Stanley Turrentine

Stanley Turrentine was one of the most distinctive and respected saxophonists in the sphere of pop-oriented jazz music in the second half of the 20th century, as well as a trailblazing bandleader. Born in Pittsburgh in 1934, he received his early musical grounding in R&B and blues. He cut his teeth performing with Earl Bostic, Jimmy Smith and other bandleaders who threaded the needle between jazz and other Black popular music styles. Turrentine’s breakout Blue Note albums of the early ’60s are definitive texts of soul jazz—an offshoot of hard bop incorporating heavy R&B and gospel influences. The next decade saw Turrentine changing his home base to CTI Records, with his first electric release—1970’s Sugar—marking a commercial high-water mark for the saxophonist and the fledgling fusion label. Turrentine continued his stylistic evolution through a series of well-lacquered smooth-jazz outings in the later part of the decade, sometimes backed by full orchestras. He remained active performing and recording in his trademark soul-inflected style up until his death from a stroke in 2000.