Sonny Stitt
The Sonny Side of Sonny Stitt (FSRCD 640-2)
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The Sonny Side of Sonny Stitt
Sonny Stitt
Fresh Sound Records
8427328606400
ZZZ 126366
FSRCD 640-2
JAZZ
2
The Sonny Side of Sonny Stitt
Currently unavailable
4 LPs ON 2 CDs
Sonny Stitt arrived on the New York City scene as an unmistakably Parker-inspired alto man. For over ten years, though, he earned a second identification as a driving and well-equipped tenor soloist who had other influences in his make-up, most notably Lester Young. And from the late Fifties until the early Sixties, while recording several quartet albums, Stitt was blowing as much alto and tenor as ever.
He would wander into a recording studio with a pickup rhythm section and just play, as he did on these four consecutive albums with pianist Jimmy Jones. Because he was a through-going professional, a nimble improviser, and because he played with amazing consistency, they convey the fine feeling of easy rapport between Stitt and his rhythm section.
He sails through a handful of standards and a few blues tunes with polished, swinging authority and an unparalleled, incendiary, gutsy drive. He had a simple credo. “Don’t play too fast, and don’t play too long. Play three choruses—if you can’t make it in three, man, you can’t make it at all.”
His credo is stamped all over these magnificent sessions.
He would wander into a recording studio with a pickup rhythm section and just play, as he did on these four consecutive albums with pianist Jimmy Jones. Because he was a through-going professional, a nimble improviser, and because he played with amazing consistency, they convey the fine feeling of easy rapport between Stitt and his rhythm section.
He sails through a handful of standards and a few blues tunes with polished, swinging authority and an unparalleled, incendiary, gutsy drive. He had a simple credo. “Don’t play too fast, and don’t play too long. Play three choruses—if you can’t make it in three, man, you can’t make it at all.”
His credo is stamped all over these magnificent sessions.
PERSONNEL:
Sonny Stitt (as, ts), Jimmy Jones (p)
Aaron Bell (b on CD1 #1-10 & CD2 #9-19),
uncredited bass & drums players on CD1 #11-21 & CD2 #1-8,
Charlie Persip (d on CD1 #1-10), Roy Haynes (d on CD1 #11-21 & CD2).
All sessions recorded in New York City.
CD 1, tracks #1-10 Nola Studios, April 10, 1959.
CD 1, tracks #11-19 recorded on September 21, 1959.
CD 1, tracks #20-21 & CD 2, tracks #1-8 same location as #11-19, but recorded on June or July, 1960.
CD 2, tracks #9-19 recorded at Bell Sound Studios, on August 8, 1960.
CD 1:
Sources:
[1-10] originally issued on the 12" LP A Little Bit of Stitt (Roost SLP 2235).
[11-19] originally issued on the 12" LP The Sonny Side of Stitt (Roost SLP 2240).
[20-21] originally issued on the 12" LP Stittsville (Roost SLP 2244).
Tracks:
01. When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin’ Along) (Woods) 2:48
02. For All We Know (Lewis-Coots) 3:06
03. I’m Confessin’ That I Love You (Daugherty-Reynolds-Neiberg) 3:19
04. Cocktails for Two (Johnston-Coslow) 3:38
05. Star Eyes (Raye-DePaul) 3:39
06. On a Slow Boat to China (Loesser) 3:21
07. Laura (Raskin-DePaul) 3:39
08. J.B. Blues (Stitt) 3:56
09. Don’t Take Your Love from Me (Nemo) 2:55
10. After the Late, Late Show (Stitt) 3:56
11. Skylark (Carmichael-Mercer) 2:46
12. Don’t Worry 'Bout Me (Bloom-Koehler) 2:50
13. I’ll Remember April (Raye-DePaul-Johnson) 3:42
14. Day by Day (Kahn-Stordahl-Weston) 3:29
15. Red Top (Kynard-Hampton) 3:50
16. Moonray (Shaw-Madison-Quinser) 2:57
17. Old Fashioned Blues (Stitt) 4:42
18. I Never Knew (Carroll) 4:26
19. Hitsburg (Stitt) 4:22
20. Angel Eyes (Dennis-Brent) 3:08
21. It All Depends on You (DeSylva-Brown-Henderson) 2:47
Total time: 74:00 min. aprox.
CD 2:
Sources:
[1-8] originally issued on the 12" LP Stittsville (Roost SLP 2244).
[9-17] originally issued on the 12" LP Sonny Side Up (Roost SLP 2245).
