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| Sonny Stitt's ’Stitt's Bits: The Bebop Recordings, 1949-1952’ Edward "Sonny" Stitt was an extraordinary multi-reedman . Prestige Records will release his remarkable boxed set, Stitt's Bits: The Bebop Recordings, 1949-1952. This handsome, 3-disc package will be released on July 27, 2006. Often erroneously dismissed as one of Charlie Parker's many imitators, Sonny was actually one of bebop's progenitors, highly respected by all of the movement's leading figures, including Bird. Stitt - confirmed by those who heard and played with him in his earliest days - claimed to have evolved his alto sax style before he had ever heard Parker. When he and Bird first met and played together in 1943, they were both amazed at their stylistic similarity and maintained a mutual admiration from then on. Another thing that sets Stitt apart from Bird, and most of the other saxophonists of that era, was his equal fluency on the tenor and baritone saxophone. Even more importantly, he played all three horns with his own highly distinctive sound. For those who think of Sonny primarily as an altoist, or are more familiar with his Prestige "Soul Jazz" recordings, this set will be a revelation. Not only is he surrounded by many of the era's most significant and groundbreaking artists - including Jay Jay Johnson, Bud Powell, Max Roach, John Lewis, Art Blakey, Gene Ammons - but the vast majority of the set's tracks feature his sterling tenor saxophone stylings, along with a healthy dose of his full-bodied baritone and smidgens of soaring alto. The set's three discs - totaling nearly four hours of music - comprise 76 tracks that Stitt recorded as leader, co-leader and sideman for Prestige and its related labels during the first tenure of his extensive relationship with the legenda! ry company. Disc one includes Sonny as a featured sideman with Jay Jay Johnson's Boppers, a 1949 date that ranks as one of the trombone titan's best early recordings, with a rhythm section of bebop heavyweights John Lewis, Nelson Boyd and Max Roach. A pair of stunning sessions (December 1949 and January 1950) in collaboration with another of bop's founding fathers, pianist Bud Powell, follows - one a co-led session, the other under Sonny's leadership - both featuring Curley Russell and Max Roach. The interplay between Stitt and Bud is amazing, covering tender ballads, infectiously swinging blues and relentlessly driving up-tempo pieces. Included here is an extremely rare alternate take of Strike Up The Band, issued for the very first time since its original release on 78. The quartet format, this time with another powerhouse rhythm section of Kenny Drew, Tommy Potter and Art Blakey is up next, showcasing Sonny's soulful ballad! artistry. Stitt's on tenor for all of these tracks (and on nearly every track on this disc), displaying a clear Lester Young influence, but with his own bite and rhythmic punch, smoothly blending the bebop vernacular into the brew. (An influential tenor player, Stitt was a favorite of Frank Foster and the peerless John Coltrane). The final two tracks of disc one introduce Sonny's longstanding partnership with another spectacular tenorman, Gene "Jug" Ammons. Their various 1950 collaborations dominate disc two, sometimes under Stitt's name, sometimes Jug's and sometimes co-led (as well as two blues cuts issued under the name of Billy Eckstine-ish vocalist Teddy Williams), but always soulfully swinging and exuberant. The saxophone "battle" concept is always a heavy element of the mix here, with everybody emerging as the victor, especially the listener. Some of the encounters feature both men on tenor - in the tradition of the JAPT tandem of Illinois Jacquet and Flip Phillips, or the later sparrings of Johnny Griffin and Lockjaw Davis on Prestige and Jazzland - but more often it's a tenor/baritone confrontation, usually featuring Stitt on the big horn. Sonny's baritone playing is fluid and muscular. Unquestionably, if he'd played this horn more often he would be ranked in the very upper echelons amo! ng those who took on the challenging instrument. The repertoire covers a lot of ground, including ballads, standards, jump swing and of course, gutty blues. The spirit throughout is one of joy and fun, with a couple of vocals by the entire band and even a pair of solo turns by Ammons tossed into the proceedings. The ensemble size ranges from quintet to septet (with trumpeter Bill Massey and trombonists Bennie Green or Matthew Gee adding their talents), featuring outstanding rhythm sections, including such notables as Duke Jordan and Junior Mance on piano, bassists Tommy Potter and Gene Wright and drum masters Art Blakey and the immortal "Papa" Jo Jones. A quartet session (again with Jordan) provides an interlude halfway through the disc, and another quartet - this time featuring Mance - concludes it, continuing onto disc three. Here, for the first time on this set, Stitt wields his mighty alto sax, offering spectacular solos on the ballad "Imagination" (in double time) and the rip-roaring "Cherokee." The remainder of this disc switches back and forth between quartet sessions and more of the Ammons collaborations, all recorded in 1951. The quartets feature Stitt giving equal time to all three horns with the total command, imagination and vitality that he displays throughout this entire set. The Ammons sessions continue in the same vein as on the previous disc, but with a stronger taste of the more aggressively soulful style that both men would embrace in their later Prestige recordings. The 1952 session that concludes this remarkable set is a distinct change of pace, surrounding Stitt with three trumpets (Bill Massey, Joe Newman and John Hunt) and a rhythm section that includes Cuban timbalero Humberto Morales. The arrangements by Massey are clearly designed to capitalize on the Afro-Cuban trend that was developing at the time. Stitt's energetically rhythmic and fluently articulate tenor fit perfectly, closing the set with a flourish. Stitt's Bits (at $29.98 retail list price) is beautifully packaged, with an extensive booklet featuring highly enjoyable and informative liner notes by Harvey Pekar (in his inimitably forthright style), detailed track information and a handful of terrific photos by Chuck Stewart, Herman Leonard and others. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |