5-21435-2

 Jimmy Smith - Six View Of The Blues

Released - 1999

Recording and Session Information

Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, NJ, July 16, 1958
Cecil Payne, baritone sax; Jimmy Smith, organ; Kenny Burrell, guitar; Art Blakey, drums #1-3; Donald Bailey, drums #4-6.

tk.3 St. Louis Blues
tk.8 The Swingin' Shepherd Blues
tk.9 Blues No. 1
tk.10 Blues No. 2
tk.14 Blues No. 3
tk.16 Blues No. 4

Track Listing

Title	Author	Recording Date
St Louis Blues	W. C. Handy	July 16 1958
The Swingin' Shepherd Blues	Moe Koffman	July 16 1958
Blues No. 1	Jimmy Smith	July 16 1958
Blues No. 3	Jimmy Smith	July 16 1958
Blues No. 4	Jimmy Smith	July 16 1958
Blues No. 2	Jimmy Smith	July 16 1958

Liner Notes

THIS was Jimmy Smith's 19th recording session for Blue Note since he'd joined the label 29 month earlier. Jimmy Smith had revolutionized the sound and the use of the organ in jazz and he became incredibly popular very quickly. Fortunately for Blue Note, he was also prolific. Still the label couldn't get sessions out fast enough. Jimmy and producer Alfred Lion seemed to settle on four basic rotating contexts in which to record: Smith's working trio (studio and live), an all-star trio (usually Kenny Burrell and Art Blakey), a quartet with Lou Donaldson (later Stanley Turrentine) and jam sessions with three-horn front lines made up of Blue Note regulars like Donald Byrd, Lee Morgan, Blue Mitchell, Curtis Fuller, Donaldson, Jackie McLean, George Coleman, Tina Brooks, Hank Mobley and Ike Quebec.

This session, issued now for the first time, is somewhat different in two respects. While it wasn't unusual for ringer Art Blakey and Jimmy's regular drummer Donald Bailey to split the drum chores (as they do here), it was unusual for the single horn to be anyone but Lou Donaldson. The choice of baritone saxophone in general and Cecil Payne in particular was an odd one. An excellent player, Cecil, for some reason, was not a Blue Note regular. In fact, he'd only appeared on the 1948 James Moody sides, when both men were in Dizzy Gillespie's orchestra, and on Kenny Dorham's 1955 album Afro-Cuban. And after the session in hand/ he only appeared one more time on a 1961 Tadd Dameron session, which has just been issued on the CD, The Lost Sessions. Perhaps the idea was Burrell's, who'd featured Cecil on his Prestige album Blue Moods the year before. At any rate, this was a peak period for Payne who was in the middle of a long tenure with pianist-composer Randy Weston. It's great to hear him stretch out in this context.

What's even more unusual is the choice of material. Though Jimmy Smith was a fiery blues player who practically created the chitlin circuit of the fifties, he was a fully-equipped jazz artist as likely to play a Monk tune, a be-bop line or an old standard as a soulful blues. His records always reflected his range. Yet this session is an all-blues program, which may be why it was passed over for release over the years. Another reason may have been sonic; each time Cecil Payne finished soloing, engineer Rudy Van Gelder would close his microphone, which changed the sound of the recording abruptly.

Nonetheless, Smith and his superb cast find infinite variety and creative inspiration in the blues form. Art Blakey is present for the first half of the session, which opens with a relaxed reading of the 1914 W.C. Handy tune "St. Louis Blues".

The next piece was "The Swingin' Shepherd Blues," a left field 1958 hit by Canadian flutist Moe Koffman. This was such an inescapable record at the time that every saxophonist was looking through his closet to find his flute. There were dozens of cover versions, and Buddy Collette even organized a group called Four Swingin' Shepherds with Bud Shank, Paul Horn, Harry Klee and the leader all playing different sized flutes. Fortunately, Jimmy and Alfred had the sense and good taste to do a version without flute. This track was issued on Blue Note 45-1711.

