ghost of miles Posted September 10, 2003 Report Posted September 10, 2003 Recently I've been hitting the Criss Prestige sides hard (and Late's AOTW choice only spurred me on even more). What is it about Criss' playing on these albums that make me return to them again and again of late? Even something like I'LL CATCH THE SUN, which seems to be written off as one of his lesser efforts in that (late-60s) era, still comes across to me with a magical vitality that infuses even material like the title track and "Don't Rain On My Parade"--and when he gets his hands on "I Thought About You" and "Cry Me a River," look out. Damn, I wish he'd gotten to record with Hampton Hawes more. In any even, records like PORTRAIT OF CRISS, THIS IS CRISS, and SONNY'S DREAM are in my CD player all the time these days. The other night I listened to the 2-CD Imperial set, and while it's a fine collection of 1950s Criss (hell, the only collection, I think, outside of the Fresh Sounds CD and some of the stuff that turned up on Xanadu), the Prestige years sound like a great leap forward to me. I still haven't heard THE BEAT GOES ON and ROCKIN' IN RHYTHM, but that's just one of the many, many things I have to look forward to... Quote
White Lightning Posted September 10, 2003 Report Posted September 10, 2003 Right on, GoM! Criss is wonderful, simply wonderful. BTW, even non-Jazz fans enjoys his CDs when I play them. BTW, didn't the Freshsounds are with Hawes as well (or is it on one of the other Spanish labels?). Criss had partisipated in many Jam sessions in the late 40s-early 50s. I particulary enjoy the Jams with Wardell Gray. (and w/Hawes as well, sometimes. I think) And what about his great 2 last albums on Muse - out of nowhere and Crisscraft? Did you gave them a spin? You'll enjoy these 2 sessions a lot. Quote
ghost of miles Posted September 10, 2003 Author Report Posted September 10, 2003 WL, I'm planning to pick up CRISSCRAFT, which I think just got re-issued by Savoy. (Hell, how can I resist when AMG says its "tones" are Sophisticated, Intimate, Amiable/Good-Natured, Rollicking, Passionate, Reverent, Reserved! B) ) You're right, Hawes does show up on some of those jams... The Fresh Sounds CD I have is the 1959 session that came out on Impulse with the Dorham Jazz Prophets date (both originally ABC?). Wynton Kelly is the pianist. Didja get my PM? Quote
White Lightning Posted September 10, 2003 Report Posted September 10, 2003 Yep, got your PM, but somehow I cant send PMs. Sent you an email, instead. Didja get that? Quote
John L Posted September 10, 2003 Report Posted September 10, 2003 I agree with virtually all of the above comments. As good as Criss played in the 40s and 50s, I think that he really hit his stride in the 60s and 70s. I like all of the Prestige records very much. I think that Criss already had everything together for "Crossroads" session that he did for Savoy in 1959. Certainly, get Crisscraft. I like "Out of Nowhere" even more. Blues Pour Filtrer is fantastic. And DO NOT neglect the live recording with the George Arvantis trio that was just re-released a few months ago. This is top drawer Criss stretching out for some dazzling extended solos. Quote
ajf67 Posted September 10, 2003 Report Posted September 10, 2003 Thanks for starting this topic, GoM! The only Sonny Criss I have is "Sonny's Dream," but I really love that. I have it on LP and I like side one so much that I don't flip it over as often as I should. I've been wondering what to buy next, so thanks for the suggestions everyone. Did he ever do anything else with Horace Tapscott? Quote
BruceH Posted September 10, 2003 Report Posted September 10, 2003 GoM, all I can do is express my complete agreement with you about Sonny Criss! I started off with the Imperial double-CD set a couple of years ago, then bought album after album, about anything I could find of his. I found that, almost always, even if the album had a not-so-good title, an unpromising cover, even the dreaded electric bass, Criss's playing was top-notch. If only he were still with us! Do you have "This Is Criss"? It's a very good 1966 Prestige with Walter Davis on piano. I'm sure you'd like it. The Jazz In Paris album is very good as well, and the price is right. I'll have to check out that Live In Italy disc. Criss forever!! Quote
Son-of-a-Weizen Posted September 10, 2003 Report Posted September 10, 2003 (edited) I still haven't heard THE BEAT GOES ON and ROCKIN' IN RHYTHM, but that's just one of the many, many things I have to look forward to... Despite a passable -- but still ugly -- rendition of "Eleanor Rigby", that "Rockin'" LP swings nice and is worth checking out Ghost. I'm not much for the electric piano but Mabern really shines on the title cut....and 'Misty Rose' is for sure a pretty, oh- so-soothing number. Edited September 10, 2003 by Son-of-a-Weizen Quote
