Stanley Turrentine - 1971 - Salt Song

Stanley Turrentine 

1971 - Salt

Song

01. Gibraltar 10:20

02. I Told Jesus 7:35

03. Salt Song 7:10

04. I Haven't Got Anything Better To Do 4:30

05. Storm 7:30

Arranged By, Conductor – Eumir Deodato

Bass – Ron Carter

Cello – Alan Shulman, Charles McCracken

Drums – Airto Moreira, Bill Cobham

Guitar – Eric Gale

Percussion – Airto Moreira

Piano, Electric Piano, Organ – Eumir Deodato, Horace Parlan, Richard Tee

Tenor Saxophone – Stanley Turrentine

Viola – Harold Coletta

Violin – Harry Katzman, Joe Malin, Julie Held, Julius Brand, Leo Kahn, Paul Gershman

Voice [Voices] – Brenda Bryant, Margaret Branch, Patricia Smith

Recorded at Van Gelder Studios

Recorded July, September, 1971

An amazing album from Stanley Turrentine -- quite different than most of his other sessions for CTI, but in a really great way! Stan's playing here with arrangements from Deodato -- in a swirling, Brazilian jazz influenced mode that's similar to their work together with Astrud Gilberto on her CTI album -- save for the fact that this set's all instrumental, with Turrentine's tenor in the frontline! The sound is wonderful -- soaring, swirling, and plenty darn soulful when Stan's tenor comes into play -- and in a way, the album's almost an instrumental companion to the Gilberto CTI album. Instrumentation includes some great keyboards from Deodato and Richard Tee -- plus guitar from Eric Gale

Stanley Turrentine's stint with Creed Taylor's CTI label may not have produced any out-and-out classics on the level of the very best LPs by Freddie Hubbard, Hubert Laws, or George Benson, but the bluesy tenorist's output was consistently strong and worthwhile for all but the most stridently anti-fusion listeners. Salt Song was Turrentine's second album for CTI, and while it's perhaps just a small cut below his debut Sugar, it's another fine, eclectic outing that falls squarely into the signature CTI fusion sound: smooth but not slick, accessible but not simplistic. In general, keyboardist Eumir Deodato's arrangements have plenty of light funk and Brazilian underpinnings, the latter often courtesy of percussionist Airto Moreira. The first three cuts are the most memorable, beginning with a ten-minute exploration of the abrupt time signature shifts of Freddie Hubbard's "Gibraltar." Though a hard bop version might have returned to the theme a little less often, Turrentine's solo sections are full of ideas, befitting one of his favorite pieces of the period; plus, guitarist Eric Gale shines as both a rhythm and lead player. The traditional gospel tune "I Told Jesus" features Turrentine at his bluesiest and earthiest, with snatches of ethereal choir vocals floating up behind him. Milton Nascimento's title track, naturally, has the strongest Brazilian flavor of the program, and Turrentine skillfully negotiates its frequent shifts in and out of double time. The 1997 CD reissue also includes Nascimento's "Vera Cruz" as a bonus track. All in all, Salt Song has dated well, partly because the arrangements don't overemphasize electric piano, but mostly on the strength of Turrentine's always-soulful playing.

Tenor sax player Turrentine has often tried to gain commercial success with the help of trendy producers / arrangers. Here he is produced by Creed Taylor, and his arranger is Deodato, but the sound is not as Brazilian as you would expect. Only Milton Nascimento's "Salt Song" and the bonus track "Vera Cruz" (by Nascimento, too) have a Brazilian flavor. "Gibraltar" is a tune made quite famous by his frequent partner Freddie Hubbard, "I Told Jesus" has Gospel overtones, as you might expect.

As this is a CTI production, many outstanding musicians play in this album: Ron Carter, Billy Cobham, Airto Moreira, Richard Tee, Eric Gale, Hubert Laws ... , the usual suspects.

Glossy easy-listening jazz, much better than today's so-called smooth jazz, not challenging but nice as background music; there are times we need some, don't we ?