Tenor Sax Specialist Stanley Turrentine Dies At 66
Jazz saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, best known for his often-covered 1970 hit "Sugar," died in a New York hospital on Tuesday, two days after suffering a stroke. He was 66 years old.
A native of Pittsburgh, Turrentine began playing the tenor saxophone when he was 11 years old, and developed an influential pop-leaning style that combined jazz elements with soul, R&B and rock.
"What first leaps out and grabs the listener's attention is Turrentine's sweet yet muscular sound, which suggests Johnny Hodges more than the classic Swing tenors," wrote David H. Rosenthal in his 1992 book "Hard Bop." "A flexible voice, it can deepen to a resonant honk, soar into one of the most piercingly full-throated cries in jazz, and broaden to a thick, sensuous vibrato on ballads."
Some of Turrentine's first professional performances were with a blues band that featured a young Ray Charles on the piano, an period that Turrentine often told interviewers was the most important in the development of his style. Later, he played in a band that featured Max Roach.
Turrentine also often collaborated with noted keyboardist Jimmy Smith and guitarist Kenny Burrell on soul-jazz albums in the '60s. Last month, Turrentine and Burrell performed a concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
Turrentine was scheduled to be the headlining performer at the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival in Michigan on Saturday night (9/16).
"Obviously this is a devastating loss," festival president Mary Motherwell said in a statement. "Our hearts go out to Stanley's family and friends during this terrible time. We know that all of our performers from Irma Thomas to Robert Cray will pay tribute to Stanley and that his fans will join us in honoring one of the jazz world's legendary performers."
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