Blakey's last tune was the first of four Jimmy Smith blues, a relaxed, medium-up blues with a great walking bass line courtesy of Smith's feet.

Donald Bailey, a Philadelphian who'd joined Smith's trio in time for the organist's second Blue Note session in March 1956, completes the date. Bailey stayed with Smith until well into 1 963, when he settled in Los Angeles where he later joined The Three Sounds and pianist Jack Wilson's trio. Besides freelancing heavily on drums, he also eventually developed a second career playing harmonica.

Jimmy seems intent with his originals on showing and exploring the variety that the blues form has to offer. Blues No. 2 has a shuffle feel; Blues No.3 is in the great slow blues tradition that Smith set with "The Sermon" and Blues No. 4 is a fast, modern bop line with some blistering organ.

This may not be the most earth-shattering of Jimmy Smith's 31 recording sessions for Blue Note, but it is a delightful addition to his incredible and influential legacy at the label. Anytime Smith and Burrell get together (and they still do!), it's a delightful musical experience. And hearing Cecil Payne in this relaxed blues context is an added bonus.

—MICHAEL CUSCUNA, 1999

5-27548-2

 Grant Green - First Session

Released - 2001

Recording and Session Information

Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, November 26, 1960
Wynton Kelly, piano; Grant Green, guitar; Paul Chambers, bass; Philly Joe Jones, drums.

tk.2 Just Friends
tk.4 Sonnymoon For Two
tk.7 He's A Real Gone Guy
tk.11 Seepin'
tk.12 Grant's First Stand

Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, October 27, 1961
Sonny Clark, piano; Grant Green, guitar; Butch Warren, bass; Billy Higgins, drums.

tk.4 Woody'n You (take 4)
tk.7 Woody'n You (take 7)

Also:
Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, November 26, 1960
Wynton Kelly, piano; Grant Green, guitar; Paul Chambers, bass; Philly Joe Jones, drums.

A Night In Tunisia rejected
Jordu rejected

Session Photos

Photos: Francis Wolff

Track Listing

Title	Author	Recording Date
He's A Real Gone Guy	Nellie Lutcher	November 16 1960
Seepin'	Grant Green	November 16 1960
Just Friends	J. Klenner, S. Lewis	November 16 1960
Grant's First Stand	Grant Green	November 16 1960
Sonnymoon For Two	Sonny Rollins	November 16 1960
Woody 'N' You (Take 4)	Dizzy Gillespie	October 27 1961
Woody 'N' You (Take 7)	Dizzy Gillespie	October 27 1961

Liner Notes

GRANT GREEN'S music was beautiful and his soul and spirit emanated from each note he played. Initially hailed by critics and fans alike, his contribution to the jazz language was eventually forgotten until many years after his death in 1979. Robert Levin described Green as being in the lineage of Charlie Christian and Eddie Lang, who were from the "single-string school," which could be interpreted as a horn-like approach to soloing. When Grant Green was developing as a guitarist, he absorbed much of the jazz tradition in his hometown of St. Louis. He had remarked to Mr. Levin in the notes to his debut release on Blue Note (Grant's First Stand) that "l don't listen to guitar players much — just horn players. I used to sit up all night copying Charlie Parker solos note for note." Grant had already apprenticed in rhythm and blues groups in the Midwest as well as the groups of Jimmy Forrest and Sam Lazar when he caught the ear of a touring Lou Donaldson.

It was at Donaldson's recommendation that Grant was signed to Blue Note Records. Alfred Lion went into the studio with Grant on November 16, 1960 to record what would have been Grant's Blue Note debut. Lion surrounded Grant with the best rhythm section of the day — musicians associated with Miles Davis (who had a tremendous admiration for Grant and had the most popular small group in jazz at the time). Wynton Kelly and Paul Chambers were in the current Davis band and Philly Joe Jones was a recent alumnus. However, the results of this day were not released at the time. Clearly, the date was not as strong as most Blue Note sessions of the period. This same rhythm section had participated in Hank Mobley's magnificent Roll Call date five days earlier and perhaps Lion had hoped that the same magic would emerge on Grant's debut session.

