Search - Sonny Stitt, Bud Powell, Jj Johnson :: Sonny Stitt Bud Powell & Jj Johnson

Bud yes, but what a Sonny !!!

Jazzcat | Genoa, Italy Italy | 08/08/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Bud played some of his best music here that's for sure and I say this thing too just to clarify that I agree with other reviewers who tribute the genius of Bud Powell on this particular recording. But the other guys' review lack words about Sonny who was the main actor of this music. Here he was in his tenor period so his playing is somewhat different from what we are used to hear from him. Personally I prefer his alto playing simply because with the alto Sonny was almost unreachable. With the alto he had an incredibly shining sound and he was able to blow chorus after chorus with tons of ideas. The tenor slowed him a little bit, he was forced to play differently, still in the bop idiom but with lesser "turns" and "curves" .. still he remained the boppest tenorman out there! In my opinion a lot better than a lot of celebated tenorman of the sixties .. Some, probably non-parker aficionados like him most with the tenor, I don't agree because I'm a parkerian, but Sonny Stitt remains Sonny Stitt even if you left him only his whistle .. It is true that what matters here are the first nine tracks and that the J.J.Johnson session are less important, altought still splendid recordings too. But the titans encounter between Stitt and Bud is something that every jazzcat should own in his collection! Just in case you forgot how bad those two were!!!"