Legendary Saxophonist Stanley Turrentine Dies at 66

N E W   Y O R K, Sept. 13 -- Stanley Turrentine, a jazz tenor saxophonist whose hit “Sugar” established him in the popular mainstream and influenced musicians in many other genres, died Tuesday. He was 66.

Turrentine died at a Manhattan hospital two days after sufferinga stroke, said his agent, Robin Burgess. He lived in FortWashington, Md., outside Washington, D.C.

Big Impact on Jazz

Turrentine often blurred boundaries with his saxophone playing,mixing jazz with blues, rock, rhythm and blues and pop.

“His impact on jazz was just astonishing,” Burgess said. “Hehad a large impact on fusion, electric jazz and organ trio music.”

Turrentine started his career playing with Ray Charles and MaxRoach. He scored his biggest hit in 1970 with Sugar, whichbecame something of a jazz standard, frequently performed andre-recorded by admirers.

He grew up in Pittsburgh, surrounded by music. The piano playerAhmad Jamal lived nearby, and often visited to practice on theTurrentines’ upright piano. Stanley’s mother played piano, hisfather performed tenor saxophone and his brother Tommy playedtrumpet. The brothers played at the Perry Bar in Pittsburgh, theirfirst professional gig, while they were still in high school, andoften performed together as adults.

A Travelin’ Man

Turrentine began traveling with a band when he was 16, and laterjoined one of Charles’ early rhythm and blues groups. He played ina jazz band headed by Roach and replaced the departing JohnColtrane in Earl Bostic’s band.

Turrentine went solo in the 1960s. His blues-influenced riffsbrought him commercial success with albums such as Stan “The Man”Turrentine, Up at Minton’s, and Never Let Me Go. When Sugar brought him fame outside the jazz world, some fellowmusicians accused him of abandoning artistry to pander to populartaste.

He said he preferred mixing genres to being boxed in by onelabel.

“One day, my stepson and I were alphabetizing my albums overthe years, and I noticed that they categorized me as a rock androll player on certain albums, a bee-bop player on other albums, apop player, a fusion player,” he once said. “And I’m just saying... ‘Gee, I’m just playing with different settings, but I’m stillplaying the same way.“‘