One February Night at Minton's
Standards and blues, caught live, show Turrentine soulful and direct early in his career.
On February 23, 1961, Stanley Turrentine walked into Minton's with Grant Green on guitar, Horace Parlan on piano, George Tucker on bass, and Al Harewood on drums. The session was captured live—no overdubs, no second takes, just five musicians playing through a set of standards and a couple of blues. What landed on tape that night became Up at Minton's, Vols. 1 & 2, a document of Turrentine doing what he did best: playing soulfully, without pretense, in the pocket with a tight rhythm section.
The repertoire is straightforward. No extended explorations or avant-garde gestures. AllMusic reviewer Scott Yanow heard it as "giving listeners a definitive look at the soulful Mr. T. near the beginning of his productive musical life." That's fair. This wasn't Turrentine at the height of his powers, but it's honest work—the kind of session where you learn what a player values. Here, it's directness. The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings rated it 3.5 out of 4, which lands it in solid, respected territory without overstating the case.
The live setting matters. There's no studio polish, no chance to fix a flubbed line. Green, Parlan, Tucker, and Harewood lock in tight, giving Turrentine a foundation that lets him focus on tone and phrasing rather than flashiness. If you're coming to Turrentine for the first time, this captures something essential about his approach: he trusted his horn and his bandmates, and let that suffice.
Who's playing
George Tuckerbass
Horace Parlanpiano
Grant Greenguitar
Stanley Turrentinetenor saxophone
Al Harewoodmembranophone
Where next?
More by Stanley Turrentine
All 64 albums →
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
