Triumvirate

One of many sessions recorded at Bubba's in Ft. Lauderdale for Who's Who in Jazz, this November 1981 concert matches Sonny Stitt with another fine tenor saxophonist, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, and trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison, with a locally based but strong rhythm section anchored by veteran pianist Eddie Higgins. The three headliners lock horns on a relatively easygoing "Oh, Lady Be Good," Davis' cooking blues "The Chef," and a romp through "Lester Leaps In." Each of the three men has an individual feature as well. Stitt switches to alto sax for "What's New," which alternates between lush and percolating lines. Edison is in the spotlight for "There Is No Greater Love," with his softly played muted horn powered initially by Mast's driving bassline. Davis' unaccompanied introduction to "I Can't Get Started With You" nearly steals the show. The audience is respectfully quiet most of the time and the recording quality is excellent. As usual, the major weakness of this Who's Who in Jazz CD is the substitution of rather generic biographies of the three featured soloists in place of liner notes, a major disappointment, since this one was of Sonny Stitt's final recordings as a leader. Another boneheaded error is the date given for the recording, July 23, 1982, which is the day after Stitt died in Washington, D.C.! ~ Ken Dryden