Search - Sonny Stitt :: Only the Blues

Here is More Great Jazz OVERLOOKED by the Record Companies.

ABH457 | New York | 03/14/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this on LP in 1960 on a whim and couldn't believe my luck. Few recordings drive so swingingly as this one and Stitt's flow of logical and structured ideas is outstanding. As they said in those days: "He has that 'Rooster Crow' in his voice!" Surely, he would have been THE alto man had Parker not been around just when Stitt emerged. The original LP had only the first four tracks shown here. But they led off with "Blues For Bags' that opens with with rollicking boogie phrases from Oscar Peterson separated by cracking rimshots from drummer Stan Levey. You knew immediately that this was JAZZ as always intended. How else could it be with Stitt, Peterson, Ray Brown on bass, Levey AND.......Roy Eldridge on trumpet. It never let's up and never puts you down until all the tracks are through. I recall that BW Blues was a great swinger, and Cleveland Blues the fastest of them.

I can only have disdain for the accountants and production staff of the companies that overlook recordings like this. Other missing disks that ought to appear on CD include Jazz Giants '58 (Clef/Verve), Earl Hines meets Johnny Hodges, Joe Newman Septet (Vanguard), Lester Young Quartets from early 1950s with John Lewis, Hank Jones on pianos, and Jo Jones on drums(Verve). Its a long list.

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The album to really know what jazz is all about!

stef | Genoa Italy | 07/31/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wow, what a fantastic album is this one!!! If I would recommend an album to a person who doesn't know nothing about jazz, I probably would choose this one for him. Tracks are almost only in the blues form, apart from an anatoll and a couple of ballads, plus a killer tempo standard (I know that you know), here presented in several takes and false starts. So the track list is simply perfect to increase the knowledge about jazz basics forms, and become familiar with the most common turnarounds. Moreover the line up is nothing less than astounding: Sonny Stitt at the alto plus the Oscar peterson trio with Herb Ellis on the guitar (and Clark Terry as special guest). I can't fully express the sense of perfection that emerge from this recording: the Sonny and Oscar's phrasing chops are unreal. Those two were just perfect, perfect, perfect musicians!!! Tracks are long enough to let each soloist take the time he need to tell his story, and no one ever fails!! The opening track is a fist in the face to those who thinks jazz is music for old people or good for a romantic date and nothing more!! That track has the energy of a nuclear bomb!!!! UNCOMPARABLE!!!!"

Expected More

Henry Baez | usa | 08/01/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Overall this was a great CD. One thing that really bugged me was the last cut that continues to be re-done, it seems endlessly. It took some of the joy I had for this CD. I realize that this was added, but they should have left it out altogether."