Jump to content

Danny Turner - Only Leader Date


Dan Gould

Recommended Posts

I mentioned this a couple of times in other threads since I got it a week ago; I haven't taken it out of the car CD player since it went in, and listening again now while working -  it's that good.

Turner made a few records with McGriff then joined Basie, but this is straight up bebop of a very high level.  Ignore the discogs listing which says something about Basie alumni in the group; the rest of the group is Red Callender, Gerry Wiggins and Dennis Mackrel on drums. Wiggins is fine of course but Turner gets most of the solo space.

In a summer of some major "seemingly unknown recording" discoveries, this ranks at the top, impossible to choose between them. Does anyone else know this record?

If you're intrigued there are cheap copies at discogs, though I would recommend, while they last, seller CADNOR, the former Cadence North Country, which has new copies for $8.99 plus shipping. Mine had no warping due to shrink wrap and played perfectly.

Screenshot 2020-09-15 090937.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/24/2020 at 3:20 AM, Dan Gould said:

And here I sat, thinking that the odds had to be pretty low that I was the only person aware of this record ... looking forward to that review.

Okay, sorry for the delay, it needed a cleaning and I got Lines of Reason and the Hank Mobley Mosaic set delivered yesterday.

You probably would be the only person with this seemingly obscure release if I, one, hadn't found it for a dollar, two, since i play alto sax I pick up random albums led by alto players if I find them, and three, I just buy way too much damn music. Full disclosure I am relatively unfamiliar with Basie's Orchestra so I had no clue who I was buying. But I digress, to my feedback. 

What a pleasant surprise!! A bit of a who's who in the band, which I updated on discogs because it should really be known. I wish it had more Turner compositions, I felt like they were the real standouts, not that the standards are bad but not as interesting for me. The sound quality is excellent, it has a real presence of the moment that you wouldn't expect from a labels first (I presume) release.I haven't looked into the label at all but now I'm curious. Really got a kick out of the end of "Stolen Sweets" on side one. I wonder if they didn't feel like cutting the tape or they just liked how it played, i prefer to think the latter. Danny Turner is very much a bop player and interestingly has a lot to say in almost exclusively without any altissimo. I feel like I Love You had some tape left that couldn't fit on the side because Danny sounded like he was turning it on as it faded. 

 

Really surprised by this and understand your excitement about it. Wouldn't mind hearing more from Danny Turner in a small setting, but this is a really strong and fun listen. I concur others should seek it out. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, jcam_44 said:

What a pleasant surprise!! A bit of a who's who in the band, which I updated on discogs because it should really be known. I wish it had more Turner compositions, I felt like they were the real standouts, not that the standards are bad but not as interesting for me. The sound quality is excellent, it has a real presence of the moment that you wouldn't expect from a labels first (I presume) release.I haven't looked into the label at all but now I'm curious. Really got a kick out of the end of "Stolen Sweets" on side one. I wonder if they didn't feel like cutting the tape or they just liked how it played, i prefer to think the latter. Danny Turner is very much a bop player and interestingly has a lot to say in almost exclusively without any altissimo. I feel like I Love You had some tape left that couldn't fit on the side because Danny sounded like he was turning it on as it faded. 

 

Really surprised by this and understand your excitement about it. Wouldn't mind hearing more from Danny Turner in a small setting, but this is a really strong and fun listen. I concur others should seek it out. 

 

Glad to hear you enjoyed it as much as I did. I hope others will grab a copy to hear for themselves.

I agree on the originals especially the lead off track. As for Stolen Sweets do you hear a mistake on the first ending? (for those reading - they play the out-theme to the end, and then you hear laughter, and someone - I guess Turner - says "let's do that again" and they play the melody one more time).  It felt to me like he just wanted to do it one more time, and they just kept it all.  I like that they kept it all.

I am wondering if there is any more of Turner like this - he recorded with Shirley Scott, McGriff and McDuff over about 4 years in the late 60s - early 70s.

Been a while since I listened to The Worm ... have thought most of McGriff's Step One as maybe the best option to hear Turner like this (plus its got Blue Mitchell in the group too).  I think I should check youtube for uploads of those four records ...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seems as though the only option to find Turner in a small group in a bebop way is Rockin' with Milt

https://www.allmusic.com/album/rockin-with-milt-mw0000876805

he seems to get a lot of spots on disc 1, alto and tenor ... and the samples on AMG sound good if predictably short tracks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Finally received my copy of the Milt Buckner comp ... excellent Turner on the first 10 tracks, all from 1955. What's strange is he gets credit for alto and tenor, and I could swear on some tracks they would have to be overdubbed for him to have played both. Anyway it's interesting to hear, puts me in mind of Doggett + Percy, if Doggett were Milt Buckner, and Percy was a dyed-in-the-wool bopper. 

:g

 

Edited by Dan Gould
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...