About

A TAV Curator's Pick.

“Blue Hour has such a logical match up that it is very surprising that it did not happen again. Stanley Turrentine, the most soulful of all tenor-saxophonists, teams up with Gene Harris and the Three Sounds, one of the most swinging soul jazz trios, a group that was at the height of its popularity. The results are magical and timeless. At the time of this Dec. 16, 1960 recording, Stanley Turrentine was 26 and on the verge of stardom in the jazz world and beyond.

In the 1950s he had worked with Lowell Fulson, Earl Bostic and other r&b bands. Most significant were his 1959-60 stint with Max Roach and his recordings with Jimmy Smith which helped lead to his signing with Blue Note. From the start, Turrentine’s fat tone, soulful style and ability to put a maximum amount of emotion into every single note made him instantly recognizable. Gene Harris was Turrentine’s equivalent on piano. His gutsy and bluesy style mixed together Oscar Peterson with Junior Mance. He formed the Three Sounds with bassist Andy Simpkins and drummer Bill Dowdy in 1956 and the group was such a hit that they recorded 12 albums for Blue Note during 1958-62 including four in 1960 alone.

Blue Hour features the original “Blue Riff” plus four of the most beloved songs in blues and jazz history. No matter how many times one has heard such songs as “Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good To You,” “Willow Weep For Me” and “Since I Fell For You,” these versions are still very special.

Turrentine and Harris have similar approaches, being jazz masters who loved to play the blues. They constantly echo each other’s ideas and put such feeling into these vintage songs that they make every moment count. Stanley Turrentine and Gene Harris may have only teamed up this one time but Blue Hour is a classic that will be loved by anyone who is lucky enough to hear it.” - Music Matters

Musicians:

• Stanley Turrentine, tenor saxophone
• Gene Harris, piano
• Andrew Simpkins, bass
• Bill Dowdy, drums

About Stanley Turrentine:

“A legend of the tenor saxophone, Stanley Turrentine was renowned for his distinctively thick, rippling tone, an earthy grounding in the blues, and his ability to work a groove with soul and imagination. Turrentine recorded in a wide variety of settings, but was best-known for his Blue Note soul-jazz jams of the '60s, and also underwent a popular fusion makeover in the early '70s. Born in Pittsburgh on April 5, 1934, Turrentine began his career playing with various blues and R&B bands, with a strong influence from Illinois Jacquet. He played in Lowell Fulson's band with Ray Charles from 1950-1951, and in 1953, he replaced John Coltrane in Earl Bostic's early R&B/jazz band. After a mid-'50s stint in the military, Turrentine joined Max Roach's band and subsequently met organist Shirley Scott, whom he married in 1960 and would record with frequently.

Upon moving to Philadelphia, Turrentine struck up a chemistry with another organist, Jimmy Smith, appearing on Smith's 1960 classics Back at the Chicken Shack and Midnight Special, among others. Also in 1960, Turrentine began recording as a leader for Blue Note, concentrating chiefly on small-group soul-jazz on classics like That's Where It's At, but also working with the Three Sounds (on 1961's Blue Hour) and experimenting with larger ensemble settings in the mid-'60s. As the '70s dawned, Turrentine and Scott divorced and Turrentine became a popular linchpin of Creed Taylor's new, fusion-oriented CTI label; he recorded five albums, highlighted by Sugar, Salt Song, and Don't Mess With Mister T. While those commercially accessible efforts were artistically rewarding as well, critical opinion wasn't as kind to his late-'70s work for Fantasy; still, Turrentine continued to record prolifically, and returned to his trademark soul-jazz in the '80s and '90s. Turrentine passed away on September 12, 2000, following a massive stroke. ~ Steve Huey” – Blue Note Records

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