.39 A Foggy Day
See Also: LT-993, BN-LA-394-H2, 3-85193-2
Track Listing
| Title | Author | Recording Date |
| Return Of The Prodigal Son | Harold Ousley | June 23 1967 |
| Pres Delight (Flying Jumbo) | Stanley Turrentine | June 23 1967 |
| Bonita | A. C. Jobim-R. Gilbert | June 23 1967 |
| New Time Shuffle | Joe Sample | June 23 1967 |
| Better Luck Next Time | Irving Berlin | June 23 1967 |
| Ain't No Mountain High Enough | N. Ashford-V. Simpson | June 23 1967 |
| Dr. Feelgood | A. Franklin-T. White | July 28 1967 |
| The Look Of Love | B. Bacharach-H. David | July 28 1967 |
| You Want Me To Stop Loving You | M. Watts-W. Davis | July 28 1967 |
| Dr. Feelgood (Alt Tk) | A. Franklin-T. White | July 28 1967 |
Liner Notes
The sound of the Stanley Turrentine tenor saxophone — no soprano or flute for this guy — is one of the most wonderfully identifiable in all of the Blue Note catalog, in fact in all of jazz. His big, happy, and soulful horn has been heard in an amazing variety of settings — hard bop groups, bluesy organ combos, grandly large orchestras, and it stands out like a beacon that welcomes all listeners. In 1967, Stanley followed up successful 1966 sessions produced and arranged by Duke Pearson — Rough and Tumble and The Spoiler — with four more sessions that were basically in the same largish group format but were not issued at the time. In 2007, Blue Note issued A Bluish Bag, the first CD collection of music from those sessions. Though the material is pop tunes and movie music, it's still a Stanley Turrentine outing and that means it swings like crazy and stands as a perfect showcase for that great Turrentine sound. And, of course, the sidemen are no slouches either — Joe Farrell, Jerry Dodgion, McCoy Tyner, Kenny Barron, Adams, and on it goes.
Well now here comes more from those terrific sessions. This one's named after what was quite a popular soul/jazz tune by another tenorman, Harold Ousley.
The title tune opens with one of those dark, "Wade in the Water"-like grooves and rocks its way forward thanks to the dynamic Mr. Turrentine, This man could make the phone sound soulful, and when he gets some piece from the "church," he truly goes to town. Blues, gospel, funk and jazz — when they're in the hands of a giant, they're all about the same thing. Stanley is the only soloist and he preaches to any choir that has the will to listen. The band goads him through the "amen" closing. Note the powerful drumming of Ray Lucas.
"Pres Delight" was originally credited to Turrentine but in 1975, for its first Blue Note LP release, was incorrectly titled "Flying Jumbo" and credited to Duke Pearson. This is a wailing, straight-ahead blues, and Stanley never flew any other way than "jumbo." Once again, the band punctuates and sends Stanley back into the stratosphere. Lucas provides a jazzier, in-the-pocket groove here and propels the tune through a lovely, smoking solo by McCoy Tyner. McCoy sounds different here — funkier, somehow — but always displays his signature sounds. And then Stanley is back With more seamless wailing through a long fadeout.
Michael Cuscuna suggested on the notes to A Bluish Bag that the Brazilian tunes were included because of Pearson's increasing interest in music from that country. This session's contribution is Jobim's "Bonita," and it's a gorgeous bittersweet love song that finds Stanley understanding the connection between the "cry" in these two musics (jazz and samba) just as the composer did. The woodwinds are a lovely complement and there's another fadeout.
Joe Sample's "New Time Shuffle" was a hit for the Jazz Crusaders in 1965 and was still a mainstay of contemporary jazz when the Turrentine recording was made. It's a most relaxed shuffle indeed, yet another feel Stanley can do like no one else. This tune is simple and elegant and the rhythm section — Tyner, Lucas, and Bob Cranshaw — bubbles quietly behind the star.
"Better Luck Next Time" comes from the 1947 film Easter Parade. It has a refrain that says, "So don't say better luck next time, that could never be; Because there ain't gonna be no next time For me." Stanley softens the self-pity in those lines with his inviting sound and, though it's a sad song, a kind of happy sad song.
These are all "soul" songs but Stanley also found room to make the actual soul and pop songs of the day his own. Return includes three of them — "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (a hit for Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell), Aretha's "Dr. Feelgood" (two takes included), and the Burt Bacharach/Hal David "The Look of Love" (sung by Dusty Springfield in the odd James Bond film Casino Royale). Stanley is the soul "singer" here and he truly plays the lyrics and their incumbent emotion.
Lastly, we're back to the blues in the no-nonsense "You Want Me to Stop Loving You." What better accompaniment could there be than the organ of Duke Pearson and the brass shouts Of these great players? Turrentine shines in moments like these and reveals those rich Pittsburgh roots, suggesting that Pittsburgh may be part of Texas.
Stanley Turrentine played every note on every record with the same conviction and dedication. You stop faulting the contexts - so what if they are "commercial" — because that sound gets into your blood and you want to keep hearing it. And thanks to recordings like these, you still do.
— DONALD ELFMAN, 2008
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