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Last notes for a great musician Saxophonist Stanley Turrentine is buried in Allegheny Cemetery Wednesday, September 20, 2000 By Nate Guidry, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
By 11 a.m., the sanctuary and pews of Macedonia Baptist Church were filled. People lined the walls and spilled out onto Bedford Avenue -- the very place it all started for Stanley Turrentine five decades ago.
Relatives, friends and musicians gathered at the Hill District church yesterday to pay a final tribute to Turrentine, the saxophonist who died in New York after suffering a stroke last week.
Turrentine, 66, died a day before completing a week-long engagement at New York's famous Blue Note.
"It was a terrible blow to the jazz world," said pianist Carl Arter, who taught a young Turrentine to play the saxophone. "I first heard the news on the radio. I can't say it was unexpected. He had been sick for a while, but you can't ever be prepared for this."
Turrentine, who was brought up in a musical family, began his career in the Hill District when he formed the group Four Bees and a Bop. Later, he would join Ray Charles and others.
In 1954, the tenor saxophonist replaced John Coltrane in Earl Bostic's band and later performed in drummer Max Roach's group. Roach's band had disbanded during a performance at the Crawford Grill and hired Turrentine, his brother, Tommy, and fellow Pittsburghers Bobby Boswell and Horace Parlan.
In the 1960s, Turrentine made a number of Blue Note recordings as a leader and sideman, including "A Chip Off the Old Block" and "Midnight Special" with organist Jimmy Smith. In the '70s, he worked with larger groups, producing works that appealed to a wider audience, including "Sugar," which blurred the line between jazz and pop.
But it was Turrentine's warm and distinctive blues sound that was so endearing. Many of the musicians and fans at the funeral, as well as some who attended a Turrentine tribute at the Crawford Grill Monday night, recalled that warmth and the saxophonist's willingness to impart his wisdom to young musicians.
"Stanley had a really recognizable sound," said former WYEP and WDUQ radio host Butch Perkins, sitting at a rear table during Monday night's tribute. "He was always warm and loving. We often take for granted that the people we love will always be around. We all need to do a better job at supporting the music. Especially those musicians that have come from here."
At the funeral, pianist Barry Harris of Detroit echoed those sentiments.
"Stanley was one of the best musicians I ever played with. Musically, he invented a sound that was instantly recognizable," said Harris who performed "It's Never Goodbye, Only So Long" during the service.
The funeral began with a procession of four local tenor saxophonists performing "Amazing Grace" and ended with "When the Saints Go Marching In."
A hymn of comfort was followed by Scripture readings that touched on everything from death and victory to being steadfast in the Lord.
"Death has invaded our ranks," shouted the Rev. James Brown Jr. "But trouble doesn't last forever."
City Councilman Sala Udin, pianist Walt Harper and trombonist Al Dowe reflected on Mr. Turrentine's life and the impact the Schenley High School graduate had on the jazz community.
"Stanley was a musician's musician," said Harper. "He will be deeply missed, but he left us a rich legacy."
Later, Bill Strickland, Bidwell Training Center president and chief executive officer, talked about Mr. Turrentine's music and how it affected his life.
"There is no antidote for death except to celebrate life," he said. "In 1968, I was down to my last $300, but Stanley's music provided me with hope. His music was a gift. His spirit is with us today. It is in the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild [the performing arts component of Bidwell]."
Strickland said a similar facility is being planned for Baltimore, and the music hall will be dedicated to Turrentine.
Vocalist Marlena Shaw's renditions of "Precious Lord" and "Amazing Grace," and later Turrentine's quartet, stirred the church.
The quartet -- pianist James Williams, guitarist Dave Stryker, bassist Paul Thompson and drummer Lenny Robinson -- performed a medley, including some of Turrentine's more popular songs.
At the interment in Allegheny Cemetery, the sound of taps flowing from the bell of Chuck Austin's trumpet brought tears to the eyes of many.
Turrentine's wife, Judith, clutched the arms of her son, Marc Weatherly, and daughter, Sheri Turrentine, as she was presented with the American flag.
"I'm going to miss Stanley," she said after the service. "I'm going to be all right, though. I'm going to be fine."
Just above on a hillside, saxophonist Lee Robinson began to play "Sugar," recorded by Turrentine in 1970.
"I didn't know Stanley," he said. "But he was one of my teachers. He was everyone's teacher who ever played the saxophone."
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