Two for one: Good sounds from Chicago
Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 01/30/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is really a 4-star CD, but I figure that maybe a higher rating will help average out the dismissal of the session by other reviewers. During the early sixties, Sonny favored his tenor and a simpler, more direct approach. One session features his pal, trombonist Bennie Green, and the other pairs him with Chicago alto player Bunky Green. Check out the richly played melody by Sonny and Bennie on "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes" and the vigorous exchanges between Sonny and Bunky on the Victor Herbert operetta aria, "One Alone." Simply melodic playing at its surest and most lyrical. As for Sonny recordings engineered by Van Gelder, I'm glad this isn't one of them. His session with Blakey on Impulse ("A Jazz Message"), on the other hand, is--and it's a lame offering by Stitt, one of the true disappointments among Stitt's literally hundreds of recordings. His somewhat earlier session with Blakey--"In Walked Sonny"--can be recommended (and the youngster, David Schnitter does, in fact, acquit himself very well in the company of Stitt)."