Stanley Turrentine

Stanley Turrentine
Turrentine in 1976
Background information
Born	(1934-04-05)April 5, 1934 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	September 12, 2000(2000-09-12) (aged 66) New York City
Genres	Jazz, soul jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Saxophone
Years active	1959–2000
Labels	Blue Note, Fantasy, CTI, Prestige, Impulse!
Associated acts	Shirley Scott, Tommy Turrentine, Jimmy Smith, Freddie Hubbard, Kei Akagi

Stanley William Turrentine (April 5, 1934 – September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He began his career playing soul jazz for Blue Note Records, touched on jazz fusion during a stint on CTI Records in the 1970s, and was described by critic Steve Huey as "renowned for his distinctively thick, rippling tone [and] earthy grounding in the blues." Turrentine was married to organist Shirley Scott in the 1960s, with whom he frequently recorded, and was the younger brother of trumpeter Tommy Turrentine.

Turrentine was born in Pittsburgh's Hill District into a musical family. His father, Thomas Turrentine, Sr., was a saxophonist with Al Cooper's Savoy Sultans, his mother played stride piano, and his older brother Tommy Turrentine became a professional trumpet player.

He began his prolific career with blues and rhythm and blues bands, and was at first greatly influenced by Illinois Jacquet. In the 1950s, he went on to play with the groups of Lowell Fulson and Earl Bostic.

Turrentine received his only formal musical training during his military stint in the mid-'50s. In 1959, he left the military and went straight into the band of the drummer Max Roach.

He married the organist Shirley Scott in 1960 and the two frequently played and recorded together. In the 1960s, he started working with organist Jimmy Smith, and made many soul jazz recordings both with Smith and as a leader.