Nellie Lutcher's "He's A Real Gone Guy" is the one performance that Lion thought was completely successful. It is a blues and Grant starts swinging hard. Philly Joe kicks into a shuffle (a style he learned from his days working with the Joe Morris band in the late forties) midway into Grant's solo. Kelly follows Grant with another of his patented 'good feeling' solos, which could lift the dark clouds off of a rainy day. After Kelly's solo ends, there is a little uncertainty, but the band falls back into the groove in just a few beats. Grant plays an out-chorus solo leading back into the melody (as Jones drive it home with his patented shuffle beat). The band swings out with a shout chorus tag and an almost Red Garland-type ending.

"Seepin"' is a slow blues that is the perfect kind of gravy song for Grant. He digs deep into the blues with a late night, smoky club groove. This was the kind of tempo that separated the men from the boys! Jones doubles the tempo in the middle of Grant's solo, which allows the guitarist to extend his melodic conception into a more boppish groove. Kelly turns the blues into a pretty woman by using major and suspended dominant fourth chords instead of the dominant seventh chords usually associated with the blues. Chambers get his turn to sing the blues with a beautifully melodic solo, then Grant returns for one more drink of the blues as Philly Joe goes to the sticks and the song climaxes to a typical blues ending. At just under 12 minutes, it is a wonderful compliment to Grant's understanding of the blues and Lion's desire to capture the essence of Grant.

"Just Friends" reveals how uneasy Grant was in his recording debut as a leader. His notes are not as smooth and he seems nervous. The intensity of the rhythm section was in many ways opposite to the natural setting that Grant had come up in, i.e., the organ group. After a first try at "Just Friends," the band kicked off the master at a brighter tempo. Grant still seemed uncertain. But the band swings hard and the Kelly-Chambers-Jones team is splendid. This rhythm section created a happy, buoyant groove that Grant had yet to get used to.

"Grant's First Stand" was rerecorded on Grant's official recording debut (Grant's First Stand), but it is interesting to hear the difference between this initial recording and the second version. The form is a standard minor blues and you can hear Grant echoing his patented blues lines as well as making a reference to Bizet's Carmen (an oft used "quote"). There is some nice interplay between Grant and Kelly at the end of Grant's first solo section. Jones drops his dynamic and explosive snare hits during Kelly's solo as only Jones can do and Chambers plays (as usual) a well-proportioned solo. Grant and Jones get into a little interplay on the second guitar solo (this is a common format used by Grant in most of his recordings).

"Sonnymoon For Two" kicks off into a great blues - four feel and finds Grant in his element. His solo contains the elements that were to be found in his recordings from this point on; a strict regard to the blues scale, the use of motifs around that scale, the repetition of a phrase (sometimes transposed to allow for a harmonic variation) and a strong sense of swing and economy. Grant already knew how to make everything he played personal. Kelly provides some responsive comping and Philly Joe's explosive drumming adds to the intensity of this performance.

Lion shelved this recording session and waited until January 1961 to record Grant again; a span of seven days when Lou Donaldson's Here 'Tis, Grant's Grant's First Stand and Baby Face Willette's Face To Face would all be recorded with the Green-Willette-Ben Dixon rhythm section. Grant would then become the house guitarist for Blue Note for the next four years, recording with Stanley Turrentine, Hank Mobley, Horace Parlan, Ike Quebec, Dodo Greene, Don Wilkerson, Jimmy Smith, John Patton, Herbie Hancock, Harold Vick, George Braith, Lee Morgan, Larry Young and Donald Byrd. He was the guitarist of choice if you wanted something that had soul and feeling, and his contributions to those sessions are remarkable.