Noj Posted September 11, 2003 Report Posted September 11, 2003 I'm definitely a fan of Criss' Prestige releases, and have THE BEAT GOES ON!, I'LL CATCH THE SUN, THIS IS CRISS!, UP UP & AWAY, SATURDAY MORNING, ROCKIN' IN RHYTHM, and SONNY'S DREAM. I think there may be something to what Barak Weiss said about "even non-jazz fans" liking Criss--his sound seems instantly accessable. Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted September 11, 2003 Report Posted September 11, 2003 I heard Criss play 3 or 4 times during the Prestige era. He was a pain in the ass in person. His negative vibes about anything was a tip. Sad guy, great player. Thank your god for the beauty of the remnants. Quote
mikeweil Posted September 11, 2003 Report Posted September 11, 2003 I liked Sonny Criss' sound and conception from the first moment. I find his Prestige albums - as far as I know, there were all reissued as OJCs and sound okay - the most satisfying, followed by the two or so Muse albums, the Fresh Sound CD collecting an early 78 session with a later demo, and the French sessions, in that order. The Imperial sides never caught my attention as much, sold them after a while. He must have been frustrated by the business or whatever. After two commercial outings on Impulse - he played great on them, but the orchestral backgrounds are hard to bear - he took his own life. Quote
John L Posted September 11, 2003 Report Posted September 11, 2003 (edited) He must have been frustrated by the business or whatever. After two commercial outings on Impulse - he played great on them, but the orchestral backgrounds are hard to bear - he took his own life. As we have learned, Sonny Criss was terminally ill and apparently in pain at the time that he took his life. Edited September 11, 2003 by John L Quote
BruceH Posted September 11, 2003 Report Posted September 11, 2003 From what I heard, he had inoperable cancer. Too bad. Quote
Nate Dorward Posted September 12, 2003 Report Posted September 12, 2003 I like Criss's playing a lot; I keep meaning to get Sonny's Dream which I'm told is the best of the Prestige sides. Of those I have I prefer This Is Criss, which is consistently fine. Portrait of... is nice but for me "Wee" is ruined by the incredible amount of reed-squeaks, & Walter Davis's originals don't do much for me; it's the ballads that are best. Pity both albums are so short--barely over 30 minutes (Prestige wasn't big on retakes or other expensive stuff, which I guess explains the lack of extra session material on the CD reissues & also the lack of a retake of "Wee"). The Beat Goes On is surprisingly good, considering the material--the title track is quite effective. I find myself enormously admiring Criss's playing while thinking the albums themselves could be a bit routine for one reason or another. Out of Nowhere is again nice enough, despite a grade-B rhythm section that's none too subtle--there's a good "Brother Can You Spare a Dime", of all things. "Late masterpiece" is stretching it a bit. Mr Blues Pour Flirter is slightly odd in that I gather there's a second album of material from these sessions (breiefly mentioned in the liner notes) which includes the title-track, which isn't present on the recent reissue I have. It's nice, if again not a world-beater, with a lovely "Day Dream" which suggests how much he learned from Johnny Hodges. Arvanitas sounds good on it, too. Quote
BFrank Posted September 12, 2003 Report Posted September 12, 2003 FYI for anyone wanting to get a bunch of this stuff inexpensively - EMusic has all the Prestige stuff. You could probably download most of it during the free 50-tune trial period. OTOH, it's a great deal at $10/month for unlimited downloads. Quote
GA Russell Posted September 13, 2003 Report Posted September 13, 2003 Thanks for this thread! I remember Sonny Criss's Prestige albums being advertised in Downbeat ("The Giants are still on Prestige!"), but I'd never heard any of them. Not long ago, I picked up the Complete Imperials cheap from the BMG Jazz Club, thinking that they are probably pretty good because they were issued as a Complete set. This thread reminded me of that purchase, so I opened it up today and have been listening to the first album's material, which I'm really enjoying. Quote
pryan Posted September 13, 2003 Report Posted September 13, 2003 (edited) Thanks to this thread, I recently picked up ROCKIN IN RHYTHM. Ghost, you're in for a treat when you decide to get it; great stuff, especially the title track and the ballad (forgot the name). Edited September 13, 2003 by pryan Quote
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