by Scott Yanow,
Sonny Stitt (1924-82) was a master of the bebop vocabulary. Early in his career when he emerged as a brilliant alto-saxophonist, who sounded almost identical to Charlie Parker. That led him to doubling on tenor where his tone was a little more distinctive. Throughout his career, no matter what the setting, Stitt always sounded as if he was at a bebop jam session, fearlessly playing double-time lines, an endless amount of his favorite licks, and tearing into the chord changes of standards and blues. He recorded prolifically, often at the head of pickup rhythm sections which is how he generally appeared in public when not booked as part of an all-star group. Stitt liked nothing better than to appear in a city where other young players would want to sit in with him. He invariably tested the up-and-comers by calling a song (such as “Cherokee”) in an unfamiliar key and counting off a ridiculously fast tempo where he usually cut the newcomers who were not prepared for his competitiveness. Like Roy Eldridge, he was a jazz warrior.
The four-CD set called The Soul Jazz Dates (Enlightenment 9249) reissues eight of Sonny Stitt’s albums dating from 1963-65. Despite its title and the inclusion of an organist on four of the albums, this is not soul jazz but bebop. The first album, Salt And Pepper, teams Stitt on alto with Duke Ellington’s longtime tenor star Paul Gonsalves, pianist Hank Jones, bassist Milt Hinton, and drummer Osie Johnson. Best are jams on “Salt And Pepper” and “Perdido,” and especially a classic ballad rendition of “Stardust” on which Stitt’s tone and ideas are particularly beautiful.
While Salt and Pepper was originally released by the Impulse label, the other seven albums (Soul Shack, Stitt Goes Latin, Primitivo Soul, My Main Man, Shangri-La, Soul People, and Inter Action) are from the Prestige, Roots, Argo and Cadet catalogs. Soul Shack is an underrated gem, featuring Stitt jamming joyfully in a trio with organist Jack McDuff. Stitt Goes Latin is a little bit of a departure since he is featured in a septet with two percussionists, drummer Willie Bobo, trumpeter Thad Jones (in excellent form), bassist Larry Gales and a young Chick Corea on piano. Primitivo Soul is also Latin-flavored in its material and has two percussionists augmenting the group. My Main Man teams Stitt with trombonist Bennie Green, the superior Shangri La is with organist Don Paterson in a trio, Soul People has that trio expanded with the inclusion of tenor-saxophonist Booker Ervin while Inter Action finds Stitt sharing the bandstand with tenor-saxophonist Zoot Sims. All in all, this release gives listeners five hours of prime Sonny Stitt.
Red Mitchell (1927-92) was one of the finest bassists to be part of the West Coast jazz scene of the 1950s. In ways he could be considered the West Coast equivalent to Oscar Pettiford. They both followed in the wake of the short-lived but innovative Jimmy Blanton and were among the handful of bassists who not only swung bands but took inventive solos during that era. Mitchell appeared on around 600 jazz albums in his career which included 24 years (1968-92) spent living in Stockholm.
The Classic Albums 1955-1963 (Enlightenment 9251) is a four-CD set that includes some of Red Mitchell’s most significant recordings from a busy eight-year period. The rarest album, Happy Minors, was originally put out by Bethlehem and has the bassist at the head of an all-star sextet that includes Zoot Sims, valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, and trumpeter Conte Candoli. Also included on this reissue are the Contemporary album Presenting Red Mitchell (with pianist Lorraine Geller and James Clay on tenor) and Rejoice (Pacific Jazz) which has Mitchell playing cello with a quintet. Although an album that the bassist co-led with tenor-saxophonist Harold Land (Hear Ye, Hear Ye!) is left out, it is more than compensated for by the inclusion of a pair of trio dates led by pianist Andre Previn (Modern Jazz Performances Of Songs From Gigi and The Light Fantastic: A Tribute To Fred Astaire), Hampton Hawes’ Four, The Modest Jazz Trio’s Good Friday Blues (featuring guitarist Jim Hall), and a little-known set led by Bob Brookmeyer for the Crown label that has both Mitchell and Bill Anthony on basses.
The Sonny Stitt and Red Mitchell reissues are available from www.mvdb2b.com.
