A killer set from Sonny – recorded in a very stripped down setting that has him blowing over organ lines by Don Patterson and drums by Billy James, with no other accompaniment! Tunes aren't that long, but they do have a freer feel than usual – and titles include "Answering Service", "Night Crawler", "Star Eyes", and "Who Can I Turn To?". LP, Vinyl record album

Twin-saxophone magic from the team of Sonny Stitt and Booker Ervin – playing together here on some great long tracks that get plenty of support from Don Patterson on the Hammond! The set's got a very open, very jamming sort of quality – with Book on tenor, and Stitt on both tenor and alto sax – showing his talents strongly, and bringing a hard-edged confidence to the record that's really great. The quartet's remaining member is Billy James on drums – a frequent partner of Patterson, and a nice loose-edged rhythmic force that really matches the energy of the others. Titles include "Soul People", "Sonny's Book", "C Jam Blues", and a ballad medley of "I Can't Get Started" and "The Masquerade Is Over". CD

A great groover from organist Don Patterson – cut in a trio format, with an open-ended style that lets the players kick back and play, in the sort of free and easy setting you'd hear in a hip small club. Patterson's organ is backed by his usual drummer Billy James, and 4 of the album's 5 tracks feature tenor work, either by Booker Ervin or Sonny Stitt. The last track, "Theme For Dee", is a spare mellow ballad that features mostly just organ by Patterson, with some subtle drum fills by James. The other tracks groove a bit harder, and include "Love Me With All Your Heart", "42639", and "Sentimental Journey". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice little 2-fer collecting two great meetings of two greats! Jug and Stitt go head to head on Boss Tenors, a classic album of tracks that perfectly captures the joy and fury of their live performances from years before! The record was cut in Chicago with a very hard rhythm section that includes John Houston on piano, Charles Williams on bass, and George Brown on drums – and it's way heavier than the usual Verve "meeting of the masters" session, and feels more like a record that should have been issued on Prestige or Argo. Both players are impeccable, and the solos stretch out for a long long very live time. Titles include "Blues Up & Down", "The One Before This", and "Counter Clockwise" – but these guys even groove amazingly on standards like "Autumn Leaves" and "No Greater Love". Boss Tenors In Orbit was a follow up one year later, an obscure little session with the pair once again recreating the energy of their live shows – as they stretch out nicely on very long tracks that have spare backing by the Don Patterson trio! The cuts are mostly standard stuff – "John Brown's Body", "Walkin", "Long Ago And Far Away" – but the twin-tenor sound is great, and Patterson's free organ lines riff away nicely! LP, Vinyl record album

Modern Hammond hero Brian Charette gets some great help here – tenor legend George Coleman, whose presence in the group makes an already-solid combo really sound great! Coleman was never a tenor player to work with an organ back in the 60s and 70s – but his work here is really wonderful, and turns that depth of soul that he can bring from the horn into a perfect match with Charette's great sense of phrasing and timing on the Hammond B3 – a pairing that might recall the match of either Booker Ervin or Sonny Stitt with organist Don Patterson back in the Prestige Records heyday. As with those sessions, there's also a great guitarist providing a whole new layer of color here – the mighty Vic Juris – and drums on the set are handled by George Coleman Jr. Titles include "Autumn Leaves", "Stella By Starlight", "On A Misty Night", "Body & Soul", and "Tenor Madness". LP, Vinyl record album

Plenty of electricity – as the legendary reedman plays a bit of Varitone tenor sax, mixed with more conventional alto – in a mode that gives the whole record a very groovy 60s sort of vibe! The combo also features superb Hammond from the mighty Don Patterson, sharp guitar from Billy Butler, and those great drums that Billy James could bring to the basswork of Patterson. Butler's just making his comeback here, and he's in fine form, with tight bouncy solos, and a good groove – on titles that include "All The Things You Are", "Candy", "Stella By Starlight", and "Lover Man". LP, Vinyl record album

A studio album, but one that really has Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt recreating some of the bold energy of their live shows – coming across with a vibe that's much more Prestige Records than Verve, thanks to the presence of the Don Patterson trio on the set! Backing is by Don on Hammond, Paul Weeden on guitar, and Billy James on drums – a nicely loose combo that really lets the tenorists stretch out and show their stuff. The cuts are mostly standard material – "John Brown's Body", "Walkin", "Long Ago And Far Away" – but the twin-tenor sound is great, and Patterson's free organ lines riff away nicely! CD

An album recorded for the Delmark label, but one that follows strongly from the style of Prestige Records in the 60s – particularly those great sessions that featured saxophonist Sonny Stitt blowing next to a Hammond! In this case, the Hammond is handled by the great Don Patterson, who played with Sonny in the 60s – in a trio that also has the great Billy James on drums – a player whose loose, open style really works great with the magic Patterson touch on the keys! The tracks are a bit shorter than some of the longer jams on Don's albums of the 60s, but still equally nice. Stitt plays tenor and alto – and titles include "Funny", "Honey", "Blues For JJ", "Night Has A Thousand Eyes", and "Samba De Orfeo". CD features a previously unissued alternate of "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes". CD

