JAZZ REVIEWS : TURRENTINE: ODD SET

Three songs into his opening set Thursday evening at Concerts by the Sea, Stanley Turrentine, the tenor saxophonist who has gone the jazz to R&B; to jazz to pop-crossover route during his 35-year career, abruptly ended his set, leaving behind his quartet to finish sans leader.

This rather odd ending followed a rather odd set in which the 53-year-old funkmeister showed a jazz side not heard in many a year. In fact, his closing tune, a dark and steamy blues titled “Goodbye to Mr. T,” could be read as a lament to his 1981 hit, “Havin’ Fun With Mr. T.”

If the fun in Turrentine’s popular funk is gone, it has been replaced with a more savory music that had the saxophonist in a swing groove during his three brief offerings.

Opening with the jazz standard “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” Turrentine showed himself to be a fine melodist during his neatly crafted improvisational choruses. His breathy, staccato attack was used with great effect, and when he recalled the melody of “Teach Me Tonight” during one of his choruses, he played with a full, robust sound.

Even on “Creepin’,” a tune of his own making with a straight eighth-note feel, the saxophonist applied both stylistic approaches and managed to instill a fine sense of swing and melody.

The company Turrentine chose for his four-night stint at the Redondo Beach club no doubt brought out the best of him. Guitarist Bruce Forman, who soloed spectacularly in each setting, was the perfect foil to his leader. Combining a Wes Montgomery chordal approach with his own lightning-fast melody lines, the guitarist’s effectiveness was limited only when Turrentine, who seemed distracted throughout the set, failed to pick up on his sideman’s leads.

Pianist John Miller, along with bassist John Nichols and drummer Baba Tunde, provided ample support to the group effort and soloed admirably on a couple of the tunes.