Paul Horn (1930-2014) is best remembered today for his pioneering New Age albums in which he mostly played flute and soprano. Those sets, which can used for backgrounds during meditation sessions, include Paul Horn In India, Paul Horn in Kashmir, Inside (recorded in the Taj Mahal) and Inside The Great Pyramid. However Horn began his career as a fine cool-toned altoist who also played flute and clarinet with the Chico Hamilton Quintet during 1956-58, holding the position after Buddy Collette and before Eric Dolphy. In addition to being a versatile session player during the next few years, he also led a series of rewarding jazz albums. The Fabulous Paul Horn Quintet (Fresh Sound FSR 1169) is a two-CD set that reissues three of his records (Something Blue, The Sound Of Blue Paul, and Profile Of A Jazz Musician) which date from 1959-62. In addition to Horn, who shows throughout that he was an excellent jazz player with a sound of his own, vibraphonist Emil Richards is heard on some of his finest jazz dates, and pianist Paul Moer also has some worthy moments; several different bassists and drummers complete the groups. As a bonus, the quintet’s version of “We Three Kings Of Orient Are” from a Xmas sampler is also included.
The Fabulous Paul Horn, which serves as an excellent introduction to Horn’s jazz years, is available from www.freshsoundrecords.com.
Three very interesting and different music books have been released in recent times. Bret Primack has had several lives in music including being the East Coast editor of Downbeat, a playwright, writing online editorials about a variety of topics as the Pariah, co-founding Jazz Central Station, writing for his pioneering jazz blog Bird Lives, and extensively documenting jazz artists in interviews and performances as the Jazz Video Guy. Now with his self-published book How John Coltrane Changed Me – A Jazz Journey, he is also an author.
Hearing John Coltrane’s music not only permanently influenced how Bret Primack listens to music (it was no longer just entertainment) but how he writes and lives his life. Coltrane’s extreme devotion to practice and self-improvement is a lesson that Primack still learns from and follows.
In this consistently intriguing and colorful book, he not only discusses what he learned from John Coltrane’s example but discusses the constant balance of art vs. commerce, his experiences with such greats as Dr. Billy Taylor, Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders, Jimmy Garrison and Sonny Rollins, the evolution of his own career, the fight to overcome self-doubt, his utilization of technology and the internet to help jazz, his permanent move to Mexico, and what he calls “The Coltrane Code.” The unique book is quite readable, holds one’s interest throughout, and is well worth acquiring not as a John Coltrane biography but for what can be learned and applied from the saxophonist’s life and career. It is available from www.amazon.com.
In 2019 singer Nnenna Freelon suffered through the deaths of her husband of nearly 40 years (the renowned architect Phil Freelon), her sister, and her dog. The grief that she felt, which continues to this day, is the subject of Beneath The Skin Of Sorrow – Improvisations On Loss (Duke University Press – www.dukeupress.edu). This book is full of flashbacks to the happier days of her marriage, includes poetry, has some lighter moments, discusses her getting closer to nature, and shows how the skills that she learned during her jazz singing career were invaluable in helping her improvise while rebuilding her life. The work also includes a lot of her dreams and fantasies in which “Grief” is an actual talking character who teaches her lessons even while not being a welcome part of her life. Although many parts of Nnenna Freelon’s book are rather depressing and there is no real forward momentum in the narrative, there is a bit of optimism that, while never “recovering” from the massive losses, she will have some happier days in the future. She certainly sounded great when she performed at the 2025 Monterey Jazz Festival.
While many know Mark Winkler as a singer and a playwright, his greatest strength is as a lyricist. In The Songwriter’s Handbook (Rowman & Littlefield) he shares many secrets on how to write songs and be successful in the music business. While this book is used in the classes that he teaches, it can also help up-and-coming songwriters in nearly any field who are not enrolled in his courses in Southern California. Winkler discusses such topics as how to judge the quality of one’s own lyrics, the importance of having the right song title and being specific in the message conveyed in one’s lyrics, the significance of rhymes and repetition among other details (some obvious and others that are only learned from years of experience) in the process of writing and selling one’s songs. He also adds color to the book by often including tales from his own career. Although he does not discuss the blues at all, this is a book that has lessons and advice that anyone who has dreams of becoming a successful songwriter can benefit from reading. It is available from www.rowman.com.