An album recorded for the Delmark label, but one that follows strongly from the style of Prestige Records in the 60s – particularly those great sessions that featured saxophonist Sonny Stitt blowing next to a Hammond! In this case, the Hammond is handled by the great Don Patterson, who played with Sonny in the 60s – in a trio that also has the great Billy James on drums – a player whose loose, open style really works great with the magic Patterson touch on the keys! The tracks are a bit shorter than some of the longer jams on Don's albums of the 60s, but still equally nice. Stitt plays tenor and alto – and titles include "Funny", "Honey", "Blues For JJ", "Night Has A Thousand Eyes", and "Samba De Orfeo". CD features a previously unissued alternate of "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes". CD

Sonny Stitt's grooving nicely here with organist Don Patterson – at a level that's similar to some of the records that Patterson cut with Booker Ervin – just organ, tenor, and a bit of drums –a very a very stripped down, very laid back set of tracks that has a focus on free running solos! Billy James handles the drums, and often lays out to give just the organ and tenor plenty of room to play – which makes for a really open-ended session with a wonderfully organic vibe. Titles include "My New Baby", "Soul Food", "The Eternal One", and "Shangri-La" with a strong soul jazz sensibility. Plus, Stitt also gives a rare vocal performance on the cut "Mama Don't Allow"! LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's definitely magic, and which offers up a late 60s pairing of the saxophone of Sonny Stitt and the Hammond organ of the great Don Patterson! The format here is a lot like some of Patterson's classics for Prestige Records – in that the group's a trio, with Billy Pierce on drums – leaving Don to handle all the basslines with the pedals of the organ, which he does with a wonderful groove! Stitt is great too – blowing alto and tenor with that right on the money style that made him so great – on titles that include "Shake Your Head", "On Green Dolphin Street", "Parker's Mood", "Just Friends", "How High The Moon", "Four", and "They Can't Take That Away From Me". CD

Organist Don Patterson was one of the greatest things to happen to alto giant Sonny Stitt in the 60s – and this set features 2 of the pair's greatest albums together! Both Night Crawler and The Boss Men are spare affairs – with Patterson on alto, Stitt on sax, and drummer Billy James providing the only other accompaniment, as the players stretch out in lean long solos that show the best of their playing. There's a total of 14 tracks in all on the set – a mix of hard groovers and mellower cuts – and titles include "Night Crawler", "Star Eyes", "Diane", "What's New?", "Easy To Love", "Big C's Rock", "42639", and "Answering Service". CD

Two organ/sax cookers back to back – both featuring Don Patterson and Sonny Stitt! First up is the wonderful album Brothers 4 – a mighty pairing of organist Patterson and saxman Stitt – one of Don's grooviest late 60s outings, thanks to an excellent sound from all players involved! Stitt plays Varitone sax on the date, which gives his horn a cool electric feel that really sounds wonderful next to Don's work on Hammond – and Grant Green's also in the group, serving up some great single-line solos that are almost more in his early 60s style than his Blue Note work from this same period. The group's rounded out by Don's regular drummer Billy James – a wonderful player with a great ear for unusual rhythms! Tracks are nice and long – and titles include "Walk On By", "Creepin Home", and "Brothers 4". Donny Brook is a massively funky new groove from organist Don Patterson – done with a sound that's a great link between his early soul jazz years and the funkier Prestige sound to come! The group here is a rock-solid quartet – Sonny Stitt on Varitone tenor, plus a bit of alto sax – as well as Grant Green on guitar and Billy James on drums. The rhythms are great – often with a slight undercurrent of funk in the mix – and Grant lets loose beautifully on his guitar with that soaring, skipping sort of groove he picked up nicely near the end of the 60s. Patterson's Hammond is sgreat as always, and all tracks are nice and long – with plenty of solo room for everyone! Titles include "Mud Turtle", "Good Bait", "St Thomas", "Starry Night", and "Donny Brook". CD

Lots of jazzy Christmas gems here – including a few that we've never seen before on CD! These cuts do a great job of sticking to the melody of the original tune, while also adding in some special solo flair as well – still festive, but with a fresh vibe too – one that really keeps things interesting, given the range of music in the set! Titles include "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" by Don Patterson, "Winter Wonderland" by Ronnie Kole, "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" by Duke Pearson, "Christmas Song" by Sonny Stitt, "Jingle Bells" by Jimmy Smith, "Winter Wonderland" by Bobby Timmons, "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" by Bill Evans, "Deck The Halls" by Herbie Hancock, "Merry Christmas Baby" by Kenny Burrell, and "The Christmas Song" by Gene Ammons. CD