Search - Sonny Stitt :: 12

Sonny Stitt's gifts lie in his fire and athleticism, not in his innovation or craftiness. The year 1972 was a particularly triumphant one for the prolific sax veteran. Though one of the most astonishingly agile and frighteningly feral players of the 30 previous years, Stitt never became the sax star of any day, mostly because critics always seemed to give disproportionate value to innovation and craftiness. But as mainstream acoustic jazz was heading into a decade of decline, Stitt produced two warmly received hard-bop quartet records, Tune Up! and Constellation (which are now available on the single-disc Endgame Brilliance). All of a sudden, everyone noticed that Stitt had the best pure chops of them all: the greatest saxman "pound for pound." 12! followed later in 1972 and did nothing to change anyone's minds. Backed by an old-hand rhythm section of Barry Harris, Sam Jones, and Louis Hayes, Stitt's tenor roars through the 12-bar title track and Count Basie's "Every Tub" with ever-building intensity and an endless array of licks. In between, he switches to alto for a tender reading of Ellington's "I Got It Bad"--the deliciously cuddly side of the big, bad bear. In terms of sheer force and flawless execution, Stitt was the undisputed champion of the hard-bop blowing session. --Marc Greilsamer