Grant had an uncanny rapport with the pianist Sonny Clark. They recorded six sessions together (most under Grant's leadership) and Lion knew that he had a good team when they recorded together. Clark was another musician who died young and fell into obscurity until the mid-seventies when Japan rediscovered him and critics started listening to him again. "Woody 'N' You" is all that came out of the October 27, 1961 session by Grant with Clark, Butch Warren and Billy Higgins. They also attempted, but never completed, a version of Tadd Dameron's "Lady Bird" before the rest of the session was called off. The performances are a little loose but when the band gets swinging the groove won't stop.

Grant recorded for Blue Note until 1966. After that, he went into semi-retirement until 1969 when he reemerged as a leader for Blue Note. He began performing more funk and rhythm and blues material/ and soon he was absorbed into the inner-city music circuit.

John Scofield remembers that as a young student at Berklee in the early seventies, "Grant was almost completely unknown. At that time speed was everything and the main guys on guitar were George Benson, Pat Martino, Tal Farlow and John McLaughlin. Grant played everything as if it were slowed down. It was only later that I realized that he swung hard. I saw him at Connelley's in Boston with an organ group and it was mostly funk. He was playing the 'chitlin' circuit' and most musicians didn't pay much attention to that scene. The first recording of him that I heard was Larry Young's Info Somethin' and one of my favorites was Lee Morgan's Search For The New Land. He had unstoppable swing."

But by the end of the eighties, there was a resurgence in Grant Green's jazz output. The acid jazz movement of the early nineties pushed Grant's funk catalog into the forefront of popular culture (Us3 used the introduction to Grant's version of "Sookie, Sookie" on one of their hit albums for Blue Note) and soon everybody was digging Grant. Now there are countless guitarists who are deeply influenced by Grant and his music is being reevaluated as never before. This CD marks the beginning of a great musician's journey.

—BOB BELDEN

TOCJ-66083

 Ike Quebec - From Hackensack to Englewood Cliffs

Released - 26 January 2000

Recording and Session Information

Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, NJ, July 1, 1959
Ike Quebec, tenor sax; Edwin Swanston, organ; Skeeter Best, guitar; Sonny Wellesley, bass; Les Jenkins, drums.

tk.1 A Light Reprieve
tk.6 Blue Friday
tk.10 Zonky
tk.11 Blue Monday
tk.14 The Buzzard Lope
tk.16 Later For The Rock
tk.22 Sweet And Lovely
tk.23 Dear John

Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, July 20, 1959
Ike Quebec, tenor sax; Edwin Swanston, organ; Skeeter Best, guitar; Sonny Wellesley, bass; Les Jenkins, drums.

tk.8 Uptight
tk.12 Cry Me A River
Latin Strain (incomplete)

See Also: Hackensack to Englewood

Session Photos

Photos: Francis Wolff

Track Listing

Title	Author	Recording Date
A Light Reprieve	Ike Quebec	01 July 1959
Buzzard Lope	Ike Quebec	01 July 1959
Blue Monday	Sharp, Singleton, Fisher	01 July 1959
Zonky	Edwin Swanston	01 July 1959
Later For The Rock	Ike Quebec	01 July 1959
Sweet And Lovely	Arnheim, Tobias, Lemare	01 July 1959
Dear John	Ike Quebec	01 July 1959
Blue Friday	Edwin Swanston	01 July 1959
Cry Me A River	Arthur Hamilton	20 July 1959
Uptight	Ike Quebec	20 July 1959

Liner Notes

THE JULY 1.1959 SESSION

Ike's session mates on this date were some of the best musicians working the Harlem nightclub scene at the time, and one of them, the late Clifford "Skeeter" Best, was a guitarist of the highest caliber, having made many historic sessions, most notably a 1956 date with tenor saxophonist Lucky Thompson and bassist Oscar Pettiford (for ABC-Paramount). While the rest of the rhythm section (Sonny Wellesley & Les Jenkins) are not that well known, they certainly acquit themselves well.

