[bjornblomberg]

I've been listening quite a bit to mr Stanley Turrentine lately. He is one of my absolute favorites, very soulful, groovy playing, with one of the fattest tones that has ever been heard from a tenor sax. I'm sure he would have sounded terrific on a plastic saxophone as well, but still I'm a bit curious to know more about the setups he has used. I seem to remember from the theowanne.com site of pro players' setups (this part of his pages appears to have been removed) that he is quoted as playing a Selmer SA II black nickel tenor, can't remember the mouthpiece (Link STM?). But, I think his tone was even cooler on those early Blue Note recordings from the 60s (when the SA II was not available). Has anybody got an idea what kind of setup he used back then? (horn and mpc?). Anyway, it is a great inspiration to listen to this great player.
Bjorn

 

[ekdowlin]

I'm pretty sure he was on a Mark VI back then.

 

[1saxman]

Link to 'Sunny' from a 1966 album. The picture shows a good old MK VI but the mouthpiece is in shadow. Sounds like a good Link, and later pictures all show a Link. The song is pretty good too. Style reminds me of Grover Washington Jr.

 

[Sigmund451]

Stanley Turrentine: 1950-1958: tenor: Otto Link Tonemaster 7* and Otto Link 50’s NY Super Tone Master 7*. 1958-1964: metal 1940’s Duck Bill Berg Larsen 110/0. 1964-2000: Otto Link Super Tone Master 50’s NY model 7*. 2000-current: Phil Barone Otto Link Tonemaster replica 8* (with the white tooth guard) and tenor Phil Barone “Hollywood” model.

 

[bjornblomberg]

Link to 'Sunny' from a 1966 album. The picture shows a good old MK VI but the mouthpiece is in shadow. Sounds like a good Link ...

Thanks for the nice link. Is that a mk 6 or a BA or SBA? I think the split in the octave mechanism looks a bit like pre-mk6?

 

[bjornblomberg]

Stanley Turrentine: 1950-1958: tenor: Otto Link Tonemaster 7* and Otto Link 50’s NY Super Tone Master 7*. 1958-1964: metal 1940’s Duck Bill Berg Larsen 110/0. 1964-2000: Otto Link Super Tone Master 50’s NY model 7*. 2000-current: Phil Barone Otto Link Tonemaster replica 8* (with the white tooth guard) and tenor Phil Barone “Hollywood” model.

Thanks. Great info. It seems most of the time he was on metal links.

 

[sideC]

Wow! Check out the personnel on Mr T's recording of Sunny.' Great 1960's style groovy groove. Nice post Mr 1saxman!

Back in the late summer of '87, I remember shopping around in the stores on w48th street in NYC for a new series II alto to augment the mk6 that I had been playing for years. Money was burning a hole in my pocket, as my Pops used to say. When I got to the Rod Baltimore store, Stanley Turrentine was in there trying out a brand new black serie II tenor. He really liked the horn, so he produced a mk6 to use as a trade in for the new horn. While the salesman was on the phone, I asked him about the horn he was trading. He said that it was blowed out. He said that it had been his favorite horn for many years, but it was time to move on. After he left, I asked to see the traded mk6. It was very shiny, wearing what looked like a coat of fresh lacquer. But I could tell that this horn had been relacquered many, many times, and the horn was buffed thin in places. It was an old warhorse that had done it's job well for many years.

As I was trying out the only new serie II alto they had in the store, the salesman got busy on the phone, calling customers, letting them know that he had Stanley Turrentine's mk6 tenor for sale. I hope it went to a good home.

 

[Dr G]

As I was trying out the only new serie II alto they had in the store, the salesman got busy on the phone, calling customers, letting them know that he had Stanley Turrentine's mk6 tenor for sale. I hope it went to a good home.

Just yesterday there was someone in the Big Tip Opening thread that alleged to own Turrentine's 10* and Mk VI.

 

[Dr G]

Here it is:

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showth...ps&p=1755706&highlight=turrentine#post1755706

See post #23.

