Stanley ‘The Sugar Man” Turrentine was one of the most distinctive tenor saxophonists in Jazz, with a tone that continues to be emulated to this day. Known for his big, warm sound Turrentine had a hugely successful career, earning four Grammy nominations and reaching the top of the jazz charts with his albums Nightwings and Don’t Mess with Mr. T.

He played in key role in bringing Jazz into the mainstream and was considered by many to be a ‘Cross-Over artist’. His first ‘radio-friendly’ album Sugar was released in 1970 on Creed Taylor’s CTI Label, and featured the (then-)newcomers George Benson, Ron Carter, and Freddie Hubbard. Check out the video below to see Turrentine playing “Sugar” live on David Sanborn’s TV show Night Music in 1989.

Also, Click over to the next page to see David Sanborn’s interpretation of ‘Sugar’, from his 2003 album ‘Time Again’.

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