A LIGHT REPRIEVE introduces us not only to Ike Quebec, but also to the unique recording skills of Rudy Van Gelder, who has justly received much of the credit for the incredible "Blue Note Sound" which enhances all the music heard here. This is a swinging blues at a perfect tempo for the band to show off their elegant way with the beat. After the melody, Ike plays a short solo to get things moving before turning it over to Best, who makes the most out of the basic changes used on this blues. Notice the way the rhythm section shifts gears when the organ solo (by Edwin Swanston) starts - not only is there a change in texture, due to drummer Les Jenkins' taste in cymbals, but bassist Charles "Sonny" Wellesley plays a new bass line to change the mood a little. These are the kind of subtle variations that only the best musicians of any genre utilize. It happens again when Quebec returns for his second solo with a beautifully realized glissando. The chord instruments, (the organ and guitar) lay out, while the bass and drums 'stroll'; one of Ike's earliest solos, SWEET GEORGIA BROWN done while he was in Roy Eldridge's band in 1943, makes use of this same device. Quebec makes the most of it, and then we are on the way home again.

BUZZARD LOPE is a blues, slower than A LIGHT REPRIEVE, and with it's own character. Ike's solo here demonstates the tremendous control he had on the tenor saxophone, and also his great way with telling a story.' The double-time passages are played masterfully, and a good deal of the horn is used to it's best advantage. Bassist Wellesley must have been a Basie fan, for he uses some of Walter Page's devices here. I cant imagine a better accompaniment to Quebec's second solo than the one given here; it's simplicity gives the rhythm section a solid foundation on which to build.

BLUE MONDAY is a minor ballad - Monday must not have been too good - has anyone ever done this along with GLOOMY SUNDAY? Remember that these sides were being produced for issue on 45 - so they couldn't go much longer than six minutes. There are evocative solos by Swanston on the organ, and Best after which Ike returns. This tune really seems appropriate for the intended market of bars and taverns that had jukeboxes back in the late fifties-early sixties.

ZONKY is not Fats Waller's tune from the late 20's, but organist Edwin Swanston's imaginative blues original with some nice breaks included in it. With a nifty root-dominant bass figure behind him, Quebec conjures up some blues licks dating back at least as far as King Oliver (here SNAG IT) up to the 1950's Basie band (hear EVERY DAY). For anyone who has spent some time in Harlem's organ joints, the organ solo with entirely appropriate and unique rhythm background will bring those nights right back. Ike gets into some real 'talking' during the shout choruses - if this doesn't make you feel like dancing, nothing will.

LATER FOR THE ROCK makes a nice companion to A LIGHT REPRIEVE in that both are medium blues with plenty of free room and time for the musicians to blow in. The influence of Lester Young is heard during Quebec's solo - something not to be heard in his Blue Note sessions from the '40s. He seems to have matured and relaxed in the intervening years, and we'll hear more of this laid back side of Ike's style in the subsequent sessions - especially the one with Sir Charles Thompson (September 25. 1960).

There is no doubt that one of Quebec's strongest points was his unique ballad style. It can be heard on his master-piece, IF I HAD YOU on the aforementioned 1940's Blue Note sessions. This version of SWEET AND LOVELY marks another evolution in his approach to ballads. His tone is smoother at the beginning, more elastic than before, while just as intense. During his last bridge, Ike increases the intensity a bit, and then returns to a more reflective mood for the beautiful coda. It is also worth mentioning once again the tremendous admiration Quebec must have had for Herschel Evans - you can hear a piece of it here.

If you think you've heard DEAR JOHN before, you're quite right. It's a faster and extended version of LATER FOR THE ROCK. It would be instructive to patch together Ike's solos from both versions to get into the mind of a master improvisor. The material itself is not the most challenging harmonically or melodically - its the blues, and the success of the solo is left entirely to the players imagination, swing and feeling. The way that Quebec shuffles these various elements around is truly masterful. The tenor solo following the organ solo is one of the session's highlights. This time it is Ben Webster who is thought of by Ike - and once again, Quebec integrates the allusion masterfully into the story at hand.

