Stanley Turrentine's "Salt Song" Part of Celebration of 40 Years Of CTI

Part of the celebration of the 40th Anniversary of CTI, Sony through its CTI Masterworks imprint has issued Salt Song by Stanley Turrentine. CTI was a good choice to showcase Turrentine’s blues-rooted attack and soulful sound and at this July 1971 recording he was joined in Rudy Van Gelder’s Studios by a band that included Ron Carter, Bill Cobham, Airto Moreira, Horace Parlan, Richard Tee and Eric Gale, among others

Freddie Hubbard’s Gibraltar is a straight-ahead swinger that showcases Turrentine warm, robust playing. Eric Gale’s blues tinged guitar provides a nice second solo voice with Airto adds percussion accents. The traditional gospel number I Told Jesus employs strings and a vocal chorus with Gale’s spare, bluesy guitar providing a foil for Turrentine’s vocalized tenor sax. Milton Nascimento’s title track has a Brazilian flavor with a lightly swaying groove as Turrentine solos vigorously. Turrentine, in addition to his blues roots (from the days touring with bluesman Lowell Fulson), was a superb ballad player as exhibited on I Haven’t Got Anything Better to Do, with strings added to presumably add a lush background. Turrentine’s atmospheric “Storm” closed out the original release. A bonus track is a lively boss nova, Vera Cruz from the album, Gilberto With Turrentine, with a fuller band having full flute and full string sections and arrangement by Emir Deodata.

This is a typically solid recording by Turrentine in a straight-ahead vein. While there was some sweetening to some of the music heard here, it was not done heavy-handedly and the result is a recording that sounds fine four decades later.

My review copy was provided by a publicist for this release.

George Benson's Spanish Flavored White Rabbit

George Benson was already an established guitarist when he signed with Creed Taylor and CTI Records. As part of the 40th Anniversary of CTI Records, Sony has issued on CTI Masterworks White Rabbit, an album that situated the guitar in the flamenco-tinged arrangements of Don Sebesky. The musicians on this session included Herbie Hancock on electric piano, Ron Carter on bass, Billy Cobham on drums, and Airto on percussion. Hubert Laws was part of the larger band and added a solo to the title track.

The title track was a remarkable adaptation of the Jefferson Airplane song and sets the tone to the album. The underlying groove of Grace Slick’s original lends itself to the flamenco inspired setting as the trumpet conjures the bullring, and Benson’s guitar initial evokes the flamenco masters before he takes his solo. It is followed by Herbie Hancock who rips off a startling solo punctuated by the horns which is then followed by Laws' solo. The rendition provides an energetic start to this recording.

Of course White Rabbit is not the only pleasure to be heard here. Theme From 'Summer of 42' provides a quieter mood as Benson states the theme with Jay Berliner's acoustic guitar helping set the mood while Hancock's electric piano establishes a foundation for Benson's solo. Little Train (from Bachianas Brasileiras #2) has a lively Brazilian feel with Airto adding a wordless vocal in addition to percussion. California Dreamin' opens with a Flamenco flavor and a lush Sebesky arrangement that mixes in Harp with the woodwinds and brass over which Benson's agile, fleet solo rides as Berliner chording behind him.

This disc concludes with Benson's El Mar, which also has a similar Spanish (or perhaps Moorish) flavor. It is built upon a slightly dramatic motif and apparently was Earl Klugh's debut recording. Klugh plays acoustic guitar here. Like the rest of the album, this is wonderfully recorded and remastered so for example one can hear the sizzle and crackle from the drums and Airto's percussion as well as very clearly and distinctly. This was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder and while Van Gelder was apparently not involved with remastering these reissues, the clarity of the sound does justice to the wonderful music heard here.

My review copy was provided by a publicist.

Prelude By Deodato More Than Theme From 2001

Brazilian born Emuir Deodato is primarily remembered for his 1972 orchestral recording of Also Sprach Zarathustra, the Richard Strauss composition that was known as the theme from the Movie 2001. Deodato adapted the Strauss composition from symphonic form to more contemporary tastes with his insistent and creative electronic piano, John Tropea’s twisting, rock-toned guitar solo, Stanley Clarke’s electric bass solo, and the latin flavored percussion of Airto and Ray Barretto.

Deodato’s recording of the Strauss theme was a Grammy winner in 1974 for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. Not a bad achievement for someone who as a teenager working for a local rock band was asked to arrange for a recording session orchestra. By 1967, he had moved to the United States, and wrote for American studios and was contributing arrangements for Astrud Gilberto, contributed three charts to Wes Montgomery's Down Here on the Ground, and was soon working for major names in several fields including Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler, Frank Sinatra.

As part of the celebration of CTI’s 40th Anniversary, Sony Masterworks has issued Prelude, the album that included Also Sprach Zarathustra and was CTI’s biggest hit. Remastered from the original two-track audio tapes, it presents the familiar Strauss number with five other instrumentals. Spirit of Summer is one of his compositions that is a lovely big band number with an Jay Berliner acoustic guitar solo and I( assume Hubert Laws taking) a short flute break. Carly and Carole, has a playful feel opening with a lovely flute ensemble and Deodato’s electric piano to state the theme over the percussion before Deodato takes an engaging and dreamy solo.

Ron Carter in on acoustic bass for much of this release except is on electric bass for the bouncy Baubles, Bangles and Beads as Billy Cobham, on drums, keeps the groove moving while Tropea adds some driving guitar in addition to Deodato’s imaginative and lively arrangement. Hubert Laws is featured on Claude Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, first setting the mood on the opening moments and taking the initial solo when the performance speeds up. The disc concludes with the funky September 13 that Deodato and Billy Cobham collaborated on. The rhythm section provides a strong, percolating groove over which the horns and guitarist Tropea make statements.


Prelude was Deodato’s most successful recording displaying his marvelous arrangements in addition to a superb studio orchestra. He would produce other albums, none as successful as this and later worked more as an arranger and producer with the likes of Kool & the Gang. While this reissue is relatively short (a tad over 32 minutes for the six performances), it is another example of the wonderful audio qualities of CTI recordings that enhance listening to the music included.


My review copy was provided by a publicist for the release.