Sonny Stitt

Sonny Stitt - At The Hi-Hat (1954) {Roulette Jazz CDP 0777 7 98582 2 4 rel 1992}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 226 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 139 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 23 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1954, 1992 Roulette Jazz / Blue Note / EMI | CDP 0777 7 98582 2 4
Jazz / Bop / Saxophone

Sonny Stitt is in excellent form on this Roulette CD. Recorded live at a Boston club, Stitt uses a local rhythm section (pianist Dean Earl, bassist Bernie Griggs and drummer Marquis Foster) as he jams on a variety of standards. Stitt mostly switches between alto and tenor, but on "Tri-Horn Blues" he takes solos not only on both of those saxes, but also on his rarely heard baritone. Overall, this CD gives one a good all-around sampling of early Sonny Stitt.

Sonny Stitt - I Remember Bird & A Tribute To Duke Ellington (1977) {Rhino–Collectables COL-CD-7258 rel 2002}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 460 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 185 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 47 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1977, 2002 Catalyst / Rhino / Collectables | COL-CD-7258
Jazz / Bop / Saxophone

I Remember Bird/A Tribute to Duke Ellington (originally released as Sonny Stitt With Strings) combines 14 tracks on one disc from Stitt's long-out-of-print Catalyst sessions from 1977. Saxophonist Sonny Stitt was a disciple of Charlie Parker, and throughout his career released several dates that portrayed that influence in a better light, especially 1963's Stitt Plays Bird. A Tribute to Duke Ellington is the stronger effort, with Stitt employing a string section. This format works especially well on "In a Sentimental Mood," "Take the 'A' Train," "Jeep's Blues," and "Cottontail." It's not surprising that Stitt maintained the same approach to strings as Charlie Parker did a decade prior – soaring above them rather than being held down by them. This two-fer should please both the collector and casual listener alike.

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.

This CD reissues the complete contents of two former Lp's by saxophonist Sonny Stitt: Turn It On and Black Vibrations. These are rather unusual entries in Stitt's huge discography in that Sonny often sounds like a guest performer on his own sessions rather than the leader. During the earlier date, Stitt uses an electrical device (a Varitone) on his tenor that waters down his tone a bit. ~ AllMusic