A tight swinger from Sonny Stitt – one of the standout 60s dates he recorded for the Impulse label, a place where he seemed to get even more care and focus in the studio! The record's got all the soulful swing of Stitt's classics for Roost, but also hits a slightly more lyrical groove at times too – and backing is by a trio that features Hank Jones on piano, Al Lucas on bass, and Osie Johnson on drums. Stitt himself plays a bit of alto alongside his tenor – and titles include "Lester Leaps In", "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone", "Estralita", "My Mother's Eyes", "Never Sh!", "Touchy", and "Surfin". CD

One of Sonny Stitt's amazing albums for Roost – a record with a beautifully mature conception of bop soloing, and a totally confident tone throughout! There's an understated brilliance here that's nearly impossible to describe in words – a sense of placement, timing, and phrasing that's really impeccable – and handled with Stitt at a level that shows tremendous growth from his early years on Prestige! The group's a quintet, with Freddie Green on guitar and Hank Jones on piano – and titles include "Afterwards", "Biscuit Mix", "Blues For Bobby", and "The Nearness Of You". Great cover, too – with Stitt backlit against a smokey backdrop, blowing away easily. CD

One of Sonny Stitt's amazing albums for Roost – a record with a beautifully mature conception of bop soloing, and a totally confident tone throughout! There's an understated brilliance here that's nearly impossible to describe in words – a sense of placement, timing, and phrasing that's really impeccable – and handled with Stitt at a level that shows tremendous growth from his early years on Prestige! The group's a quintet, with Freddie Green on guitar and Hank Jones on piano – and titles include "Afterwards", "Biscuit Mix", "Blues For Bobby", and "The Nearness Of You". Great cover, too – with Stitt backlit against a smokey backdrop, blowing away easily. CD

Beautiful Roost material from Sonny Stitt – solid, mature, and extremely well-placed lines on the alto sax – all caught at a level that's higher than most of his contemporaries were dising out at the time! The boppier side of Stitt's roots is nicely suppressed here – and in its place is a focused and deeply personal approach to the music – one that's wonderfully complemented by the "New Yorkers" combo of Hank Jones on piano, Shadow Wilson on drums, and Wendell Marshall on bass. The record's one of the jewels in the crown of his Roost catalog – and titles include "I Didn't Know What Time It Was", "It Might As Well Be Spring", "Engos, The Bloos", and "Bloosey". LP, Vinyl record album

Head to head blowing from Sonny Sitt and Paul Gonsalves – just the kind of twin-horn performance that Stitt was famous for in his live battle days, and one that also reminds us that Gonsalves can be a very loose swinger when he wants to be! The tracks are all long, and played with the sort of feel you'd hear if you caught these guys live at some small southside club – and the solos also show the kind of inventiveness and imagination you'd catch in that sort of setting – backed by a swinging rhythm combo that features Hank Jones on piano, Milt Hinton on bass, and Osie Johnson on drums. Titles include a version of "Perdido" that's nearly 13 minutes long – plus "Stardust", "Sposin", "Salt & Pepper", and "Theme From Lord Of The Flies". Also features the full bonus album – Now! CD

Head to head blowing from Sonny Sitt and Paul Gonsalves – just the kind of twin-horn performance that Stitt was famous for in his live battle days, and one that also reminds us that Gonsalves can be a very loose swinger when he wants to be! The tracks are all long, and played with the sort of feel you'd hear if you caught these guys live at some small southside club – and the solos also show the kind of inventiveness and imagination you'd catch in that sort of setting – backed by a swinging rhythm combo that features Hank Jones on piano, Milt Hinton on bass, and Osie Johnson on drums. Titles include a version of "Perdido" that's nearly 13 minutes long – plus "Stardust", "Sposin", "Salt & Pepper", and "Theme From Lord Of The Flies". CD

A mid 70s reunion of some of the key figures in the early New York bop scene – all recorded here in great fidelity, and on tracks that run a lot longer than their initial 78rpm recordings! The lineup includes Dizzy on trumpet, Sonny Stitt on tenor, John Lewis and Hank Jones on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Max Roach on drums – making a rare 70s appearance in a straight set like this. Tracks are all bop standards, played in versions that allow for plenty of solo space – and titles include "Confirmation", "Groovin High", "Lover Man", "All The Things You Are", and "Lady Bird". LP, Vinyl record album

