Husband and wife team, tenor saxophonist Stanley
Turrentine and organ maestro Shirley Scott, recorded some many good sessions
together, although due to featuring on competing independent labels, mostly they
did so through clever and subtle disguise – Turrentine appearing on Scott’s
recordings as one ‘Stan Turner’, and Scott almost not bothering at all, with
the pseudonym ‘Little Miss Cott’.
Regardless of the various such feats of subterfuge and
daring, the music they made as a team was often among the best each recorded, Turrentine’s
tenor in particular always well-suited to an organ backing. ‘Common Touch’ though
is probably the lesser of their numerous collaborative works, the familiar
easy-grooving of their usual partnership here just a little too easy and and a
little too laid-back.
That’s not to say it’s a bad work in any way. The
relaxed material and feel is raised and uplifted by the soulful playing of
both, with Scott’s gospel-esque organ well to the fore. The featured guitar too
gets some nice moments to shine also, thus stopping this from being an entirely
husband-and-wife effort, but the rhythm team here doesn’t really get to do too
much beyond standard horizontal fare.
Not essential Turrentine, the average jazzer will find
the pacing too reclined and creative ideas light on the ground. And at times it
does border dangerously close to creating the genre of lounge-jazz. But for
anyone who likes the easy going grooves (it is after all part of Blue Note
‘Rare Groove’ series) and a more chilled listen to unwind and finger-snap to,
then this is another pleasure from ‘The Sugar Man’ and his lady.
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