[18-19] taken from the 12" LP Stitt in Orbit (Roost SLP 2252)
Tracks:
01. Stormy Thursday (Stitt) 3:22
02. Embraceable You (Gershwin-Gershwin) 2:35
03. It Could Happen to You (Burke-Van Heusen) 3:23
04. But Not for Me (Gershwin-Gershwin) 3:07
05. Memories of You (Blake-Razaf) 5:09
06. I Cried for You (Now It's Your Turn to Cry Over Me) (Arnhein-Lyman-Freed) 3:15
07. Bright as Snow (Stitt) 2:44
08. Spinning (Stitt) 2:26
09. Sonny Side Up (Stitt) 2:31
10. On Green Dolphin Street (Kaper-Washington) 3:53
11. The More I See You (Warren-Gordon) 3:38
12. Don’t Take Your Love from Me (Nemo) 4:41
13. My Blue Heaven (Donaldson-Whiting) 2:37
14. My Mother’s Eyes (Baer-Gilbert) 3:44
15. When I Grow Too Old to Dream (S.Romberg-O.Hammerstein) 3:00
16. Bye Bye Blues (Lown-Gray-Bennett-Hamm) 5:00
17. I’ve Got the World on a String (Arlen-Koehler) 5:07
18. Beware Rocks Comin’ Down (Stitt) 6:52 (*) Bonus Track
19. Six-O-Seven Blue (Stitt) 6:07 (*) Bonus Track
Total time: 74:00 min. aprox.
Sonny Stitt (as, ts), Jimmy Jones (p)
Aaron Bell (b on CD1 #1-10 & CD2 #9-19),
uncredited bass & drums players on CD1 #11-21 & CD2 #1-8,
Charlie Persip (d on CD1 #1-10), Roy Haynes (d on CD1 #11-21 & CD2).
All sessions recorded in New York City.
CD 1, tracks #1-10 Nola Studios, April 10, 1959.
CD 1, tracks #11-19 recorded on September 21, 1959.
CD 1, tracks #20-21 & CD 2, tracks #1-8 same location as #11-19, but recorded on June or July, 1960.
CD 2, tracks #9-19 recorded at Bell Sound Studios, on August 8, 1960.
CD 1:
Sources:
[1-10] originally issued on the 12" LP A Little Bit of Stitt (Roost SLP 2235).
[11-19] originally issued on the 12" LP The Sonny Side of Stitt (Roost SLP 2240).
[20-21] originally issued on the 12" LP Stittsville (Roost SLP 2244).
Tracks:
01. When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin’ Along) (Woods) 2:48
02. For All We Know (Lewis-Coots) 3:06
03. I’m Confessin’ That I Love You (Daugherty-Reynolds-Neiberg) 3:19
04. Cocktails for Two (Johnston-Coslow) 3:38
05. Star Eyes (Raye-DePaul) 3:39
06. On a Slow Boat to China (Loesser) 3:21
07. Laura (Raskin-DePaul) 3:39
08. J.B. Blues (Stitt) 3:56
09. Don’t Take Your Love from Me (Nemo) 2:55
10. After the Late, Late Show (Stitt) 3:56
11. Skylark (Carmichael-Mercer) 2:46
12. Don’t Worry 'Bout Me (Bloom-Koehler) 2:50
13. I’ll Remember April (Raye-DePaul-Johnson) 3:42
14. Day by Day (Kahn-Stordahl-Weston) 3:29
15. Red Top (Kynard-Hampton) 3:50
16. Moonray (Shaw-Madison-Quinser) 2:57
17. Old Fashioned Blues (Stitt) 4:42
18. I Never Knew (Carroll) 4:26
19. Hitsburg (Stitt) 4:22
20. Angel Eyes (Dennis-Brent) 3:08
21. It All Depends on You (DeSylva-Brown-Henderson) 2:47
Total time: 74:00 min. aprox.
CD 2:
Sources:
[1-8] originally issued on the 12" LP Stittsville (Roost SLP 2244).
[9-17] originally issued on the 12" LP Sonny Side Up (Roost SLP 2245).
[18-19] taken from the 12" LP Stitt in Orbit (Roost SLP 2252)
Tracks:
01. Stormy Thursday (Stitt) 3:22
02. Embraceable You (Gershwin-Gershwin) 2:35
03. It Could Happen to You (Burke-Van Heusen) 3:23
04. But Not for Me (Gershwin-Gershwin) 3:07
05. Memories of You (Blake-Razaf) 5:09
06. I Cried for You (Now It's Your Turn to Cry Over Me) (Arnhein-Lyman-Freed) 3:15
07. Bright as Snow (Stitt) 2:44
08. Spinning (Stitt) 2:26
09. Sonny Side Up (Stitt) 2:31
10. On Green Dolphin Street (Kaper-Washington) 3:53
11. The More I See You (Warren-Gordon) 3:38
12. Don’t Take Your Love from Me (Nemo) 4:41
13. My Blue Heaven (Donaldson-Whiting) 2:37
14. My Mother’s Eyes (Baer-Gilbert) 3:44
15. When I Grow Too Old to Dream (S.Romberg-O.Hammerstein) 3:00
16. Bye Bye Blues (Lown-Gray-Bennett-Hamm) 5:00
17. I’ve Got the World on a String (Arlen-Koehler) 5:07
18. Beware Rocks Comin’ Down (Stitt) 6:52 (*) Bonus Track
19. Six-O-Seven Blue (Stitt) 6:07 (*) Bonus Track
Total time: 74:00 min. aprox.
