Sonny Stitt

Before that, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers with Lee Morgan, trumpet, Hank Mobley, saxophone, Bobby Timmons, piano, and Jimmy Merritt at the bass on Close Your Eyes.

Now, saxophonist Sonny Stitt deuces wild.

¦

Thank you.

On the trombone, Kay Winding.

On the tenor saxophone and the alto saxophone, Mr. Sonny Stitt.

On the trumpet, Dizzy Gillespie.

Thank you.

yeah the the beat the rhythm of the band there even before david comes in on the sax it just reminds me of my favorite things and i keep expecting to hear the soprano of coltrane come in but it's a it's a great clip dad that that was perfect great way to

start the clips it is a great way to start it off that was song number six there are only six tracks on the album in american uh i'm sorry african drums was written originally by beaver harris who after world war ii got into drums inspired by max roach uh Beaver Harris played for the likes of Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Dexter Gordon, Albert Eiler, Lee Konitz, Thelonious Monk, Russell Budd, Sonny Rollins, McCoy Tyner, Sonny Stitt, Clark Terry, Chet Baker, Doc Cheatham.

who is this guy what instrument did he play he is a drummer

drummer okay

... and to see, you know, how...

I remember s- transcribing a Sonny Stitt solo-

Mm-hmm

... and he clearly outlined a chord the bar before that chord is played.

Mm.

Mm.

No. Sonny Stitt doesn't make mistakes.

Mm.

So I don't know if you know this anecdote, but I'll tell it to you anyway.

Sonny Stitt, the great jazz alto player, he was riding on a bus going to a session.

And he didn't realize it until somebody told him that Lester Young was also on the bus, a.k.a. Prez.

And since they had never been formally introduced, Sonny Stitt went over to Prez and introduced himself.

He said, Hi, Prez, I'm Sonny Stitt, the alto.

And Prez opened his eyes halfway.

He was slumbering a little bit.

He said, Can I play something for you, Prez? And Prez didn't respond, so he took out his saxophone and he started to play a standard, any one of the great standard ballads, and he just blew the tires off that bus.

musically helped Nestle supervise a few sessions.

There's a Sonny Stitt plays Bird album that he, I think, co-supervised with Nestle Erdogan.

But yes, as my father says in the film, sort of burning with musical ambition, but with administrative tasks, as you said, booking the studio, dealing with tapes.

And eventually, it's really King Curtis who was the more than catalyst who led to bringing my father's musical abilities to the attentions of Jerry Wexler.

And these might not be as famous, you know, as, you know, like a John Coltrane or anything.

But Sonny Stitt, bebop, jazz saxophonist.

Gerald Marks, he was a songwriter, composer.

Famous for co-writing the jazz standard All of Me.