Most
Blue Note
soul-jazz
albums from the late '60s went one of three ways: it either was a straight-ahead commercial session, a slightly
psychedelic
outing, or a funky workout with a vague "Black Power" theme.
Dr. Lonnie Smith
had followed the latter path with
Think!
, the predecessor to
Turning Point
, and there are still remnants of that style on this session, particularly in the opening cover of
Don Covay
's
"See Saw."
Nevertheless,
is a more adventurous affair than
, finding
Smith
-- as well as trumpeter
Lee Morgan
, trombonist
Julian Priester
, guitarist
Melvin Sparks
, tenor saxophonist
Bennie Maupin
and drummer
Leo Morris
-- exploring territory that isn't quite free, but is certainly more "out there" than the average
session. In particular,
's originals
"Slow High"
and
"Turning Point"
reach the outer edges of the style, playing with dissonance, complex melodies and expansive sound structures. Despite all these free flourishes,
remains a
record and it has all the trappings of its era -- the take on
"Eleanor Rigby"
finds the group approximating
psychedelia
. While the more adventurous elements of
make for an intriguing listen, the album isn't quite as enjoyable as the harder grooving sessions or the spacier
records from the same era. Nevertheless, it's a worthwhile listen. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine