Jazz Articles about Sonny Stitt

Various Artists: Blue Note Connoisseur Series: The Lost Sessions

by C. Andrew Hovan
December 1, 1999

When it came to the music that he put out on record, Blue Note producer Alfred Lion was a stickler for tight ensembles, inspired performances, and musically appealing content. This sometimes meant, added to the sheer prolific nature of the label, that many decent sessions ended up accumulating in the vaults over the years. Of course, Blue Note began mining these resources back in the late '70s and early '80s, carrying on in some degree through the label's resurrection in ...

Sonny Stitt: Sonny Stitt: The Last Sessions Volumes One & Two

by Paula Edelstein
August 1, 1999

We here at All About Jazz.com wish to pay a special memorial to the great tenor/alto saxophonist, Sonny Stitt. It's been 17 years since his untimely death. With over 300 recordings to his credit, Sonny Stitt has been the topic of many a jazz historian, reviewer and educator because of the vast amount of recordings the saxophonist completed in his 58 years. Unaware that he had just a little more time left, Sonny Stitt completed these final sessions of musical ...

Sonny Stitt: The Champ

by C. Michael Bailey
May 1, 1999

Midline Re-releases. 32 Jazz is a label specializing in the re-release of jazz recordings at a midline ($7.99 to $9.99) price. 32 Jazz's releases are readily identifiable by their unique black, jewel cases that are made from a lighter, softer, more durable plastic than the traditional jewel case. These babies will never crack or shatter. That is a refreshing and welcome advance in a mundane yet important means of both marketing and protecting compact discs.

32 Jazz has a growing ...

Sonny Stitt/Don Patterson: Legends of Acid Jazz Vol. Two

by Douglas Payne
February 1, 1999

Legends of Acid Jazz: Sonny Stitt/Don Patterson Vol. 2 is misnamed for at least a couple of reasons. Sax man Sonny Stitt (1924-82) and organist Don Patterson (1936-88) both had earlier releases in Prestige's Acid Jazz series...but not together. And the two albums from September 1968 reproduced here in their entirety, have nothing whatsoever to do with what has come to be known acid jazz. They're not really even soul jazz. Worse, they're not very memorable either.

Sonny Stitt: Best of the Rest

by Ed Kopp
July 1, 1998

1/2

The first bebop album I ever bought was Sonny Stitt with Bud Powell and J.J. Johnson, a 1950 release that remains one of my favorite all-time recordings. Seconds after I heard Stitt rip into “Fine And Dandy" I was completely smitten. Sure Stitt borrowed a great deal from Charlie Parker, but he was an immensely talented musician who eventually developed his own distinctive sound, particularly on tenor.

Stitt recorded nearly 100 albums before he died at age 58, but ...

Sonny Stitt: Just In Case You Forgot How Bad He Really Was

by Jim Santella
April 1, 1998

Recorded at the Keystone Korner in San Francisco less than a year before saxophonist Sonny Stitt suffered a fatal heart attack, this 65-minute session includes saxophonists Richie Cole and John Handy, pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Herbie Lewis, drummer Billy Higgins, and vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson. The jam session, billed as a “bebop alto summit," was recorded before an enthusiastic club audience over a two night period and produced by Dr. Herb Wong, but never released. With about half the session spotlighting ...