STANLEY TURRENTINE - DON'T MESS WITH MISTER T

The Bob James electric arrangements make this CD by Stanley Turrentine one of his best for CTI! The record's got a laidback dope 70s approach to funky jazz – with loads of nice modal chords, sliced through by some deep soul solos from Stan. Players include Idris Muhammad, Bob James, Harold Mabern, and Eric Gale – and the CD features a great remake of Marvin Gaye's "Don't Mess With Mister T", plus "Too Blue", "Two For T", and "I Could Never Repay Your Love". Stanley Turrentine's Don t Mess with Mister T rose to #2 on the 1975 Billboard jazz chart and was another artistic triumph for the sax legend in his year with CTI Records. What first leaps out and grabs the listener s attention is Turrentine's sweet yet muscular sound, which suggests Johnny Hodges more than the classic Swing tenors, David H. Rosenthal wrote in his book, Hard Bop. A flexible voice, it can deepen to a resonant honk, soar into one of the most piercingly full-throated cries in jazz, and broaden to a thick, sensuous vibrato on ballads. Turrentine tends to play on top of the beat, making for a deep, trancelike groove, and his phrasing draws on both modern jazz and R&B. Angular lines alternate with timeless blues phraseology.

Produced by Creed Taylor on CTI. Recorded at Englewood Cliffs, NJ. CD version, 1988 reissue. ~ Ron Wynn.
Photographer: Mort Mace.
Arranger: Bob James.

Personnel: Stanley Turrentine (tenor saxophone); Eric Gale (guitar); Harry Glickman, Guy Lumia, John Pintaualle, Harold Kohon, David Nadien, Irving Spice, Harry Cykman, Emanuel Green (violin); Harold Coletta, Emanuel Vardi (viola); Seymour Barab, George Ricci (cello); Jerry Dodgion (alto saxophone); Joe Farrell (tenor saxophone); Pepper Adams (baritone saxophone); Randy Brecker (trumpet, flugelhorn); Alan Raph (bass trombone); Idris Muhammad (drums); Rubens Bassini (percussion).