The music on this long available LP was recorded in 1964 but remained unreleased until it came out as a part of a series of drably packaged records that only were available briefly in the early 1980s.
Stanley Turrentine's supporting cast is a strong one, including
Lee Morgan,
McCoy Tyner,
Bob Cranshaw,
Elvin Jones, and
Ray Barretto. The leader's
"Stanley's Blues" is a modal
blues with a slight
Latin flavor from
Barretto's congas, while
"Shirley" is a sauntering
bossa nova.
Morgan contributed the upbeat
Latin blues "Tacos," while
Turrentine reaches his peak as a soloist on the somewhat obscure song
"My Girl is Just Enough for Me" (written by
Dorothy Fields). But the biggest surprise is
Turrentine's driving arrangement of
the Beatles'
"Can't Buy Me Love"; unlike many lukewarm
jazz covers of their mid-1960s hits, the tenor saxophonist completes its transformation into a very viable
jazz vehicle. Although long out of print and an unlikely candidate to be reissued on CD, this rewarding session is well worth seeking, even if
Blue Note founder
Alfred Lion had second thoughts about it and set it aside. ~ Ken Dryden