Sonny Stitt Folkway

Having appeared on over 100 albums as either leader or sideman, across a career spanning four decades, Sonny Stitt remains one of the best-documented musicians in all of jazz history. A master of the saxophone - primarily alto and tenor - Stitt s tireless dedication to recording, touring and the jazz genre in general was renowned, earning him the moniker lone wolf from acclaimed jazz critic Dan Morgenstern. With a plethora of classic records under both his own name and alongside other greats - including Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey and Gene Ammons - Stitt carved out a legacy as one of the foremost players to have worked in the bebop and hard bop idioms. This four disc collection, containing over five hours of music from eight original, remastered LPs, collates the very best of Sonny Stitt s extensive catalogue of albums released between 1957 and 1963. Featuring too appearances from a wide range of other jazz greats, and demonstrating Stitt s extraordinary skill on both the alto and tenor saxophones, this compilation serve as both a perfect introduction to this master musician, and as a welcome reminder of why, some 35 years after his passing in 1982, he retains such respect and acclaim among the jazz cognoscenti.

Deftly handling the alto, tenor, and baritone saxophone, bebop giant Sonny Stitt is heard to perfection here on a variety of early-'50s dates. Stitt not only shows off his patented speed throughout, but he goes a long way in dispelling criticisms of him being all fire and no grace. The 16-track disc kicks off with four tight, Latin-tinged swingers featuring an octet that includes trumpeter Joe Newman and timbales player Humberto Morales. Switching to piano quartet mode for the bulk of the disc, Stitt ranges effortlessly from frenetic blasts ("Cherokee") to golden-hued ballads ("Imagination"). Capping off the set with four bonus cuts featuring the likes of Gene Ammons and Junior Mance, Stitt delivers one of the top sets of performances from the late bebop era.

At first glance, it's easy to see why this late-period Sonny Stitt date could have fallen through the cracks. Recorded at Bubba's Jazz Restaurant in Florida on November 11, 1981, one year before the tenor saxophonist passed away, the set list depends on several pleasant yet rudimentary standards that these musicians could play in their sleep. Fortunately, the majority of these cuts find Stitt with fellow tenor man Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison, who more than hold their own with a combined spontaneity and playfulness that are anything but boring. These 11 tracks are spirited, straight-ahead bebop with excellent versions of "Oh, Lady Be Good," "What's New," "There Is No Greater Love," "Lester Leaps In," Stitt's original "Sonny's Blues," and the Miles Davis tune "Four." The first-rate rhythm section alongside Stitt, "Lockjaw," and "Sweets" consists of Eddie Higgins on piano, Donn Mast on bass, and Duffy Jackson on drums.

The focus of this exciting, if imperfect, CD is a 1973 reunion of Gene "Jug" Ammons and Sonny Stitt, who were responsible for some of the most famous tenor saxophone battles of the 1940s and early '50s. When the two locked horns, it was musical sportsmanship at its finest. Jug and Stitt had a mutual respect for one another, and their battles were the essence of friendly competition. Some die-hard beboppers might be disappointed to learn that God Bless Jug and Sonny (which was recorded live in Baltimore in 1973 but went unreleased until 2001) isn't all that competitive - the saxmen don't try to relive their legendary cutting contests of the 1940s and early '50s…

Having appeared on over 100 albums as either leader or sideman, across a career spanning four decades, Sonny Stitt remains one of the best-documented musicians in all of jazz history. A master of the saxophone - primarily alto and tenor - Stitt s tireless dedication to recording, touring and the jazz genre in general was renowned, earning him the moniker lone wolf from acclaimed jazz critic Dan Morgenstern. With a plethora of classic records under both his own name and alongside other greats - including Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey and Gene Ammons - Stitt carved out a legacy as one of the foremost players to have worked in the bebop and hard bop idioms. This four disc collection, containing over five hours of music from eight original, remastered LPs, collates the very best of Sonny Stitt s extensive catalogue of albums released between 1957 and 1963. Featuring too appearances from a wide range of other jazz greats, and demonstrating Stitt s extraordinary skill on both the alto and tenor saxophones, this compilation serve as both a perfect introduction to this master musician, and as a welcome reminder of why, some 35 years after his passing in 1982, he retains such respect and acclaim among the jazz cognoscenti.

This encounter between tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt (who doubles on tenor and alto) is a true classic. Ammons and Stitt teamed together many times over a three-decade period, including co-leading a band during 1950-1952, but Boss Tenors is arguably their finest recording. Backed by pianist John Houston, bassist Buster Williams, and drummer George Brown, Ammons and Stitt battle it out on "There Is No Greater Love," Ammons' "The One Before This," "Autumn Leaves," "Blues Up and Down," and Stitt's "Counter Clockwise." This is competitive bebop at its best, with Stitt and Ammons proving to be equal matches. Essential music for all jazz collections.

Sonny Stitt was so closely identified with Charlie Parker on the alto that even when he played tenor, his style was of the quicker-than-lightning variety with all the notes he could pack in a phrase in his soloing. Which makes listening to him, for all but the most ardent bebop fans, an endurance contest no matter how agile he was. Here, in a 1956 session with Ray Brown and Jo and Jimmy Jones backing him, there is some tempering of the maelstrom that Stitt conjured up on every bandstand. Half the program is ballads, including "The Stars Fell on Alabama," a gorgeous "Body & Soul," and "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea"…

Sonny Stitt (who sticks reissue to tenor here) meets up with organist Brother Jack McDuff (along with guitarist Eddie Diehl, drummer Art Taylor, and Ray Barretto on congas) for a spirited outing. Two standards - "All of Me" and "Time After Time") - are performed with a variety of blues-based originals and the music always swings in a soulful, boppish way.

By this point in his career, Sonny hardly needed a tune up in his style - but the album's a great one from his post-Prestige years, and a real back-to-basics effort that recalls the genius of his work on Roost! The format is straight and simple - Stitt's tenor and alto fronting a quartet that includes Barry Harris, Sam Jones, and Alan Dawson - all playing in a way that puts Sonny in command on all tracks, blowing with an amazing tone that makes us want to throw away all his funk, organ, and electric outings, and just concentrate on these straight acoustic sides. Stitt has a way of blowing the reed like he's got his whole mouth moving into the sax - an earthy, human, and personal feel that first came out strongly in his work during the late 50s, but which has grown even more by this point - even if you couldn't hear the development on other sets.

Sonny Stitt was in great form in the early '70s, and the rhythm section on this release is excellent: pianist Duke Jordan, bassist Sam Jones, and drummer Roy Brooks. The problem is that trumpeter Joe Newman is not quite up to par, and Stitt constantly cuts his own solos short to make room for Newman. While there are some good spots for Stitt's tenor and alto, his truncated improvisations are ultimately frustrating, especially compared to his classic recordings from the era.