If always at that topographic point were a tape that both check perfectly together with stood exterior the CTI Records' stable sound, it is Sugar past times Stanley Turrentine. Recorded inward 1970, solely 3 tracks appear on the master album (on the reissue there's a bonus alive version of the championship track, which nearly outshines the master together with is 50 per centum longer). Turrentine, a veteran of the soul-jazz scene since the '50s, was accompanied past times a who's who of groove players, including guitarist George Benson, Lonnie Liston Smith on electrical piano, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, bassist Ron Carter, organist Butch Cornell, together with drummer Billy Kaye, with others. (The alive version adds Airto, flutist Hubert Laws, drummer Billy Cobham, together with organist Johnny Hammond.) The championship rails is a deep individual blues workout with a swinging backbeat together with the beat department fluidly streaming through fours together with eights equally Benson, Hubbard, together with Turrentine start out piece of cake together with crank upward the heat, making the footstep together with stride of the cutting simmer thence popular -- particularly inward Hubbard's solo. This is genuinely midnight blue, together with the party's at the dot of getting actually serious or close to interruption up. By the fourth dimension Benson picks upward his break, total of slick, shiny, warm arpeggios, the seams are bursting together with couples are edging into corners. Butch Cornell's "Sunshine Alley" is a solid, funky groover, paced past times organ together with double fours past times Kaye. Turrentine together with Hubbard stride into the tune together with continue the vamp inward the pocket, riding out past times the blues describe of piece of employment into a tag that exactly revs the thing upward fifty-fifty further. But the big surprise is inward the lastly track, 1 of the most solidly swinging, from-the-gut emotional rides of John Coltrane's "Impressions" always taken. Turrentine is deep within his horn, ringing out inward legato with everything he has -- together with it is considerable. Ron Carter's bass playing flows through the modal interludes, creating a footing for some beautifully intervallic conception past times Benson together with Smith past times edifice a serial of harmonic bridges through the trend to solos. It's difficult to believe this is Turrentine, all the same is could live no 1 else. If jazz fans are interested inward Turrentine beyond the Blue Note menses -- together with they should live -- this is a heck of a house to require heed for satisfaction.
There are ii sides to Stanley Turrentine. One nosotros touched on earlier with our review of Blue Hour was his stint at Blue Note during the early on 60s where he contributed his warm, breathy sax tone to countless jazz classics. The other side of Turrentine was his function at CTI records inward the early on 70s where his trademark sax audio was forthwith flora inward a funkier, glossier environment.
Sugar, released inward 1971, was Turrentine’s commencement foray into what would locomote a novel era of jazz punctuated past times all star backing musicians, glossy packaging with sultry encompass art, together with the full general warm rich audio that became a hallmark of CTI. As fourth dimension went on this audio would dwindle into shine jazz, but inward the early on 70s it was novel together with exciting together with wholly satisfying.
Things boot off with the groove laden championship rails that became somewhat of a jazz criterion over the years. The drums audio total together with thick, rolling inward similar thunder together with keep a churning, ho-hum boiling momentum throughout the song. The horn lines are fantastically moody together with harken dorsum to something you lot would own got heard on 1 of Turrentine’s Blue Note albums although here, inward the funky glaze that was CTI, they accept on a whole novel life. Turrentine wastes no fourth dimension jumping correct into his solo which is ripe with potent melodious lines that groove with an almost gutbucket panache.
Freddie Hubbard follows on trumpet, his joyful lines together with vivid audio forming an splendid contrast to Turrentine’s heavier sax. The band maintains a steady groove throughout together with delightfully manages to continue everything at a pes tapping simmer that is exactly thence darn satisfying you lot can’t aid but revel inward it. Guitarist George Benson floats inward for a brusk but satisfying solo spell the horns trip the lite fantastic exactly about the primary subject behind him. As the groove fades out at the goal you lot pray it’s non actually over because this is the form of groove that could locomote all black together with locomote out everyone satisfied.