The third, fourth and fifth choruses are especially thrilling; this is a realm of music that cannot be notated, taught or replicated by some electronic device. Miles Davis's WALKIN' riff is used effectively for the out choruses.

BLUE FRIDAY is organist Swanston's tune - and the band does as much as they can With it. This features the sound Ike exploited earlier in his career, and in contrast to his more relaxed playing on the session is quite effective.

Michael Cuscuna

CD Session Notes

Ike Quebec returned to Blue Note and his old friend Alfred Lion in 1958 as an A&R man and informal music director for the label. He'd hardly recorded in the fifties (just some singles sessions for Hi-Lo and Seeco in 1952 and '53). Apparently by July I, 1959, he felt ready and cut the session of 8 tunes that begin this CD for intended 45 single releases. "Blue Monday"/"Dear John" (45-1748) and "Blue Friday"/"Buzzard Lope" (45-1749) were issued and met with great response. In 1960, Ike did another singles session and recorded with Jimmy Smith and Sonny Clark. His confidence renewed and his artistic powers better than ever, he recorded prolifically for the label for twelve months beginning in November, 1961 before the cancer in his body made it impossible to play. He died on January 16, 1963.

Fittingly it was Ike's sessions that closed the Hackensack chapter of the Van Gelder Studio and opened the Englewood Cliffs chapter for Blue Note. The two tunes recorded on July 20 were probably more of an experimental session for Lion, Francis Wolff and Ike to get accustomed to Rudy Van Gelder's new studio. The change was considerable. The Hackensack studio centered around the living room of Rudy's parents home. The Englewood Cliffs facility was a spacious studio with walls of custom-made masonry blocks and a high, wooden cathedral ceiling, specifically designed by Van Gelder for recording.

The difference in sound is immediately evident. The new facility sounds cavernous by comparison. The sound on this first Englewood Cliffs session was refined considerably in the months that followed. Unlike the July 1 session, which featured shorter tunes for single release, Ike stretches out on two loosely performed tunes on the July 20 date and stops the session before they can even get a full take on a third tune "Latin Strain".

These two tunes are hardly the greatest Quebec ever committed to tape, but they help paint an aural bridge between the Van Gelder studios. And after all, Ike and Rudy were two of the most important contributors to the legacy of this great label.

Michael Cuscuna 1999

5-17462-2

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

3-85193-2

Stanley Turrentine - A Bluish Bag

Released - 2007

Recording and Session Information

Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, February 17, 1967
Donald Byrd, trumpet; Julian Priester, trombone; Jerry Dodgion, alto sax, flute; Stanley Turrentine, tenor sax; Joe Farrell, tenor sax, flute; Pepper Adams, baritone sax, clarinet; Kenny Barron, piano; Bucky Pizzarelli, guitar; Ron Carter, bass; Mickey Roker, drums; Duke Pearson, arranger.

1839 tk.4 She's A Carioca
1840 tk.9 Samba Do Aviao
1841 tk.14 Manha De Carnaval
1842 tk.15 What Now My Love
1843 tk.24 Night Song
1844 tk.32 Here's That Rainy Day
1845 tk.41 Blues For Del

Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, June 9, 1967
Blue Mitchell, Tommy Turrentine, trumpet; Julian Priester, trombone; Jerry Dodgion, flute, alto sax; Pepper Adams, clarinet, baritone sax; Al Gibbons, bass clarinet, tenor sax; Stanley Turrentine, tenor sax; McCoy Tyner, piano; Walter Booker, bass; Mickey Roker, drums; Duke Pearson, arranger.

