garymd Posted February 2, 2006 Share Posted February 2, 2006 Sonny died in '82 and would have been 82 today. One of my favorite sax players (both alto and tenor). Anyone who hasn't heard Sonny, this is one of my favorites although there are many, many more. Allan could probably recommend about 40 for you. He recorded a LOT of great albums over the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted February 2, 2006 Author Share Posted February 2, 2006 No Sonny Stitt fans here?[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted February 2, 2006 Share Posted February 2, 2006 I have about 50-60 Sonny Stitt records--all of the Roosts, all of the Verves, all of the Prestiges and a bunch of others too. I heard him live three times in the late 70's/early 80's. He was the most technically proficient saxophone player I have ever heard PLUS he sould swing like mad and blow the blues with ANYONE. He was a full-on MFer on both tenor and alto sax. My favorite Stitt records: "Personal Appearance" on Verve (with Bobby Timmons on piano) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00026B26S/sr=1-8/qid=1138938769/ref=pd_bbs_8/002-9612168-2992018?%5Fencoding=UTF8 Boss Tenors in Orbit (with Gene Ammons--THE greatest "tenor battle" album of ALL TIME! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006466T/sr=1-1/qid=1138938915/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-9612168-2992018?%5Fencoding=UTF8 "Altas Blues: Blow and Ballade" --a GREAT session with Art Pepper!! Plus the GREAT John Heard on bass!! I think this LP is THE greatest jazz album of the 1980's!! Sadly, out of print--the original LP turns up on ebay once in a while ($40 on average). It was in print on CD in Japan a few years back. KILLER KILLER KILLER!!! The two records he made in the early 70's for Cobbelstone Records--"Constellation" and "Tune Up." After pumping out a LOT of pretty pedestrian efforts throughout the latter half of the 60's and the early 70's Stitt made two of the best jazz albums of the 70's seemingly our of nowhere--INCREDIBLE BLOWING BY ALL!! The two records have been combined onto one CD(now out of print!), but the original LPs turn up on ebay and can be had for less than $25 each in great shape!! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000005BE8/qid=1138939333/sr=1-36/ref=sr_1_36/002-9612168-2992018?s=music&v=glance&n=5174 Well, there's FIVE essential albums for anyone who loves music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 Last night, after making the post below I went downstairs and listened to Sonny Stitt for 2 1/2 hours. I am never less than amazed. It's really not fair that for his whole career he was seen as a Charlie Parker clone--Sonny was FAR more than that. It's been said that he switched to the tenor just to get away from that label. Anyway, here are some more choice albums: Sonny Stitt and the Top Brass (Atlantic). Stitt made over 100 albums and 90% of them were loose, informal blowing sessions, but THIS one is differnet. This is a tight, small big band (with Blue Mitchell also featured a bit on trumpet) of primarily Tad Dameron arrangements and Sonny abolutely FLIES over the arrangements. He never played better on record in his life. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000667G14/sr=1-2/qid=1138976505/ref=sr_1_2/104-7737721-8932752?%5Fencoding=UTF8 Sonny Stitt sits in with the Oscar Petersen Trio. I have never been a big OP fan--he's just to frentic for my tastes and his comping is the most annoying of any pianist in HISTORY--it seems like he is annoyed to have a horn in the room to me. Anyway, if ANY horn man could stand toe to toe with OP in terns of being frentic, it was Sonny Stitt and he freaking blows the ROOF of the place at this session. As John Heard would say, "Sonny doesn't take ANY prisioners on the bandstand." http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000CD7YK/qid=1138976811/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-7737721-8932752?s=music&v=glance&n=5174 Sonny Stitt meets Brother Jack McDuff. Sonny on tenor. Brusing, soulful, agressive tenor backed by B3 great Brother Jack McDuff and his trio. Grease, soul, grit. SOUL JAZZ, BABY--at it's best. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000000YWT/qid=1138977121/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-7737721-8932752?s=music&v=glance&n=5174 And how could any discussion of Stitt leave out DIzzy's "Sonny Side Up" on Verve, which has been in regular rotation around my house for over 25 years. It's a blowing session--loose, fierce and SWINGING. The story goes that Dizzy set the session up a couple of weeks in advance and called each of the Sonnys every couple of days leading up to the session and told each of them that the OTHER Sonny was bragging that he was going to kick that Sonnys butt at the session. I don't know if it's true, but Rollins and Stitt came loaded for bear and let it ALL hang out. Just LISTEN to them trade fours on The Eternal Triangle--spine tingling stuff--monunental and eternal jazz to be sure. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000047CZ/qid=1138977338/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-7737721-8932752?s=music&v=glance&n=5174 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted February 3, 2006 Author Share Posted February 3, 2006 Allan, After reading your post last night, I listened to this album. Incredible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 Gary--you really need to dig up the "Atlas Blues" record with Pepper and Heard. If you want, I'll burn you a copy to tide you over until you find the LP. Just let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted February 3, 2006 Author Share Posted February 3, 2006 Bring it on!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 You've got it! I'll send it next week!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted February 3, 2006 Author Share Posted February 3, 2006 Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdcarroll Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 Sonny's career was hardly marred by a comparison to Charlie Parker. Sonny himself made the claim of "stepping out of Bird's shadow" to describe the switch to tenor (though he never quit playing alto, just didn't record for a period of time). Along with Johnny Griffin, Stitt is by far one of the most technically adept players of his generation (you still have to deal with Phil Woods, Jackie McLean, etc.) Stitt did so much more than just "run the changes", communicating a great deal. One of the recordings not mentioned is a set with Dizzy, Stan Getz and Stitt (also Verve I believe). The original session was to be generous to include vehicles for Getz to further the bossa idea. Instead, a fantastic set of bop tunes got shreaded, leaving one of the most passionate contributions by Getz. A great number of people never realized Stan could play any style he wished, and the presence of Stitt was no doubt the inspiration. One of the most important jazz saxophone voices: not to be left out of any discussion. Happy Birthday Sonny. (yeah, yeah, I teach saxophone......) