Tag Archives: Sonny Stitt

Art Blakey Quartet: A Jazz Message

Leave a comment

In February 1964, “Impulse!” label released “A Jazz Message”, the sixth Art Blakey album (credited as Art Blakey’s Quartet). It was recorded in July 1963, at “Van Gelder Studio” in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and was produced by Bob Thiele.

Personnel:

  • Art Blakey – drums
  • Sonny Stitt – alto and tenor saxophone
  • McCoy Tyner – piano
  • Art Davis – bass
  • Rudy Van Gelder – engineer
  • Joe Lebow – design
  • Dan Morgenstern – liner notes
  • Bob Ghiraldini – photography

Track listing:

  1. Café – Art Blakey, Sonny Stitt
  2. Just Knock on My Door – Art Blakey, Sonny Stitt
  3. Summertime – George Gershwin, DuBose Heyward
  4. Blues Back – McCoy Tyner
  5. Sunday – Chester Conn, Nick Drake, Benny Krueger, Ned Miller, Jule Styne
  6. The Song Is You – Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II

Sonny Stitt: Soul People

Leave a comment

In September 1965, “Prestige” label released “Soul People”, the 50th Sonny Stitt album. It was recorded in 1964, at “Van Gelder Studio” in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and was produced by Ozzie Cadena, Bob Porter and Cal Lampley.

Personnel:

  • Sonny Stitt – alto saxophone and tenor saxophone
  • Booker Ervin – tenor saxophone
  • Grant Green – guitar
  • Vinnie Corrao – guitar
  • Don Patterson – organ
  • Billy James – drums

Track listing:

  1. Soul People – Sonny Stitt
  2. Sonny’s Book – Sonny Stitt
  3. “C” Jam Blues – Duke Ellington
  4. Medley: I Can’t Get Started / The Masquerade Is Over – Vernon Duke, Ira Gershwin / Herb Magidson, Allie Wrubel

Sonny Stitt & Paul Gonsalves: Salt and Pepper

Leave a comment

In July 1964, “Impulse!” label released “Salt and Pepper”, an album by Sonny Stitt and Paul Gonsalves (the 46th Sonny Stitt album overall). It was recorded in September 1963, at “Van Gelder Studio” in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and was produced by Bob Thiele.

Personnel:

  • Paul Gonsalves – tenor saxophone
  • Sonny Stitt – alto and tenor saxophone
  • Hank Jones – piano
  • Milt Hinton – bass
  • Osie Johnson – drums

Track listing:

  1. Salt and Pepper – Sonny Stitt, Paul Gonsalves
  2. S’posin’ – Paul Denniker, Andy Razaf
  3. Theme from Lord of the Flies – Raymond Leppard
  4. Perdido – Juan Tizol, Ervin Drake, Hans Lengsfelder
  5. Stardust – Hoagy Carmichael, Mitchell Parish

Sonny Stitt: Stitt Plays Bird

Leave a comment

In July 1964, “Atlantic” label released “Stitt Plays Bird”, a Sonny Stitt album. It was recorded in January 1963, at “Atlantic Studios” in New York City, and was produced by Nesuhi Ertegun.

Personnel:

  • Sonny Stitt – alto saxophone
  • John Lewis – piano
  • Jim Hall – guitar
  • Richard Davis – bass
  • Connie Kay – drums

Track listing:

All tracks by Charlie Parker, except where noted.

  1. Ornithology – Benny Harris, Charlie Parker
  2. Scrapple from the Apple
  3. My Little Suede Shoes
  4. Parker’s Mood
  5. Au Privave
  6. Ko-Ko
  7. Confirmation
  8. Hootie Blues – Jay McShann
  9. Constellation

Sonny Stitt: Now!

Leave a comment

In July 1963, “Impulse!” label released “Now!”, a Sonny Stitt album. It was recorded in June1963, at “Van Gelder Studio” in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and was produced by Bob Thiele.

Personnel:

  • Sonny Stitt – alto and tenor saxophone
  • Hank Jones – piano
  • Al Lucas – bass
  • Osie Johnson – drums

Track listing:

All tracks by Sonny Stitt, except where noted.

  1. Surfin’
  2. Lester Leaps In – Lester Young
  3. Estralita – Manuel Ponce
  4. Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone – Sam Stept, Sidney Clare
  5. Touchy
  6. Never —SH!
  7. My Mother’s Eyes – Abel Baer, L. Wolfe Gilbert
  8. I’m Getting Sentimental Over You – George Bassman, Ned Washington

Sonny Stitt with Jack McDuff: Soul Shack

Leave a comment

In December 1963, “Prestige” label released “Soul Shack”, an album by Sonny Stitt  with Jack McDuff. It was recorded in September 1963, at “Van Gelder Studio” in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

Personnel:

  • Sonny Stitt – alto and tenor saxophone
  • Brother Jack McDuff – organ
  • Leonard Gaskin – bass
  • Herbie Lovelle – drums
  • Rudy Van Gelder – recording
  • Don Schlitten – design, photography
  • Dan Morgenstern – liner notes

Personnel:

All tracks by Sonny Stitt except where noted.

