1. Don’t Mess with Mr T.
2. A Little Sweetness
3. I Haven’t Got Anything Better to Do.
4. Impressions
5. Terrible T.
6. The Island
7. Touching
8. Side Steppin’
Stanley Turrentine – Tenor sax
Kenny Drew Jr. - Piano, B3 organ, keyboards
Dave Stryker - Guitar
Dwayne Dolphin – Bass (acoustic and electric)
Mark Johnson - Drums
Alfredo Mojica – Percussion (tracks 2, 6)
Stanley Turrentine was a
‘monster’ tenor player with a fantastic sound,
a magnificent technique and a great jazz feel.
On this album he is backed by a superb rhythm,
that matches the mood both of the piece and
of Turrentine perfectly. Whether it’s the
gentle ballad style of I Haven’t Got Anything
Better to Do or the funky Don’t Mess
with Mr T, they get it just right.
John Coltrane is not my bag,
but Stanley’s interpretation of his Impressions
piece is impressive, Dave Stryker’s guitar
work on this track is also superb, as is the
playing of Kenny Drew Jr. on keyboards. The
difference between the composer’s version
and the Turrentine version is that with the
latter you always know where he is in the
piece. I also much prefer Turrentine’s sound
on the instrument.
Stanley Turrentine also had
a hand in three of the compositions, all of
which bear his mark; they are tracks 2, 5
& 7. The other tunes come from a wide
range of composers.
Marvin Gaye wrote Don’t
Mess with Mr T and Side Steppin'
was written by guitarist Dave Stryker.
This was an outstanding album
when it was first released by MusicMasters
in 1995 and it is still right up there with
the best today. I recommend it to any jazz
fan who likes to hear a real tenor saxophone
tone over a wide range of musical styles.
Don Mather
CD Reviews
Nimbus Records NI 2708
