Sonny Stitt - 1951-53 - CC1378

Sonny Stitt - 1951-53 (CC1378)
01 - I Cover the Waterfront (Green, Heyman)

02 - Don't Worry 'Bout Me (Bloom, Koehler)
03 - Down with It (Stitt)
04 - For the Fat Man (Stitt)
05 - Splinter (Stitt)
06 - Confessin' (Neiburg, Reynolds)
07 - Cool Mambo (Massey, Stitt)
08 - Sonny Sounds (Massey, Stitt)
09 - Blue Mambo (Massey, Stitt)
10 - Stitt's It (Massey, Stitt)
11 - They Say It's Wonderful (Berlin)
12 - Why Do I Love You (Hammerstein, Kern)
13 - Symphony Hall Swing (Stitt)
14 - Sonny's Bunny (Stitt)
15 - Sancho Panza (Stitt)
16 - Sweet and Lovely (Armheim, Daniels, Tobias)
17 - If I Could Be with You One Hour Tonight (Creamer, Johnson)
18 - Hooke's Tours (Stitt's Tune) (Richards, Stitt)
19 - Loose Walk (Richards, Stitt)
20 - Pink Satin (Richards, Stitt)
21 - Shine on Harvest Moon (Bayes, Norworth)
22 - Opus 202 (Bayes, Norworth)
Edward "Sonny" Stitt

Born: Feb 2, 1924 in Boston, MA
Died: Jul 22, 1982 in Washington, D.C.
Biography by Ron Wynn and Bob Porter

Charlie Parker has had many admirers and his influence can be detected in numerous
styles, but few have been as avid a disciple as Sonny Sitt. There was almost note-
for-note imitation in several early Stitt solos, and the closeness remained until
Stitt began de-emphasizing the alto in favor of the tenor, on which he artfully
combined the influences of Parker and Lester Young. Stitt gradually developed his
own sound and style, though he was never far from Parker on any alto solo. A
wonderful blues and ballad player whose approach influenced John Coltrane, Stitt
could rip through an up-tempo bebop stanza, then turn around and play a shivering,
captivating ballad. He was an alto saxophonist in Tiny Bradshaw's band during the
early '40s, then joined Billy Eckstine's seminal big band in 1945, playing
alongside other emerging bebop stars like Gene Ammons and Dexter Gordon. Stitt
later played in Dizzy Gillespie's big band and sextet. He began on tenor and
baritone in 1949, and at times was in a two-tenor unit with Ammons. He recorded
with Bud Powell and J.J. Johnson for Prestige in 1949, then did several albums on
Prestige, Argo, and Verve in the '50s and '60s. Stitt led many combos in the '50s,
and re-joined Gillespie for a short period in the late '50s. After a brief stint
with Miles Davis in 1960, he reunited with Ammons and for a while was in a three-
tenor lineup with James Moody. During the '60s, Stitt also recorded for Atlantic,
cutting the transcendent Stitt Plays Bird, which finally addressed the Parker
question in epic fashion. He continued heading bands, though he joined the Giants
of Jazz in the early '70s. This group included Gillespie, Art Blakey, Kai Winding,
Thelonious Monk, and Al McKibbon. Stitt did more sessions in the '70s for
Cobblestone, Muse, and others, among them another definitive date, Tune Up. He
continued playing and recording in the early '80s, recording for Muse, Sonet, and
Who's Who in Jazz. He suffered a heart attack and died in 1982.
Review by arwulf arwulf, All Music Guide

This third volume of Sonny Stitt's complete recorded works in chronological order
is packed with positive vibrations. Between May 1951 and November 1953, three
different record labels -- Chess, Prestige, and Roost -- presented the saxophonist
in several deliciously varied musical contexts. The Chess studios employed smooth,
dramatic production values, adding just enough reverb to transform Stitt's already
handsome tonalities into stunning waves of larger-than-life masculinity,
archetypically personified in the early '50s by the great Gene Ammons. The first of
two Prestige dates, in fact, feels more than a little like an Ammons blowing
session. Here Stitt used both alto and tenor saxophones, cooking splendidly. Six
months later, Stitt waxed four exciting sides with a band including bassist Ernie
Shepard and drummer Shadow Wilson. On two of the tracks -- a pair of wonderful
mambos -- the quartet was fortified with three trumpeters and Puerto Rican
percussionist Humberto Morales. Some jazz critics always seem to be whining about
Caribbean percussion as though the inclusion of this vibrant component somehow
detracts from the music to which it is added. Dizzy Gillespie, who did so much to
circulate and popularize these rhythms and the instruments on which they are
played, would surely disagree. (Naturally, what matters most is how the blending is
done.) When Stitt crossed over to Roost Records in November 1952, he was
inadvertently lining himself up with master drummer Jo Jones. This might have
something to do with the general mood of the session, which feels at times like
Lester Young on a really good day. "Symphony Hall Swing," a cousin to Al Haig's
"Opus Caprice," is recognizable as Thelonious Monk's "Rhythm-A-Ning," a set of
variations based in George Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm" and containing motifs
traceable to both Mary Lou Williams and Charlie Christian. Stitt's next date with
Roost used radically different instrumentation in the form of the Johnny Richards
Orchestra. The lineup is wonderfully diverse: in front of Charles Mingus, Horace
Silver, and Don Lamond, Don Elliott blows mellophone in tandem with Kai Winding's
trombone, and Sid Cooper supplies interjections on the piccolo. Stitt sails through
each selection sounding unwaveringly cool and in command. Eight months later a
second Richards/Stitt session brought back Mingus and reinstated Jo Jones, who
doubled on bongos in order to complement the fine conga drumming of Santa Miranda.
A delightful surprise arrives in a sort of Cubano bop update of the old apple pie
melody "Shine on Harvest Moon." Everything on this disc is excellent mid-20th
century jazz, and none of it needs to be legitimized by critics or historians. It
legitimates itself every time the recordings are played back. Just loosen up and
enjoy.
Releases
Year Type Label Catalog #
2004 CD Classics 1378

Sonny Stitt - 1951-53 - CC1378

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Sonny Stitt - 1951-53 - CC1378

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Sonny Stitt - 1951-53 - CC1378

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Sonny Stitt - 1951-53 (CC1378)

01 - I Cover the Waterfront (Green, Heyman)

Edward "Sonny" Stitt

Biography by Ron Wynn and Bob Porter

Review by arwulf arwulf, All Music Guide

You might also like