Stanley Turrentine – Mr. Natural (Tone Poet Series)

All-Analog 180g Vinyl LP of Stanley Turrentine’s Mr. Natural Mastered from the Original Master Tapes by Kevin Gray & Pressed at RTI: Reference-Caliber Blue Note Reissue Helmed by Joe Harley

Though it wouldn’t first be released until 1980 as part of the LT Series, Stanley Turrentine’s Mr. Natural is a standout recording in the soulful tenor saxophonist’s immense 1960s Blue Note catalog. Turrentine had already led 12 dates for the label from his hard bop debut Look Out! in 1960 to the soul jazz workout Hustlin’ recorded in January 1964. That Fall the saxophonist was back in Rudy Van Gelder’s Englewood Cliffs studio at the helm of a cutting-edge modern jazz group with Lee Morgan on trumpet, McCoy Tyner on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums with Ray Barretto joining on congas for several songs. The band stretches out across Side 1 on the opener “Wahoo” (aka “Stanley’s Blues”), penned by Duke Pearson, as well as Turrentine’s loving piece “Shirley” dedicated to his then-wife Shirley Scott. Side 2 leads off with Morgan’s jaunty tune “Tacos” before Turrentine delivers a brightly swinging quartet version of the standard “My Girl Is Just Enough Woman For Me.” The album closes with a memorable take on The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love.”

Blue Note Records’ acclaimed Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series continues in 2023. Launched in 2019 in honor of the label’s 80th Anniversary, the Tone Poet series is produced by audiophile legend Joe Harley and features all-analog, 180g audiophile vinyl reissues that are mastered from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray of Cohearent Audio. Tone Poet vinyl is manufactured at RTI in Camarillo, CA, and packaged in deluxe Stoughton Printing “Old Style” gatefold Tip-On jackets. The titles were once again handpicked by Harley and cover the crème de la crème of the Blue Note catalog along with underrated classics, modern era standouts, and albums from other labels under the Blue Note umbrella including Pacific Jazz and United Artists Records. Every aspect of these Blue Note/Tone Poet releases is done to the highest-possible standard. It means that you will never find a superior version.

“The LPs are mastered directly from the original analog master tapes by Kevin at his incredible facility called Cohearent Mastering. We go about it in the exact same way that we did for so many years for the Music Matters Blue Note reissues. We do not roll off the low end, boost the top or do any limiting of any kind. We allow the full glory of the original Blue Note masters to come though unimpeded! Short of having an actual time machine, this is as close as you can get to going back and being a fly on the wall for an original Blue Note recording session.”
– Joe Harley

Musicians:
Stanley Turrentine, tenor saxophone
Lee Morgan, trumpet
McCoy Tyner, piano
Bob Cranshaw, bass
Elvin Jones, drums
Ray Barretto, congas

Features:
• Blue Note Tone Poet Series
• Curated by Music Matters co-founder Joe Harley
• Audiophile-quality 180g vinyl LP
• All-analog mastering (direct from the master tapes) by Kevin Gray
• Manufactured at Record Technology Incorporated
• Deluxe gatefold jacket packaging