There was a time not very long ago when Southern California was the host for at least five significant annual jazz festivals: the Playboy Jazz Festival, the Orange County Classic Jazz Festival, the Sweet and Hot Jazz Festival, the Angel City Jazz Festival, and the semi-annual West Coast Jazz festivals organized by Ken Poston. Since then, the Classic Jazz and Sweet & Hot festivals have ended, Ken Poston no longer puts on his events, and the Playboy festival has morphed into the Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival which includes very little jazz at all. Only the avant-garde leaning Angel City still exists.
Fortunately part of the gap has been filled by Jazz At Naz which is held at the Soraya (18111 Nordhoff St) in Northridge. In addition to events throughout the year covering a variety of musical genres, the Soraya hosts a series of high-quality jazz concerts in February that together form quite a festival. This year Jazz At Naz will feature the Arturo O’Farrill Trio (Thurs. Feb. 5), Cecile McLorin Salvant (Fri. and Sat. Feb. 6&7), Anat Cohen’s Quartetinho (Wed. and Thurs. Feb. 11&12), Veronica Swift and the Pacific Jazz Orchestra (Sat. Feb. 14), and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band (Wed. Feb. 18). All of these performances are highly recommended for anyone who enjoys stirring jazz. For more information call 818-677-3000.
While it is held 300 miles away, Monterey’s Jazz Bash is certainly worth the drive for fans of classic jazz. Held during the weekend of March 6-8 at eight venues in the Monterey Conference Center and Portola Hotel & Spa, this year’s lineup features such bands as Blue Street, Brian Holland’s Ragabonds, the Dave Bennett Quartet, Dave Stuckey’s Hot House Gang, Anne & Jeff Barnhart’s Ivory & Gold, the piano duo of Paolo Alderighi & Stephanie Trick, Los Angeles’ San Lyon, Tom Rigney & Flambeau, and the Yve Evans Trio among others plus a variety of all-stars including Hal Smith, Carl Sonny Leyland, Clint Baker, Andy Schumm, and Eddie Erickson. More information can be found at jazzbashmonterey.com or by calling 888-349-6879.
Every recording deserves informative liner notes (I have written 1,005) and every jazz musician needs a well-written press biography along with press releases that announce important events. I write all of these and more at reasonable rates. Please contact me at 661-678-3542 or at scottyanowjazz@yahoo.com for further information about my services. My latest book, Jazz Through The Eyes Of A Jazz Journalist (My Jazz Memoirs) is available at www.amazon.com.
My latest book, Jazz Through The Eyes Of A Jazz Journalist (My Jazz Memoirs) is available at www.amazon.com.
I have a new book that is available from amazon.com. Life Through The Eyes Of A Jazz Journalist. It is subtitled My Jazz Memoirs and is my 12th book and first in a few years. I discuss in an often-humorous fashion my early days and discovery of jazz, my period as the jazz editor of Record Review, the story behind my involvement with the All Music Guide, and I reminisce about some of my adventures as an amateur musician. Included are vintage interviews with Freddie Hubbard, Chick Corea, and Maynard Ferguson, encounters with Clint Eastwood, summaries of the Monterey and Playboy Jazz Festivals (including a full-length review of the 1985 Playboy Festival), memories of other events (such as the IAJE Conventions), and brief snapshots of many memorable club and concert performances. There is also background information about my other books, evaluations of the jazz critics who inspired me early on, and my thoughts on jazz criticism which includes advice to up-and-coming jazz journalists. Rounding out the book is a chapter on how the jazz writing business has changed over the past 50 years, and appendixes that include the jazz greats of the past, 86 jazz giants of today, 21 young performers to look for in the future, jazz books and DVDs that everyone should own, and a dozen enjoyable Hollywood jazz films.
Life Through The Eyes Of A Jazz Journalist, a paperback book, sells for $26 through Amazon.com Signed copies (which will take 2-3 weeks) are also available for $30 (which includes free postage) by sending the money via Pay Pal to scottyanowjazz@yahoo.com and by sending your mailing address to that E-mail.