STANLEY TURRENTINE — Blue Hour (review)

STANLEY TURRENTINE — Blue Hour album cover

Album · 1961 · Soul Jazz

5/5 · 2011-12-16
Matt

Those late night Jazz albums that are full of beautifully played ballads or a slowed down version of a more faster tempo number, that seem just perfect to hear late a night in the small hours of the morning are really not such an easy find because although you may think of many primarily late night sessions that might fit the mould they must have one neccesary major component for myself, being the Blues. This being the major reason that this album "Blue Hour" is one of the absolute stand-outs for after midnight spinning. Blue Note records has another two that do fit this high standard being Ike Quebec's, "Blue And Sentimental" and Grant Greens, "Idle Moments". This collaboration of Stanley Turrentine and The Three Sounds was suggested by Alfred Lion originally and is just as good if not better than Ike and Grant's albums. The material is all from the second session which was recorded in December 1960 with the first session recorded six months earlier. Alfred Lion really only wanted two more numbers during this 2nd session to use with the remaining material from the earlier session to make up an album but things hit that groove and "when you are hot, you are hot" which precisely what the musicians were when this session was recorded.

We are very early days in Stanley Turrnentine's career at Blue Note as he had only started with label earlier that year in April recording as a sideman with Dizzy Reece and by the end of the year come December he had appeared at Blue Note studio's counting close to double figures. Two of the albums that he appeared as a sideman in this time was on one of Blue Note's big sellers, Jimmy Smith's, "Back At The Chicken Shack" as well as his album debut on the label being "Look Out" within this 8 month time span. Stanley's early experience with Ray Charles has a major influence on his approach that he took for his playing within the album keeping that Blues grit but presented as stunning late night Jazz.

The Three Sounds being a trio are led by Gene Harris on piano and they had been selling a few at Blue Note as well for Alfred and Francis the owners when they first joined the label in 1958. In 1959 they had recorded a meeting with Lou Donaldson generating the album "LD+3" and although quite a good result was achieved with the album it is "Blue Hour" which is the far better album. The band is Stanley Turrentine on gruff tenor saxophone as that great gruff was always in his tone with also Gene Harris, tinkling piano, Andrew Simpkins, bass and Bill Dowdy doing a fair bit of brushing on drums.

Gene Harris leads the first composition on the album in, on piano being "I Want A Little Girl" with a slow rolling blues feel and throughout Gene remembers what he is playing being blues with passages within his playing being straight quick blues additions at times.Stanley's tenor not only has the great up and down volume but he does not over play with beautiful spacing and volume levels within his playing. The blues keeps coming by the bucketload with the following "Gee, Baby Ain't I Good To You" with Stanley coming in a lot earlier into this tune than the previous with superb spacing and not only from Stanley on tenor but the whole band is sublime. Gene Harris plays perfectly with his approach by using blues passages within his solos but still keeping it Jazz. There are three more tracks on the album with "Blue Riff" being the most sprightly at a mid-tempo but it does not detract from that late night feel and actually it is great to get away from the ballads giving the album a refesh if you like for the last two numbers with both being ballads. "Since I Fell For You" is more of that beautiful slow spaced approach taken to the album and runs for just under nine minutes with the last track actually not a ballad but played at at much slower tempo from its original form with a version that runs just short of ten glorious minutes being the standard "Willow Weep For Me".

One of the best out there for this style and one of my essential Jazz albums. You can get all the sessions together these days on a double cd with "Blue Hour" the actual album comprising the first disc with two numbers and an alt take from the 2nd session included with all the material from the first session on the 2nd disc. Hope that did not confuse you but "who was on first base?" as Abbot and Costello asked each other.