Goodbye to Norman Whitfield

Yet another tremendous talent has slipped away. The legendary Norman Whitfield passed away at the age of 68 due to complications with diabetes. RIP Norman, thank you for the gifts you've given. You will be missed.

I'll leave you with this Whitfield treasure. The Temptations classic; "Masterpiece"

S4L Showdown III: "Tamiko Jones vs. Myrna Hague"

For the third round of my "vs." series, I thought I'd shine the spotlight on a tune penned by Johnny Bristol, "Touch Me Baby (Reaching Out For Your Love)," and masterfully performed for you by two vocal heavyweights.

In the left corner, out of Kyle, West Virginia, with an uppercut from her Arista LP, Love Trip, it's the tantalizing temptress, Tamiko Jones!!!

In the right corner, hailing from Jamaica, WI, and armed with a lethal blow from her classic Studio One LP Melody Life, it's "Jamaica's First Lady of Jazz," the mesmerizing, melodious Myrna Hague!!!

Ready to add Tamiko's take to your collection? You're in luck because, as of today, eBay is littered with priced-to-own copies of the 45. Need more Tamiko in your life than that? Okay, then you might be better off with her entire Love Trip album, which you can pick up on vinyl and CD right here.

On the other hand, if you found the Myrna version more to your liking and want a copy to call yer very own, you've got some options too. Hague's Melody Life LP is still in print and, with a little leg work, you can track it down. But of course, I've done the work for ya, so all you have to do is whip out that Visa and pull the trigger. If you can make it to Brooklyn, you can try your luck snagging a copy directly from the manufacturer at Coxone's Music City, located at 3135 Fulton Street.

If a trip to NY isn't in the cards, but you still want the LP, you can check the stock and cop one over here.

If that's not workin' for you either, not to worry; back in 2005, Myrna's rendition made an appearance on Studio One Lovers, one volume in a magnificent series of Studio One compilations assembled by the good people at Soul Jazz Records. You can lay your hands on your choice of the CD or vinyl edition right here.

Njoi! (password req'd)

Stanley Turrentine - Always Something There

A legend of the tenor saxophone, Stanley Turrentine was renowned for his distinctively thick, rippling tone, an earthy grounding in the blues, and his ability to work a groove with soul and imagination. Turrentine recorded in a wide variety of settings, but was best-known for his Blue Note soul-jazz jams of the '60s, and also underwent a popular fusion makeover in the early '70s. Born in Pittsburgh on April 5, 1934, Turrentine began his career playing with various blues and R&B bands, with a strong influence from Illinois Jacquet. He played in Lowell Fulson's band with Ray Charles from 1950-1951, and in 1953, he replaced John Coltrane in Earl Bostic's early R&B/jazz band. After a mid-'50s stint in the military, Turrentine joined Max Roach's band and subsequently met organist Shirley Scott, whom he married in 1960 and would record with frequently.

Upon moving to Philadelphia, Turrentine struck up a chemistry with another organist, Jimmy Smith, appearing on Smith's 1960 classics Back at the Chicken Shack and Midnight Special, among others. Also in 1960, Turrentine began recording as a leader for Blue Note, concentrating chiefly on small-group soul-jazz on classics like That's Where It's At, but also working with the Three Sounds (on 1961's Blue Hour) and experimenting with larger ensemble settings in the mid-'60s. As the '70s dawned, Turrentine and Scott divorced and Turrentine became a popular linchpin of Creed Taylor's new, fusion-oriented CTI label; he recorded five albums, highlighted by Sugar, Salt Song, and Don't Mess With Mister T. While those commercially accessible efforts were artistically rewarding as well, critical opinion wasn't as kind to his late-'70s work for Fantasy; still, Turrentine continued to record prolifically, and returned to his trademark soul-jazz in the '80s and '90s. Turrentine passed away on September 12, 2000, following a massive stroke and was laid to rest in Pittsburgh's Allegheny Cemetery.

Released in 1968, Always Something There was Turrentine's 4th Blue Note LP for the year and boasted no less than 7 covers of pop tunes of the day. Guest players included Herbie Hancock, Kenny Burrell Mel Lewis and many more. While the album may not win any critic's choice awards or hold the reverence of some of his more critically acclaimed efforts, Always Something There is still a fun listen and has it's share of noteworthy moments.

Always Something There is, of course, OOP but you can still find your own copy with very little effort or dough. Vinyl, cassette and CD reissues appeared back in the eighties on Applause records and can be found here. If you're not big on the reissue game and want an original Blue Note pressing of your own you can try your hand here.

Featured cut: "Little Green Apples"

Listen to the full album here.