“Sunshine Alley” features the horns doing their thing with wonderful aplomb together with audio particularly squeamish when the band drops out for a moment. Organist Burch Cornell gets a guide a opportunity to shine with a funky tardily black solo that burns inward all the correct places without always overplaying. Meanwhile the drums together with percussion contribute a steady rolling, somewhat Latin flavour that solely adds to the excitement. Billy Kaye is a fantastic drummer that doesn’t larn anywhere close plenty mention. His steady rolling rhythms serve the music good together with he continually comes upward with tasty, classy fills.
Benson rolls inward with some other slippery solo on guitar spell Hubbard soars inward with a royal trumpet solo that almost sounds similar Lee Morgan for a minute or two. Very nice. Turrentine comes dorsum inward together with reminds everyone whose album this actually is – his solo smokes without always existence equally good flashy. So many players sometimes accept “the to a greater extent than notes the better” approach but Turrentine has a unique might to lay dorsum together with allow his sax say the floor inward brusk bursts of creativity.
“Impressions,” the Coltrane classic, is the 3rd together with lastly rails on the master album. Coming inward at a satisfying fourteen minutes, it is the cornerstone of the album together with gives everyone a guide a opportunity to strut their materials equally the band tackles the tune at a lively medium tempo that is only breathtaking. What actually drives this rails for me is the beat department – the bass, drums, together with congas all working together equally some form of 3 headed jazz dragon. Bassist Ron Carter is inward particularly fine shape here, delivering classic jazz walking bass lines with the slightest ship on of funk, all spell weaving inward together with exactly about the percussion with remarkable skill.
Everything comes together all at 1 time together with for the entirety of the fourteen minutes it is eternal jazz bliss. There is something inward the air, something inward that warm sound, that is exactly indescribable. Turrentine’s muscular, economical lines, Cornell’s groovy organ, Hubbard’s soaringly royal trumpet, Benson’s glassy shine solo, it all plant together to consummate a whole slice where no 1 instrumentalist stands out greater than the other. The solely thing that matters is the groove of the song, the feeling of tardily black electricity inward the air. For fourteen minutes at that topographic point is naught together with no 1 else, solely these real fine jazz players inward a recording studio inward New Bailiwick of Jersey somewhere, grooving the black away. It is everything expert jazz should live together with succeeds where thence many others fail.
Sugar is 1 fine album that never seems to overstay its welcome. It’s funky, jazzy, warm, together with cool. If you’re looking to branch out from the Blue Note era of Turrentine’s work, or larn into hip early on 70s jazz, this would live a fine house to start. The performances are corporation together with the music is stellar – everyone involved is inward it purely for the music together with naught else. And really, isn’t that how bang-up jazz should be?
Note: The 2002 CD unloose adds a fourteen infinitesimal version of “Sugar” played alive on July 19, 1971, exactly a twenty-four hours afterwards the forthwith available California Concert: The Hollywood Palladium. The 2010 40th Anniversary version of Sugar includes the same alive rails together with also adds “Gibraltar” equally an additional track.
Track listing
All compositions past times Stanley Turrentine except equally indicated.
"Sugar" - 10:03
"Sunshine Alley" (Butch Cornell) - 10:48
"Impressions" (John Coltrane) - 14:14
"Gibraltar" - 9:35
"Sugar" [Live] - 14:29 Bonus rails on CD reissue
Personnel
Stanley Turrentine - tenor saxophone
Freddie Hubbard - trumpet
George Benson - guitar
Ron Carter - bass
Lonnie Liston Smith - electrical pianoforte (tracks 1,4)
Butch Cornell - organ (tracks 2,3)
Billy Kaye - drums (tracks 1,2,3,4)
Richard "Pablo" Landrum - congas (tracks 2,3,4)
Hubert Laws - flute (track 5)
Hank Crawford - alto saxophone (track 5)
Johnny "Hammond" Smith - organ, electrical pianoforte (track 5)
Billy Cobham - drums (track 5)
Airto Moreira - percussion (track 5)
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