1904 tk.16 With This Ring
1905 tk.15 Silver Tears
1906 tk.20 A Bluish Bag
1907 tk.26 Come Back To Me
1908 tk.30 Days Of Wine And Roses

See Also: LT-993, BN-LA-394-H2, 5-17462-2

Session Photos

Photos: Francis Wolff

Track Listing

Title	Author	Recording Date
Blues For Del	Stanley Turrentine	February 17 1967
She's A Carioca	Jobim-Gilbert-de Moraes	February 17 1967
Manha Da Carnaval	A. Maria-L. Bonfa	February 17 1967
Here's That Rainy Day	J. Burke-J. Van Heusen	February 17 1967
What Now My Love	Sigman-Becaud-Delande	February 17 1967
Samba De Aviao	Antonio Carlos Jobim	February 17 1967
Night Song	C. Strouse-L. Adams	February 17 1967
Days Of Wine And Roses	H. Mancini-J. Mercer	June 9 1967
Come Back To Me	A.J. Lerner-B. Lane	June 9 1967
Silver Tears	Henry Mancini	June 9 1967
A Bluish Bag	Henry Mancini	June 9 1967
With This Ring	Dixon-Wylie-Hester	June 9 1967

Liner Notes

In his nine years with Blue Note, Stanley Turrentine was one of the label's most versatile and restless artists. He recorded with organ trios, quartets with piano, hard-bop quintets and sextets, Duke Pearson-arranged dates with four to seven horn front lines, the Oliver Nelson big band, and even with strings on two occasions. In terms of material, he was equally skilled in interpreting complex jazz tunes by Max• Roach or Randy Weston, Brazilian melodies from Jobim and Bonfa, standards, blues ballads by Ray Charles or Percy Mayfield, Motown tunes, and pop songs.

Turrentine may have been born in Pittsburgh, but his sound on the tenor saxophone is pure Texas: rich, vibrato-less, hard driving but vulnerable, and concise in thought and phrase. And why not — he cut his teeth professionally with Lowell Fulson and Ray Charles in the early-fifties.

On July 1, 1966, during his seventh year with the label, Turrentine collaborated with Duke Pearson for the first time to record Rough 'N' Tumble, an album that took a very old setting (four horns and four rhythm) and fashioned it into something new. Without forsaking the feel of the riff-based Kansas City tradition and bluesy, "organ chord" approach to horns that took shape in the early-fifties, Duke Pearson's inventive arrangements were able to apply this wonderful sound to modern jazz, timeless blues, and recent pop material in an exciting and fresh way. In September, they followed up with The Spoiler, adding a fifth horn to the mix.

What followed in the first half of 1967 were four more sessions with basically the same format which were not issued at the time. Instead, perhaps because Blue Note founder Alfred Lion retired that July and because Liberty Records, the label's new owners, saw a larger sales potential for this artist, Turrentine recorded two orchestral albums of pop tunes with strings and charts by Pearson and Thad Jones (The Look of Love and Always Something There).

The first seven songs here comprise the output of the first session, February 17, 1967. The instrumentation is expanded by adding another tenor saxophone chair, probably in an effort to lessen Turrentine's responsibility as he is the primary, and often only, soloist throughout.

Turrentine's "Blues for Del," no doubt named for New York disc jockey Del Shields, is a straight-four, medium-tempo, riff blues with a wonderful groove set down by Mickey Roker. Turrentine's ability to Fashion uplifting, melodic ideas out of the simple blues is on display. Donald Byrd and Kenny Barron also solo. But Kenny's comping and Pearson's horn writing are highlights as well.

The Brazilian tunes — "She's a Carioca," "Manha da Carnaval," and "Samba de Aviao" — were probably Duke Pearson's idea as many of his own Blue Note sessions were becoming more Brazilian in both material and sidemen. Pearson makes great use of Byrd's muted trumpet, the flutes of Jerry Dodgion and Joe Farrell, and Buck)' Pizzarelli's acoustic guitar in these beautiful arrangements. Antonio Carlos Jobim's "She's a Carioca" is taken at a slower tempo than usual and includes a flute solo by Joe Farrell after the tenor spot. Luis Bonfa's "Manha da Carnaval" from the film score of Black Orpheus is given Pearson's most involved treatment with a wonderful part for Pepper Adams's baritone sax. The solos by Turrentine and Barron are taken in double time. Jobim's "Samba de Aviao" (or "Jet Samba") features some lovely writing for a reed section of flute, alto flute, and clarinet.

