Stanley Turrentine – That’s Where It’s At
Blue Note Tone Poet Series
That’s Where It’s At is a beautifully focused hard bop session from tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, originally recorded on January 2, 1962 at Rudy Van Gelder’s legendary studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
The album pairs Turrentine with pianist Les McCann, bassist Herbie Lewis and drummer Otis Finch, creating an intimate quartet setting that gives Turrentine’s rich, blues-inflected tenor sound plenty of room to breathe.
Rather than relying on elaborate arrangements, the session is built around groove, melody and the natural chemistry between four musicians playing with remarkable ease.
Les McCann contributes several of the compositions, including “Smile, Stacey,” “Pia,” “We’ll See Yaw’ll After While, Ya Heah” and “Dorene Don’t Cry, I,” while Turrentine contributes “Soft Pedal Blues.”
The closing “Light Blue,”written by Tommy Turrentine, completes a programme that moves comfortably between soulful blues feeling, hard bop swing and lyrical jazz phrasing.
Turrentine’s playing is the centre of gravity throughout. His tenor has the warm, rounded tone that made him one of Blue Note’s most recognisable voices, combining blues feeling with controlled power and melodic clarity.
McCann’s piano brings a gospel- and soul-inflected character to the session, while Lewis and Finch provide a supple rhythm section that keeps the music relaxed without ever losing momentum.
This 2020 reissue forms part of the highly regarded Blue Note Tone Poet Series, supervised by Joe Harley. The LP was mastered and cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Record Technology Incorporated (RTI), and presented in a premium Stoughton Printing gatefold jacket.
The original Blue Note visual identity is also preserved, with Reid Miles’ cover design and Francis Wolff’s photography reproduced in a presentation worthy of the music inside.
For collectors and serious jazz listeners, this edition combines one of Stanley Turrentine’s most soulful Blue Note sessions with the high production standards that have made the Tone Poet series so respected.
Edition details
Artist / title: Stanley Turrentine – That’s Where It’s At
Label: Blue Note
Series: Blue Note Tone Poet Series
Catalogue numbers: B0031592-01 / BST 84096 / ST-84096 / 84096
Format: LP / Album / Reissue / Stereo / 180g / Gatefold
Released: 2020
Genre: Jazz
Style: Hard Bop
Recorded: January 2, 1962
Recording engineer: Rudy Van Gelder
LP mastering / lacquer cut: Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio
Reissue supervision: Joe Harley
Pressed by: Record Technology Incorporated (RTI)
Printed by: Stoughton Printing Co.
Cover design: Reid Miles
Photography: Francis Wolff
Barcode: 602508622526
Every record at Mr. Hansen Records is conservatively graded according to the Goldmine Standard. Vinyl records are professionally cleaned before dispatch, and all orders are securely packed with collector-grade care.
