Stanley Turrentine

American tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on April 5, 1934, and has explored a variety of jazz styles in a career associated with the Blue Note and CTI Records labels. Son of a saxophonist and younger brother of trumpeter Tommy Turrentine (1928-1997), he studied cello before turning to saxophone at the age of eleven. He made his debut in the rhythm'n'blues groups of Lowell Fulson with Ray Charles (1950-1951), whom he accompanied the following year, Earl Bostic (where he replaced John Coltrane in 1953) and pianist Tadd Dameron, with his brother. After his military service and his participation in Max Roach's quintet (1959-1960), Stanley Turrentine recorded a score of hard bop and soul jazz albums for Blue Note, including Look Out! (1960), Blue Hour (with The Three Sounds, 1960), That's Where It's At (1962, with Les McCann), Joyride (1965) and Rough 'n' Tumble (1966), as well as a dozen others, for Blue Note, Prestige and Impulse! with his wife, organist Shirley Scott. He took a more pop-oriented path, covering the hits of the moment, before signing with CTI Records, where he achieved commercial success with the albums Sugar (1970), Gilberto with Turrentine (with Astrud Gilberto, 1971) and Salt Song (1971). He continued in this jazz funk and smooth jazz vein with Fantasy and Elektra, before returning to Blue Note: Straight Ahead with Jimmy Smith (1984), Wonderland (1986) and La Place (1989). After collaborations with Kenny Burrell, Donald Byrd, Gene Harris, Abbey Lincoln, Horace Parlan, Jimmy Smith, Freddie Hubbard, Duke Pearson, Horace Silver, Les McCann, Jimmy McGriff, Roy Hargrove, Diana Krall and Marlena Shaw, the saxophonist ended his career with MusicMasters and Concord, alongside Cedar Walton, Ron Carter, Kenny Drew and Grady Tate. He died of a stroke in New York on September 12, 2000, at the age of 66.

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