Sonny Stitt in New York

[Larry Kart]

Right - I see Larry, the record you were talking about was 'Sonny Stitt' by Sonny Stitt - Argo 629, not 'Burnin'' - this one, apparently

That's been reissued by Fresh Sound under the title 'Burnin'' - like this

That CD contains 'Sonny Stitt' and 'Burnin'' - which looks like this

Pity Fresh Sound didn't use the 'Burnin'' sleeve.

MG

To assess the difference between those two coupled Argo dates, compare Stitt's playing on the two otherwise identical blues -- "Propapagoon" from the first and "I'll Tell You Later" from the second. "Propapagoon" is inspired, "I'll Tell You Later" is a fairly damp squib. (Let me modify that, having just relistened -- it's certainly got its moments, but is nowhere near as coherent.) This is "Propapagoon," despite what the YouTube clip says -- rather harshly transferred (fake stereo?) but still:

This is "I'll Tell You Later":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deltpG3LOnI

[danasgoodstuff]

I think I prefer the 2nd one!

[Gheorghe]

I liked Sonny Stitt from the first moment on. Since I was crazy about bop I was glad to hear him in the 70´s and I love his recordings from that time, for the Muse label I think.

The first impression I had about Sonny Stitt was a funny one:

During the 70´s we still had a good TV program, just two channels that´s all. On the second channel they had Jazz sometimes and there was a documentary about be bop once. I was just a kid, and didn´t know all the names, Bird, Bud, Diz, Fats of course, but not all of ´em. And there was Dizzy playing "Wee".....I remember that. It was with Sonny Stitt and I don´t remember the rhythm section but it was an electric bass, which upset me at that time, since I thought bop might be played with a bass fiddle.....

Well, I didn´t know who it was on alto, but I saw that "old man" as I guessed. He played wonderful, all the stuff that I loved so much from Bird. Who might that old man be ? He sure knew Bird, but he might be older than Bird would be now, and he sure is older than Diz....., that was my impressions when I was a kid. He looked "old" to me, but played like a God....who might that be, that misterious old man who plays all that shit Bird played, but not copying him, playin his own.

Eventually I saw him on a record cover and recognized him. Was quite astonished he´s much younger, born 1924, 7 years younger than Diz, 4 years younger than Bird......

[cayetano]

By the way, the Argo Sonny Stitt and another four: Swings the most, Inter-action, Saxophone supremacy & Mr. Bojangles reissued again in Japan nex month:

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=UCCU-9746

[uli]

Stitt sounds great in the quinter part this clip, mho

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEqVr3THoxw