Stanley Turrentine: Mr. Natural (Blue Note Tone Poet Series) LP

Blue Note, 1980

Though it wouldn’t first be released until 1980 as part of the LT Series, Stanley Turrentine’s Mr. Natural is a standout recording in the soulful tenor saxophonist’s immense 1960s Blue Note catalog. Turrentine had already led 12 dates for the label from his hard bop debut Look Out! in 1960 to the soul jazz workout Hustlin’ recorded in January 1964. That Fall the saxophonist was back in Rudy Van Gelder’s Englewood Cliffs studio at the helm of a cutting-edge modern jazz group with Lee Morgan on trumpet, McCoy Tyner on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums with Ray Barretto joining on congas for several songs. The band stretches out across Side 1 on the opener “Wahoo” (aka “Stanley’s Blues”), penned by Duke Pearson, as well as Turrentine’s loving piece “Shirley” dedicated to his then-wife Shirley Scott. Side 2 leads off with Morgan’s jaunty tune “Tacos” before Turrentine delivers a brightly swinging quartet version of the standard “My Girl Is Just Enough Woman For Me.” The album closes with a memorable take on The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love.”