Common Touch - Stanley Turrentine (1LP Vinyl) [Classic Vinyl Series]

Common Touch by Stanley Turrentine.

There is a certain warmth that comes when a tenor saxophone leans into the groove rather than racing past it, and "Common Touch" captures Stanley Turrentine doing exactly that. Recorded on August 30, 1968, and released that same year on Blue Note Records, this set finds Turrentine embracing the soulful, accessible side of jazz that made him one of the most beloved voices on the label.

The album opens with "Buster Brown," a track that sets the tone with the kind of big, rounded tenor sound Turrentine was known for. His playing has a vocal quality, phrasing melodies as if he were telling you a story directly across the bar, and from the first notes the record announces its intention to reach listeners rather than dazzle them.

That generosity of spirit runs through the whole first side. "Blowin' In The Wind" reimagines a familiar melody through Turrentine's horn, bending it toward the blues and the church at once, while "Lonely Avenue" leans into the ache and grit that Turrentine could summon so naturally. Both pieces show how a great player can take material and make it feel entirely his own, unhurried and deeply felt.

Flip to the second side and the tempo loosens into something you can move to. "Boogaloo" rides the late 1960s enthusiasm for danceable, backbeat driven jazz, a reminder that this era of Blue Note was as comfortable in a nightclub as in a listening room. It is the sound of musicians having a good time and inviting you along.

The title track, "Common Touch," may be the truest statement of the record's philosophy. Turrentine had a gift for connecting, for finding the emotional common ground between the sophisticated and the streetwise, and this piece embodies that ideal. The closer, "Living Through It All," sends the album off with a sense of resilience and quiet grace, letting the tenor speak its final say before the needle lifts.

This pressing was issued by Blue Note Records, a registered trademark of Capitol Records, LLC, with the 2022 reissue handled through Universal Music International and made in the EU. For collectors and listeners alike, it is a chance to hear one of the great soul jazz statements the way it was meant to be experienced, on vinyl, with all its warmth intact. Whether you are deep into Turrentine's catalog or just discovering his voice, "Common Touch" earns its place on the shelf and, more importantly, on the turntable.

Pressing Details:
Recorded August 30, 1968.

A Blue Note Records release; Originally released in 1968 on Blue Note Records © 2022 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Universal Music International B. V. Netherlands. Blue Note is a registered trademark of Capitol Records, LLC.
Made in the EU.

Track Listing:
A1. Buster Brown
A2. Blowin' In The Wind
A3. Lonely Avenue
B1. Boogaloo
B2. Common Touch
B3. Living Through It All

Artist: Stanley Turrentine

Supporting Artists: Shirley Scott

Format: 1LP

Genre: Jazz

Label: Blue Note

Catalog Number: 4535327

Series: Classic Vinyl Series

Release Year: 2022

Country: United States

Condition: Sealed (New)