Stitt Sonny

Blows The Blues ( 45 Rpm Vinyl Record) Stitt Sonny

'You sound too much like me,' Charlie Parker is said to have complained to his colleague after a jam session with Sonny Stitt. Although the American bebop musician always denied it, perhaps he wanted to escape the image of a Parker imitator, which critics also attached to him, by switching from alto to tenor saxophone. In 1959 Stitt produced three LPs for the Verve label, recorded in three sessions with pianist Lou Levy, bassist Leroy Vinnegar and drummer Mel Lewis. Blows the Blues was released in stereo in 1960.

And although he plays alto saxophone here, he hardly sounds like Charly Parker. Instead, we hear a saxophonist who knows how to switch from an insanely fast number to a slow ballad in the blink of an eye. It was this ability that influenced John Coltrane in later years.  Hymnal Blues' and the slow, powerful 'Morning After Blues' are highlights of the album.

This recording is part of a series of 25 Verve reissues on Analogue Productions. The recordings are re-mastered by senior mastering engineer George Marino at Sterling Sound in New York. Many of the tapes have only been sent as copies to other labels for decades, but Sterling Sound works so closely with Universal Music, the company that owns the Verve label, that they occasionally make an exception. We recommend the use of "L'Art du Son" LP cleaner to wet wash your vinyl. Even new records of high quality production will benefit from this.