Turrentine, Stanley William

▪ 2001

      American jazz musician (b. April 5, 1934, Pittsburgh, Pa.—d. Sept. 12, 2000, New York, N.Y.), played tenor saxophone with a rich, hearty sound and a flair for blues phrasing that made him a popular favourite for four decades. Turrentine originally played cello but at the age of 11 took up the tenor saxophone. In his apprentice years he played in rhythm-and-blues groups with Earl Bostic and Ray Charles and in jazz groups, notably with Tadd Dameron. After serving in the army, Turrentine joined his older brother, trumpeter Tommy, in Max Roach's quintet. From 1960, Turrentine's saxophone playing—an original adaptation of Illinois Jacquet's style—proved invigorating in hard-bop recordings led by Horace Parlan and Duke Jordan, among others. His solos in organist Jimmy Smith's hit “soul jazz” albums such as Midnight Special and Back at the Chicken Shack led to his own “soul jazz” success. Turrentine's reputation grew with his own Blue Note albums, especially with That's Where It's At and Joyride, and he regularly appeared with his then-wife, “soul jazz” organist Shirley Scott. An increasing fascination with pop and rock material led to a series of crossover albums that began in 1970 with Sugar and continued throughout the decade. While his fusion music recordings made him a star, he retained his potency as a straightforward jazz improviser as well, and in the 1980s and '90s he alternated successfully between the jazz and jazz-rock idioms.

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