 

[sideC]

Doc, he could very well be referring to the horn ST traded that day. But, at a much later date, probably the late 1990's, I encountered him playing a beautifuly gold plated mk6. I asked him about the black serie II he bought that day back in '87, and he said that it "came apart on a rough flight," or words to that effect. So, it seems that the serie II was toast at the time of that conversation.

So there's a possibility that the big tip mk6 could be the gold one. That one was a beauty.

 

[Dr G]

Thanks, SideC.

Stanley's remains my go-to tenor tone. I just loaded my tunes player with about 8-10 Turrentine CDs yesterday. I never tire of listening to him.

Serie II tenor... Isn't that a classical horn? :twisted:

 

[dzve]

That was me who bought the gold plated VI & three of his mouthpieces, a florida link10*, a florida 7* & an old hollywood dukoff 7........

 

[Dr G]

Sweet!

Congrats on that score - it must be good fun to play those (even if it's not instant Sugar chops).

Or is it? :twisted:[rolleyes]:mrgreen:

Cheers!

 

[drwhippet]

Stanley Turrentine: 1950-1958: tenor: Otto Link Tonemaster 7* and Otto Link 50's NY Super Tone Master 7*. 1958-1964: metal 1940's Duck Bill Berg Larsen 110/0. 1964-2000: Otto Link Super Tone Master 50's NY model 7*. 2000-current: Phil Barone Otto Link Tonemaster replica 8* (with the white tooth guard) and tenor Phil Barone "Hollywood" model.

How sure are you of this information? The way you're presenting it with colons looks like it's set in stone; however, I don't recall seeing any pics of Stanley in the '60s with anything but a Link. I was particularly perplexed by your claim that he used a Berg Larsen exclusively in the early '60s during the years he pressed a lot of his famous Blue Note records with Jimmy Smith, et al.

So I did some cursory searching and found this photo of him with Blue Mitchell from 1963:

If I'm not mistaken, that's a Link on his Mark VI--probably a Tone Master from the looks of it.

And though I don't want to spend a lot more time on this, it makes me wonder as to the veracity of the rest of your list.

Also, are you sure he used a Barone? If so, it must have been for a very brief time; in fact, your "2000-present" would almost be humorous (if it wasn't so tragic), given that he died in September of that very year. So if he did play a "Barone," even if he got in January, he would have only played it (or them) for 7 or 8 months.

Anyway, until someone shows me a picture of him playing a Barone, I very much doubt whether he did, especially as his main piece.

 

[saksofil]

Turrentine on his early horns:

And his later black lacquer Selmer:

 

[notes_norton]

Stanley is one of my all-time favorite tenor players. I liked him more before the black lacquer job, but I don't know if it was the sax or his advanced age. (I know I don't play like I did when I was 20.)

 

[whaler]

I doubt he played anything but a Link. I heard him live a few times when he was playing the Series II.
I guess somebody forgot to tell him it was a "classical horn".
I always loved this for the great recording of his sound.

 

[Dr G]

I doubt he played anything but a Link. I heard him live a few times when he was playing the Series II.
I guess somebody forgot to tell him it was a "classical horn".
I always loved this for the great recording of his sound.

I cannot tell which claim you are disputing, but if it is the Barone "Hollywood", I do recall reading Phil make that claim in several instances.

https://www.philbarone.com/store/mo...al-tenor-saxophone-mouthpiece-brass-hollywood

"A louder alternative, the Hollywood Mouthpiece features a larger chamber than the New York and boasts a long, low baffle. Used by Stanley Turrentine as well as Bob Sheppard of the Mike Stern Quartet and the New Chick Corea Sextet."

 

[JL]

Man, Stanley T had one of the greatest sounds ever produced on a tenor sax. I first heard him live, with his brother on trumpet, at Mandrake's, a small club in Berkeley, back in the '70s and I was just blown away. At the time I had the album with 'Sugar' on it, and as usual, he sounded even better live. Back then I had no idea what brand horn/mpc he was playing and didn't care, but undoubtedly it was the VI with a Link. I saw him about 10 years later at Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society in Half Moon Bay with the black laquered horn. He still sounded as great as ever!

 

[Watsonp143]

Every time I saw him he played a Link. He even sat in with a band that I was playing with on my horn and my 7* Link. He sounded great like he always did...................