Many Jazzwise readers may only know King Curtis for his ‘yakity’ sax breaks on numerous hit R&B singles by The Coasters, a memorable contribution to Buddy Holly's ‘Reminiscin’’, a couple of his own hit singles ‘Soul Serenade’ and ‘Memphis Soul Stew’, leading Aretha's backing band ‘The Kingpins’ and opening for The Beatles at their historic Shea Stadium shows. But that was only part of the story. At heart, this big-toned Texan tenor man – who attended the same Fort Worth High School as Ornette Coleman and once had a trio with Horace Silver – was, at heart, a red-blooded jazzer. That said, this wasn't a vanity project. Early in his career, Curtis realised that he could make a much more comfortable living recording in the R&B/soul arena as opposed to the small beer remuneration to be earned for just playing jazz in an already over-crowded market. And that's what he did until he was murdered in 1971 when only 37. Surprisingly, there are moments where his front line partner Nat Adderley (referred to as ‘Little Brother’) appears more at ease in Curtis’ company than in brother Cannonball's hot-ticket combo. And, Oliver Nelson's arrangements for Soul Meeting produce a fine take on ‘What Is This Thing Called Love’. Overall, Curtis doesn't try to dazzle, but plays it straight down the fairway, which makes this a most listenable experience.