The magnificent 1953 Johnny Burke-Jimmy Van Heusen song "Here's That Rainy Day" has always been a favorite among jazz singers, but Stan Getz and Paul Desmond made definitive instrumental versions in 1964. Turrentine's tender but muscular approach to ballads is entirely different from theirs, and with beautiful voicings from Pearson's pen, he puts forth an exceptional version of his own. Duke later used this arrangement for his own big band's second album Now Hear This! Jerry Dodgion, who plays the flute introduction here, was the featured soloist on alto sax for that version.

Gilbert Becaud's "What Now My Love" was a recent hit in the States and would soon be subject to countless annoying versions with choppy and/or march-rhythm arrangements. Turrentine and Pearson just swing it in an easy 4/4 rhythm that brings out the real musical meat of the song. Kenny Barron's fills on Stanley's statement of the theme are incredibly clever. Turrentine is relaxed and cool in his solo, working in an unlikely quote of '"Don't Explain."

"Night Song" comes from the 1964 Broadway show Golden Boy and features Duke's most conventional arrangement of the session. This song gained some jazz currency at the time with versions released by J. J. Johnson, Clark Terry, Frank Foster, and Kenny Burrell, among others. Turrentine and Donald Byrd are the soloists.

This session had a strange fate. In 1975, Duke Pearson put together a series of double-album retrospectives by key Blue Note artists. In the case of Turrentine, he chose to include six previously unissued tunes — three of them (the two Jobim tunes and "Night Song") from this session. Four years later, I issued the other four on an album entitled New Time Shuffle.

The second of the four '67 dates took place on June 9th and has never been issued before. All of the material is contemporary and, with the exception of the R&B hit "With This Ring," it comes from films or Broadway shows. (A cover version of "Message to Michael" was attempted at this session, but a releasable take was never achieved.) The guitar is replaced by a second trumpet and Pearson's resourceful writing for six horns takes on the flavor and sound of a big band.

"The Days of Wine and Roses," from the 1964 Film of the same name, is one of Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer's best-known collaborations. Duke's wonderful and ambitious arrangement taken at a bright tempo frames exuberant solos by Stanley and McCoy Tyner that are devoid of the regretful melancholy conveyed in the original lyric. McCoy, incidentally, had recorded his own trio version four years earlier on Nights of Ballads and Blues (Impulse!). Pearson expanded this arrangement for his own big band the following year.

"Come Back to Me" is from the 1965 Lerner & Lane musical On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. The tempo, rhythm, and arrangement are considerably more soulful than the song as originally written. Turrentine and Tyner take joyous and vivid solos.

"Silver Tears" and "A Bluish Bag" come From the 1967 film Gunn, based on the TV series Peter Gunn that debuted in 1958, catapulting Henry Mancini to fame and greatly increasing the use of jazz on television. Ten days after this session, Shelly Manne recorded an entire album of music from the film (Jazz Gunn, Atlantic), including these two pieces. And there ends their presence in the jazz repertoire. "Silver Tears" is a haunting ballad, richly scored by Pearson for brass and woodwinds, with a passionate solo by the tenor saxophonist. "A Bluish Bag" has an attractive jazz melody played over a bass-and-backbeat-driven rhythm section. Turrentine and Tyner take delightful solos.

"With This Ring" was a major hit for the second edition of The Platters (with Sonny Turner as lead vocalist). Except for Pearson's extravagant intro and some slick section licks, the spirit of the arrangement and tempo stay true to the original hit. When Stanley Turrentine has a handle on a song, there's no better instrumentalist to cover a hit. His bright, boisterous solo is a wonderful series of variations on the melody.

The remaining two 1967 Turrentine sessions with Pearson's chart will be the subject of a future release.

— MICHAEL CUSCUNA, 2007