Stanley Turrentine
Hustlin' (Blue Note Rudy Van Gelder Edition 40036)

If one single album can be said to have changed the world of music in the 1960s, it is Stanley Turrentine's Hustlin'. Filled with searing performances of cerebral, way-out tonal experiments and a group of musicians pushing themselves as far as possible in pursuit of the new, this record influenced everything from punk to post-rock.

Of course I'm kidding. Hustlin' is a frothy latte of an album, setting a strollin' mood and never breaking a sweat. Which is not to say it's a throwaway by any means; after all, sometimes you just want to take a stroll and have a latte.

Turrentine is joined by his ol' lady Shirley Scott on organ and Kenny Burrell on guitar, plus bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Otis Finch. T, Scott, and Burrell were all great in the same basic way: they just played. Simple, soulful, unpretentious, earthy. Melodies and solos. Takin' it sweet and slow.

No one's really hustlin' here … an occasional stretch, perhaps, but it's really pretty much sauntering the whole way through. This record is an afternoon walk away from the bullshit of the day, stopping to smell the roses. Sunny, breezy, and no bees. I suppose I could just go outside and have all that, but then who would make sure the towering piles of consumer products on my desk got reviewed?

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Review by La Fée