Hard on the heels of the three Ramsey Lewis sets on BGO comes this collection of Stanley Turrentine's early forays on the CTI label, after his 23 albums as a leader on Blue Note, which had culminated with Another Story in 1968. The album in this 2CD box that has stood the test of time best is the earliest, namely Sugar, which is closest to the kind of soul jazz Turrentine had perfected on Blue Note. Not only does it feature fellow Blue Note émigré Freddie Hubbard (on fine form throughout, but particularly on the title-track), but it also features some of the most overtly jazzy playing by George Benson from this period, in particular on ‘Sunshine Alley’. By 1970-71, CTI producer Creed Taylor was moving most of his roster towards a more overtly fusion – not to say easy listening – style, and while Sugar keeps Turrentine firmly in the territory that had established him, albeit with a nod to a more contemporary setting, the collaboration with Astrud Gilberto and the subsequent Salt Song move him further into Taylor's somewhat cheesy aesthetic. At the time, I recall Salt Song was greeted as a new dawn for Turrentine, who had recently separated from his wife and musical partner, the organist Shirley Scott. Yet roll on a dozen years or so and he was back in familiar territory playing the kind of blues-inflected soul jazz that he'd learned on the road with Lowell Fulson, and which he was still playing to the end of his career. With this in mind, it is tracks like ‘I Told Jesus’, where Turrentine preaches through his horn, that stand out best now, despite the maudlin backing vocals. The title-track of Salt Song descends into percussion mayhem occasionally, and prompts Turretine into uncharacteristically frantic playing, not untypical of Creed Taylor's desire to throw everything but the kitchen sink into the sonic mix on these early 1970s albums. It was also a slightly wacky idea of Taylor's to bring Gilberto, his Verve protégé, over to his new label and team her with Turrentine – almost the polar opposite of Stan Getz. The result was apparently a rather fraught studio session (owing to artistic disagreements both artists only appear together on four tracks), but the collaborations have a quirky charm, notably the samba-ish ‘Brazilian Tapestry’ where both stars shine brightly. The bonus tracks are a mixed bunch, though it is interesting to hear Gilberto's take on Harry Nilsson's ‘Puppy Song’ which he wrote for the very different voice of Mary Hopkin, and by coincidence Eumir Deodato's obscure ‘Polytechnical High’ foreshadows Nilsson's own ‘Poli High’ which would emerge on The Point two years later in 1973. Overall it's a mixed bag as a set, but well worth having for the stunning playing on Sugar.