A tight swinger from Sonny Stitt – one of the standout 60s dates he recorded for the Impulse label, a place where he seemed to get even more care and focus in the studio! The record's got all the soulful swing of Stitt's classics for Roost, but also hits a slightly more lyrical groove at times too – and backing is by a trio that features Hank Jones on piano, Al Lucas on bass, and Osie Johnson on drums. Stitt himself plays a bit of alto alongside his tenor – and titles include "Lester Leaps In", "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone", "Estralita", "My Mother's Eyes", "Never Sh!", "Touchy", and "Surfin". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful Roost material from Sonny Stitt – solid, mature, and extremely well-placed lines on the alto sax – all caught at a level that's higher than most of his contemporaries were dising out at the time! The boppier side of Stitt's roots is nicely suppressed here – and in its place is a focused and deeply personal approach to the music – one that's wonderfully complemented by the "New Yorkers" combo of Hank Jones on piano, Shadow Wilson on drums, and Wendell Marshall on bass. The record's one of the jewels in the crown of his Roost catalog – and titles include "I Didn't Know What Time It Was", "It Might As Well Be Spring", "Engos, The Bloos", and "Bloosey". CD

Head to head blowing from Sonny Sitt and Paul Gonsalves – just the kind of twin-horn performance that Stitt was famous for in his live battle days, and one that also reminds us that Gonsalves can be a very loose swinger when he wants to be! The tracks are all long, and played with the sort of feel you'd hear if you caught these guys live at some small southside club – and the solos also show the kind of inventiveness and imagination you'd catch in that sort of setting – backed by a swinging rhythm combo that features Hank Jones on piano, Milt Hinton on bass, and Osie Johnson on drums. Titles include a version of "Perdido" that's nearly 13 minutes long – plus "Stardust", "Sposin", "Salt & Pepper", and "Theme From Lord Of The Flies". LP, Vinyl record album

Sonny Stitt's going down slow here – hitting a groove that's a bit more laidback than some of his funkier albums for Prestige, but one that's still pretty darn great overall! The sound is almost in a Stanley Turrentine mode at CTI – with fuller arrangements behind his saxophone solos, and a really easygoing groove throughout! There's a bit of strings in the backdrop, but these are often used somewhat lightly – and on the best numbers, Sonny's tone dominates and really directs the feel of the tune. Other players include Hank Jones on piano, Thad Jones on trumpet, and both Wally Richardson and Billy Butler on guitar – the latter of whom handles the solos. Titles include "Acid Funk Reprise" (aka "Moving Beauty"), plus "Miss Ann Lisa Sue & Sadie", "Where Is Love", "Living Without You", and "Goin Down Slow". LP, Vinyl record album

Late work by Sonny Stitt on Prestige – 2 albums with a really great feel! Going Down Slow has Sonny hitting a groove that's a bit more laidback than some of his funkier albums for Prestige, but one that's still pretty darn great overall! The sound is almost in a Stanley Turrentine mode at CTI – with fuller arrangements behind his saxophone solos, and a really easygoing groove throughout! There's a bit of strings in the backdrop, but these are often used somewhat lightly – and on the best numbers, Sonny's tone dominates and really directs the feel of the tune. Other players include Hank Jones on piano, Thad Jones on trumpet, and both Wally Richardson and Billy Butler on guitar – the latter of whom handles the solos. Titles include "Acid Funk Reprise" (aka "Moving Beauty"), plus "Miss Ann Lisa Sue & Sadie", "Where Is Love", "Living Without You", and "Goin Down Slow". So Doggone Good is a standout acoustic set from the great Sonny Stitt – recorded during an early 70s stretch when he was doing a fair bit of work with electric players! The format here is great – and even though the instrumentation hearkens back to the earlier years of Sonny's career, there's a sense of soulful flow here that definitely shows some lessons learned from the electric dates. Sonny's blowing alto and tenor with a lean, mean, confident tone – and the rest of the group features Hampton Haws on some very fluid acoustic piano, plus Reggie Johnson on bass and Lenny McBrowne on drums. Titles include "I Don't Know Yet", "Your Love Is So Doggone Good", "Back Door", "Orange Ashtray", "The More I See You", and "Speculation". CD

Music from Sonny Stitt, Grant Green, Les McCann, Woody Shaw, Sonny Criss, the Jazz Passangers, Hank Jones, Pat Martino, Nat Adderley, Russell Gunn, Ralph Moore, and more – 32 tracks in all. CD