Burnin'

構成数 : 1枚
合計収録時間 : 01:15:07
Personnel: Sonny Stitt (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Barry Harris (piano); Frank Gant (drums). Recording information: 1958. Sonny Stitt's two recordings for the Argo subsidiary of Chess Records are combined on this CD done in Chicago from sessions circa 1958, one with specific identification, the other shrouded in mystery as to who accompanied the pioneering bebop saxophonist. The recording bearing the title Sonny Stitt was never attributed with a named pianist, bassist and drummer as sidemen, with very few speculating who it just might be. Perhaps Eddie Higgins, John Young, or Jodie Christian could have been the pianist leading the trio, as they were all performing in Chi-Town at the time, but no one volunteered being there. The session from the same year Burnin' mated Stitt with Detroiters in pianist Barry Harris, bassist Will Austin, and drummer Frank Gant, but they were not on the prior date. So the secrecy continues, but what is not in question stems from Stitt's playing being absolutely brilliant. The leader can't help but take off in a colorful flurry of 30-second notes on frequent occasions with the "unknown" band" switching back and forth between his trusty alto sax or tenor on every other track. Charlie Parker's barebones but memorable "Cool Blues," the ballad standard "This Is Always," the Kansas City style blues, amalgam titled "Propapagoon," and Stitt's furiously combustible bopper "Everyone Does" show his utter mastery on the higher octave horn. Though compared to Lester Young on the tenor, he rips up more than Pres on the good, swinging originals "Jack Spratt" and "Mister Son," while flipping the script for an upbeat and emotional "Dancing on the Ceiling," and a bass-led, groovier "Just You, Just Me." The nine tracks with the men from Motown vary in style and stance, but not in an alternating fashion. Where "Ko-Ko" is hot and bopping but imprecise, the remaining tracks are less heated and more toned down. Though the frantic embellishments of melody lines and solo sprints continue during the bluesy number "A Minor Sax," Stitt and the Harris trio chill on the lyrical "Reed & a Half" or "Look for the Silver Lining," and the soulful "Easy Living," the only other track with Stitt on tenor. Where pianist Harris stands out here is on the blues-oriented pieces, shining on a ballad take of "Lover Man," and digging deep into the influence of Windy City, south side environs during a marvelous Stitt original, the revealing and poignant "I'll Tell You Later." Considering the analog time period compared to digital transfer of these masters, the sound quality is remarkably homogeneous, as every note can be clearly heard, especially benefiting the Detroit combo, and the criminally underappreciated bass playing of Will Austin. For Stitt himself, as emphasized in the liner notes, he is not simply "running the changes," but infinitely and energetically extrapolating on melody lines with a fever pitch that goes beyond set tempos and mere beat-driven swing. It's a dazzling and sometimes dizzying display of sheer virtuosity few other saxophonists -- even Charlie Parker -- attempted or approached. That being said, Burnin' may not totally live up to its title, and the veiled concealment of his sidemen many never be uncovered, but this is an outstanding example of his work, as player and composer. [Fresh Sounds reissued the disc with eight bonus tracks in 2009.] ~ Michael G. Nastos
録音 : ステレオ (Studio)