As has happened with a few artists, Sonny Stitt had the fortune or misfortune of sounding almost exactly like another artist that got much more fame, namely Charlie Parker. Born in 1924, just a bit after Bird, Stitt had a sound and style on alto that would have fooled the best of fans on a Blindfold Test. Wisely, he also played tenor (and bar) in order to carve his own niche, but his heart was always that of a bopper. This four disc set includes eight of his albums from the 1960s, which was mid period Stitt.
He release four discs in 1963. The first one iw a wonderful “Two Sax Battle” with Ellingtonian Paul Gonsalves, and the reeds rollick on “Salt and Pepper”, with the gents going bel canto on “Stardust”. He then gets into a soul groove with B3er Brother Jack McDuff’s band, and the Sitt is sitting and a rocking on his own “Soul Shack” and “Hairy”. Stitt then goes Latin with a young Chick Corea/p along with Thad Jones/tp and a percussion heavy rhythm team that includes Willie Bobo/dr on “My Little Red Suede Shoes” and “Ritmo Bobo”. He stays in a similar groove with pianist Ronnie Mathews and a threesome of percussionists for “Estrellita” and “Island Shout”.
Next year Stitt stretches out on his tenor with Bobby Buster/org, Bennie Green/tb Dorel Anderson/dr and a tasty Joe Diorio/g for a wild ride of “The Night Has A Thousand Eyes” and a bopping “Flame And Frost”. Stitt then actually does some serviceable singing on the next release on “Mamo Don’t Allow” in a trio outing with Don Patterson/org and Billy James/dr and swinging on the sax for “Soul Food”. Stitt next has a summit meeting with fellow tenor man Booker Ervin allowing sax fans to hear their different sounds and styles as they stretch out on “C-Jam Blues” and a fun “Flying H ome”. Likewise, a summit meeting with the warm tenor of Zoot Sims results in a wonderful straight-ahead session producinggems like “Fools Rush In” and “My Blue Heaven”. Reed rapture.