  1. Sunday – Chester Conn, Jule Styne, Bennie Krueger, Ned Miller
  2. Soul Shack
  3. Love Nest – Louis Hirsch, Otto Harbach
  4. Hairy
  5. For You – Joe Burke, Al Dubin
  6. Shadows

Pee Wee Ellis

Leave a comment

On September 24, 2021, Alfred James Ellis aka Pee Wee Ellis died aged 80. He was musician (soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophone, flute, keyboards), arranger and composer, worked as musical director and arranger with George Benson, Hank Crawford and Esther Phillips. Ellis recorded and performed with David Liebman, Jack McDuff, Rebirth Brass Band, Shirley Scott, Sonny Stitt, Leon Thomas, Van Morrison, Ginger Baker’s jazz Confusion, The JB Horns, Maceo Parker, Brass Fever, Ali Farka Touré and The Dapps, but was best known as longtime collaborator of James Brown. He co-wrote and recorded some of Brown’s best-known songs like “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud” and “Cold Sweat”. As leader Ellis released 13 albums.

Sonny Stitt: Burnin’

Leave a comment

In May 1960, “Argo” label released “Burnin’”, the 18th Sonny Stitt album. It was recorded in August 1958, in Chicago, and was produced by Jordi Pujol.

Personnel:

  • Sonny Stitt – alto and tenor saxophone
  • Barry Harris – piano
  • William Austin – bass
  • Frank Gant – drums

Track listing:

All tracks by Sonny Stitt, except where noted.

  1. Ko-Ko – Charlie Parker
  2. A Minor Sax
  3. Lover Man – Jimmy Davis, James Sherman, Roger Ramirez
  4. Reed and a Half
  5. How High the Moon – Morgan Lewis, Nancy Hamilton
  6. I’ll Tell You Later
  7. Look for the Silver Lining – Jerome Kern, Buddy G. DeSylva
  8. Easy Living – Leo Robin, Ralph Rainger
  9. It’s Hipper Than That

Chick Corea

Leave a comment

On February 9, 2020, Armando Anthony “Chick” Corea died aged 79. He was musician (piano, keyboards, percussion), composer and bandleader. He is regarded as one of the major piano players to emerge in jazz during the post-John Coltrane era. Recorded and performed with the most important Jazz musicians including Miles Davis, Mongo Santamaria, Willie Bobo, Blue Mitchell, Herbie Mann, Stan Getz, Roy Haunes, Miroslav Vitous, Stanley Clarke, Richard Davis, Joe Farrell, Joe Henderson, Eric Kloss, Hubert Laws, Herbie Mann, Blue Mitchell, John Patitucci, Wayne Shorter, Cal Tjader, Sonny Stitt, Dave Pike, Armando Peraza, Marion Brown, Sadao Watanabe, Larry Coryell, John Surman, Elvin Jones, Rolf Kühn, Airto Moreira, Antony Braxton, Pete La Roca, Al Di Meola, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ron Carter, Gábor Szabó, Donald Byrd, Tete Montoliu, Chaka Khan, Eddie Gomez, Wallace Rooney, Herbie Hancock, Antonio Sanches, Gary Burton and Hiromi Uehara. Corea formed and lead Return to Forever, Circle, Chick Corea Elektric Band, Chick Corea Akoustic Band and Five Peace Band. As leader he released 77 studio and 23 live albums. Corea won 23 “Grammy Awards”.

Junior Mance

Leave a comment

On January 16, 2021, Julian Clifford Mance, Jr. aka Junior Mance died aged 92. He was musician (piano) and composer, one of the main figures of the Hard bop jazz scene. He recorded and performed with some of the biggest names of jazz, blues and soul music including Gene Amons, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, Sonny Stitt, Dinah Washington, Wynton Kelly, Cannonball Adderley, Dexter Gordon, Nat Adderley, Joe Gordon, Bennie Green, Al Grey, Ernie Andrews, Johnny Griffin, Art Blakey, Cliford Brown, Benny Carter, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Cleveland, Arnett Cobb, Red Holloway, Jose James, Ray Crawford, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Eddie Jefferson, Aretha Franklin, Etta Jones, Dizzy Gillespie, Irene Kral, Jay Leonhart, Les McCann, Paul Gonsalves, Howard McGhee, The Metronomes, Virgil Gonsalves, James Moody, Wild Bill Moore, Barbara Morrison, Sandy Mosse, Leo Parker, Ken Peplowski, Billie Poole, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie, Alvin Queen, Jimmy Scott, Arnold Sterling, Sonny Stitt, Clark Terry, Frank Vignola, Wilbur Ware, Ben Webster, Joe Williams, Marion Williams, and Leo Wright. As leader, Monce released 56 albums (live and studio). In 2007, Mance and his wife Gloria started their own record label “JunGlo”.