Heavyweight!

• Track Listing

Tenor and Baritone Saxophonist Turk Mauro didn't lack for credentials during his career. He'd gigged with such diverse jazz artists as Henry "Red" Allen, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Billy Mitchell, Dizzy Gillespie, Buddy Rich, and Richie Cole. Critics were taking note of Mauro's robust style. W. Royal Stokes, writing in the Washington Post, called him "a swinger with his feet in the old school but with ideas out of the bop era and later." And, in a New York Post review, Richard M. Sudhalter described Mauro's playing as "passionate and swinging." On this outing, which represented his second ever album as a leader (Phoenix Jazz Records LP 1004), Mauro had finally come into his own, with producer Bob Porter as the organizing director. It is with his permission, we have re-released this classic, which has never before been available on either CD nor digital formats. His interpretation of some jazz standards, some originals and even an original vocal number, are brought vividly to life with a crispy recording engineered by the legendary Malcom Addey and Rudy VanGelder, with the help of Turk's swinging brother on drums, special guest Alto Saxophonist Richie Cole, along with guitarist Joe Cohn (son of Al Cohn), pianist Barry Keiner, and bassist Peter Barshay. It was recorded in Nola Studios, New York City in 1981. Heavyweight! Is a session that cooks from start to finish and simply must be heard in 2019!