Two Groove Masters in the Studio
Green and Turrentine made few albums together, but the combination is a natural — the two greatest groove masters, bar none.
This session happened in 1961, but the world didn't hear it until 1985. That gap says something about how jazz recording worked — albums shelved, catalogs buried, histories written around what was released rather than what was made. What Stanley Turrentine and Grant Green captured together that day stayed locked away for a quarter century, which makes hearing it now feel like finding something the musicians themselves almost forgot.
The band was tight and purposeful: Tommy Flanagan on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, Art Taylor on drums. Green and Turrentine aren't competing; they're locking in together, trading groove rather than virtuosity. Turrentine's tenor has that breathy, almost talking quality he'd become known for, and Green's guitar sits right beside it, not flashy but absolutely centered. The blues is the grid they're working inside, and they're comfortable there — no need to prove anything, just play.
AllMusic reviewer Michael Erlewine understood exactly what this was: two players who knew how to make people feel the beat, how to phrase behind the line, how to make straightforward material swing without embellishment. It's the sound of musicians who have played this music long enough to know what doesn't need to be said. The album matters partly because it finally exists on the shelf, but mostly because it's simply solid — no apology needed for the delay.
Who's playing
Paul Chambersdouble bass
Tommy Flanaganpiano
Grant Greenguitar
Stanley Turrentinetenor saxophone
Art Taylordrums
Where next?
More by Stanley Turrentine
All 64 albums →
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
