Sonny Stitt had a difficult time coming out from under the shadow of
Charlie Parker, even though
Stitt's approach to playing the alto sax was only partially similar to the late giant.
Stitt (who is incorrectly listed as playing tenor sax on the album jacket) is joined by a solid rhythm section consisting of pianist
Lou Levy, bassist
Leroy Vinnegar, and drummer
Mel Lewis. Most of this album is dedicated to standards. A loping treatment of "I Cover the Waterfront" is followed by his playful take of
Hoagy Carmichael's "Lazybones." Also of interest are the leader's two originals, the frisky "Two Bad Days Blues" and the uptempo romp "Blue Smile," the latter of which has a fine solo by
Levy but is prematurely faded as
Stitt returns. This Verve LP was recorded during the same sessions that produced Sonny Stitt Plays the Most and
Sonny Stitt Blows the Blues, but this long out of print disc will be somewhat hard to track down. ~ Ken Dryden