Head to head blowing from Sonny Sitt and Paul Gonsalves – just the kind of twin-horn performance that Stitt was famous for in his live battle days, and one that also reminds us that Gonsalves can be a very loose swinger when he wants to be! The tracks are all long, and played with the sort of feel you'd hear if you caught these guys live at some small southside club – and the solos also show the kind of inventiveness and imagination you'd catch in that sort of setting – backed by a swinging rhythm combo that features Hank Jones on piano, Milt Hinton on bass, and Osie Johnson on drums.
This 72-minute CD starts off with one of the underrated gems of the 1960s, an exciting matchup by tenors Sonny Stitt and Paul Gonsalves. Other than the brief throwaway "Theme from Lord of the Flies" (producer Bob Thiele's idea), this is very much a jam session set, with "Salt and Pepper" being a heated medium-tempo blues and the two competitive tenors stretching out on "S'posin'" and a lengthy "Perdido." Actually, the most memorable selection from the date is the one on which Stitt switches to alto, "Stardust."
This LP starts off with one of the underrated gems of the 1960s, an exciting match-up of tenors Sonny Stitt and Paul Gonsalves. Other than the brief throwaway "Theme from Lord of the Flies" (producer Bob Thiele's idea), this is very much a jam session, with "Salt and Pepper" being a heated midtempo blues and the two competitive tenors stretching out on "S'posin'" and a lengthy "Perdido." Actually, the most memorable selection from the date is the one on which Stitt switches to alto, "Stardust." His beautiful playing behind Gonsalves' warm melody statement raises the session to the classic level.
This record starts off with one of the underrated gems of the 1960s, an exciting matchup by tenors Sonny Stitt and Paul Gonsalves. This is very much a jam session set, with "Salt And Pepper" being a heated medium-tempo blues and the two competitive tenors stretching out on "S'posin'" and a lengthy "Perdido." ~ AcousticSounds
This remastered two-fer combines saxophonist Sonny Stitt's releases Now! and Salt & Pepper, originally released separately on Impulse in 1963. Both sets are straight-ahead dates with Now! finding Stitt switching from alto to tenor saxophone, breaking out of his Charlie Parker imitator phase. On Now! Stitt is the only reed in the band which consists of Osie Johnson, Hank Jones, and Al Lucas. Salt & Pepper, the better of the two sessions, has Stitt teaming up with Ellington alumni Paul Gonsalves for a heated rendition of “Perdido” and a classic style battle of the tenors on the title track. Jones and Johnson also appear on this date with Milt Hinton replacing Al Lucas.
The House That Trane Built: The Story of Impulse Records is a four-disc set, compiled and annotated by author Ashley Kahn who wrote the book of the same name being published concurrently with its release. Impulse's great run was between 1961 and 1976 – a period of 15 years that ushered in more changes in jazz than at any other point in the music's history. Impulse began recording in the last weeks of 1960, with Ray Charles, Kai Windig /J.J. Johnson, and Gil Evans. While Impulse experimented with 45s 33 1/3 EPs, cassettes, and reel to reel tapes later in its existence, it was–and this set focuses on– it was the music on its LPs (with distinct orange and black packaging in gatefold sleeves containing copious notes) that helped to set them apart.
The House That Trane Built: The Story of Impulse Records is a four-disc set, compiled and annotated by author Ashley Kahn who wrote the book of the same name being published concurrently with its release. Impulse's great run was between 1961 and 1976 – a period of 15 years that ushered in more changes in jazz than at any other point in the music's history. Impulse began recording in the last weeks of 1960, with Ray Charles, Kai Windig /J.J. Johnson, and Gil Evans. While Impulse experimented with 45s 33 1/3 EPs, cassettes, and reel to reel tapes later in its existence, it was–and this set focuses on– it was the music on its LPs (with distinct orange and black packaging in gatefold sleeves containing copious notes) that helped to set them apart.
This 4-CD set marks the 45th anniversary of Impulse Records. John Coltrane was the first major artist to sign with ABC-Paramount's fledgling subsidiary in 1961 and it was an inspired choice, his rising prominence and adventurous spirit immediately identifying Impulse with a dynamic shift in jazz. With its gatefold album covers and black and orange graphics, Impulse also added some visual panache to the revolution. While Coltrane–represented here by tracks such as "Greensleeves," "Impressions" and a segment from his signature A Love Supreme–was clearly the label's inspiration, Bob Thiele was one of the great jazz record producers, bent on documenting the best veteran musicians as well as the avant-garde. You hear it in superb tracks here from Earl Hines, Count Basie and Coleman Hawkins, as well as stellar performances by major figures of modern jazz like Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins and Charles Mingus. There are also plenty of appearances by Coltrane’s associates, like McCoy Tyner and Alice Coltrane, as well as the revolutionaries that Coltrane and Thiele nurtured, among them Archie Shepp, Albert Ayler and Pharoah Sanders. It all contributes to a survey of what was most vital in jazz in the 1960s and early '70s that no other single label could manage