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 Yeah, that's a killer one too! The workout on the bop chestnut "Wee" is breathtaking. Getz was a monster--Norgran/Verve recordings from the 50's are amazing, escpecially the LA records "The Steamer," "West Coast Jazz" and "Award Winner." Getz could do ANYTHING on the tenor. And how about that record with Lionel Hampton? They SHRED a bop "Cherokee" that will leave your jaw on the floor. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000478F/sr=1-1/qid=1138991594/ref=sr_1_1/104-7737721-8932752?%5Fencoding=UTF8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
customsteve01 Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 Hey Allen, while your burning one cd could you by chance throw another in the burner and send one my way. I really like listening to the sax but really haven't gotten into blues or jazz enough to know whos good. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted February 3, 2006 Author Share Posted February 3, 2006 Steve, Next time you're over, I'll play some of my favorite LPs for you. Once you hear some good Art Pepper, Dexter Gordon, Benny Golson, Jackie McLean, Sonny Rollins, Teddy Edwards, Joe Henderson, Sonny Criss, etc., etc., you'll have enough on your "to buy" list to last a lifetime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
customsteve01 Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 Maybe when I get a better amp and you sell me that TT that your holding for me you can throw in a couple?????????????[] Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdcarroll Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 Ok, for the last time (I hope)[] The word is "saxophone", not sax... Sax is the family name of a legion of great folks in and around Dinant on the Meuse River. The famous one, Antoine-Joseph, invented the instrument you are talking about in c. 1840. Please don't get trapped into shortening the instrument's name into the family name. (getting off soapbox) From the same period, there were (are) any number of fantastic technical players (far advanced from their "swing era" brethren); but Stitt certainly stands out (in many areas) in sheer speed. Not content to let the tempo of a piece impact his playing style, his most fantastic work is done on ballads. He conveys an abundance of emotion in a very small space. Johnny Griffin has a similar approach. You can compare this with Frank Mogan who also loves to "triple" ballads, yet doesn't muster the communicative emotional content of a Stitt ballad. All great players; some "greater" than others. Agree totally on Stan (a good friend of my dad) - he could do anything he wanted. He was commercially successful with the bossa craze (he was his era's "Kenny G" - only with talent). I love to hear the giant arsenal of articulations/rhythmic approaches Stan utilized. He was very close to Sonny Rollins in this aspect - always searching for another way to say it. Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted February 3, 2006 Author Share Posted February 3, 2006 kdcarroll, It obviously bothers you to see sax instead of saxophone. I sincerely apoIogize for my laziness. I promise you however, that nobody here is confusing the instrument with the fine folks in and around Dinant on the Meuse River.[] In fact, I'd guess that 90% of the fine folks on this forum have no idea where that is. For those interested: http://www.trabel.com/dinant/dinant.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdcarroll Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 "bothers me" is perhaps a tad extreme - just doing my part.... Along the lines of "best tenor battle ever" - how about the discussion between Dexter Godon and Johnny Griffin on "The Blues, Up and Down". A strong contendor, no matter the category! Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 Does John Coltrane not fit in here, or was his time slightly before Sonny's? Cannonball Adderly the same? I will definitely try and find some of these albums mentioned here, as I am just starting to get into jazz. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdcarroll Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 Mike - Although they are "contemporaries" - having lived during virtually the same time frame - John Coltrane is most closely associated with modal jazz, Miles Davis, and all things post-bop. Sonny Stitt is/was one of the driving forces associated with bop: he could double-up the National Anthem! Julius "Cannonball" Adderly much the same - he was certainly an OUTSTANDING bop saxophonist - but is most closely associated with Miles, a quintet with his brother (Nat), and all things post-bop. Toward the end of his career, during the turbulent 60's, he recorded a number of albums dedicated to race relations including some spoken-word material. Both the finest of the bunch; no conversation about saxophone ever strays far from Trane and Cannonball! An important, but overlooked fact: Cannonball was a college graduate (Florida A&M) and worked briefly as a high school band director. Bet that band swung at halftime!! Cannonball also lived under the moniker of "little bird" - though all would agree he certainly outlived that attachment. Both Trane and Adderly both have immediately recognizable sounds. I am a big fan of those that have such an established presence (i.e. Paul Desmond....who could confuse him for anyone else??). Any album by any of those listed above is fine. Try "Africa Brass" for Trane, and begin with the many "greatest hits" compilations for Cannonball (or, as everyone is now mouthing along, buy "Kind of Blue" Miles Davis and get both.) Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 Thanks, Ken! Yeah, Kind of Blue got me into this whole mess! [] I wish I had it in vinyl though. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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