Jazz 625 Sonny Stitt, Howard McGhee, JJ Johnson, Walter Bishop, Tommy Potter, Kenny Clarke

Sonny Stitt is insanely good.

I love the way JJ Johnson opens his solo with that quote from Stravinsky’s Rite Of Spring.

Each one of these guys both played AND recorded extensively with Bird and Diz. You really couldn't put together a better lineup of first-rate modern jazz men. This is truly an extraordinary capture.

Watching KC on drums with JJ Johnsons solo is just spectacular jazz

Just MHO, but I think Sonny Stitt was at his best when he had other horn players to bounce off of, interact with and--dare I say it?--get competitive with. I love the interplay on the albums he made with Gene Ammons for example. I saw him once at the Jazz Safari in Long Beach CA sometime in the late '70s/early '80s with the great but lesser known tenor master Red Holloway who, totally undaunted, gave Mr. Stitt a run for his money. They spurred each other on, quite a treat.

This is the best, pure Bebop, on the top! What a cast! All pioneers from the very beginning, all in top shape, everything fits together. First class solos. And Kenny Clarke, Klook, swings like from another world. You can see how he enjoys playing with these colleagues at this level. The way he introduces his short statments at the drums (32:30), looking completely relaxed at the ceiling, that's so cool, that amazing feeling! What a difference to a circus artist like Buddy Rich. This is music, pure music, no circus. That is what Klook was famous for, the pioneer and bebop father! God bless him for his music and his immortal contribution in developing the drums. A jewel this clip, Now's the Time now in full length. Many thanks!!!

Music is truly an international language, no matter the type of music.

So inspiring! I'll never be as good as these guys cos they're living their jazz and I'm learning, but what a goal to aim for!

My name is Lance Parker I'm from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania I was a student of the great saxophone players Sonny stitt from the time I was 17 until I was 21 I would travel with sunny in hotels to Columbus Cincinnati Rochester Buffalo and play at places like the Taj mahal The high chaparral The pickle barrel etc during this time Sunny would bring me up the last half an hour of the set and let me play with all the greats Jackie bard Pat Metheny slide Hampton Kenny Clark Don Patterson groove homes Jimmy Smith Lewis Hayes Monty Alexander Jackie Bard Kenny Burrell Ray Brown and many more I was the envy of every jazz kid in the city of Pittsburgh 1978 Sonny stitt gave me his summer Mark 7 tenor saxophone which he Cherry picked at the Elkhart Indiana saxophone company selmer where he sat down for 6 hours he said and Cherry picked about 18 to 20 horns until he finally like the one that he wanted I have that horn and that's the horn I played all my life he also gave me his 1938 busher Big b alto saxophone that he played with dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker when he was younger and he also gave me a mouthpiece that belong to Gene ammons jug Sonny stitt turned me into a excellent saxophone player while I was studying with Sonny I also studied four and a half years classical saxophone with Jerome Levine from Carnegie Mellon University in 1976 I was featured at cedar point amusement Park when the country turned 200 years old for the bicentennial show America sings cedar point went all over the country every major city in audition Young musician singers and talent I came in number 1 tenor saxophone player in the auditions for them in Pittsburgh at the Westin William Penn hotel spend three and a half months there doing three four shows a day fantastic time in my life since then I've worked with Johnny Mathis Harry belafonte The Marcels The stylistics Steve Lawrence and Edie gorme Jack Jones and even had a chance to play at the Las Vegas Hilton with the Wayne Newton orchestra back in the early '80s but I had a pawn shop here in Pittsburgh at a very young age at 24 LOL LOL and was playing with a group called five guys moewell actually Jimmy sapienza and five guys named Moe I continued to work with Jimmy for 45 years plus through the big shows in Pittsburgh until Jimmy passed away a year and a half ago I still have a giant musical note sitting on a wood block trophy that says to Lance Parker my dearest friend in best student Sonny stitt Jerome Levine my classical instructor at Carnegie Mellon gave me my chops and all my basics in the overall knowledge of the saxophone and the dexterity of the instrument Sonny stitt gave me my improvisational mind and my big fat subtones like Coleman Hawkins in the lower register in the fast electrical runs up and down with various improvisational patterns that I still mesmerize people with today lol lol only once in a lifetime is a 17-year-old guy meet a great jazz player like Sunny stitt and travel with him and stay in hotels with him and then in the daytime go into the ballroom of the hotel or the convention room and sit there for 2 hours a day and get a lesson from the great Sunny stitt and then that night go to a jazz club and be brought up the last half an hour or 40 minutes of the set to play with all the jazz greats and legends this is only dreams that are made of but I live that dream I love you jazz legend sonny stitt and I still listen to you everyday now that we have the internet every day of my life and before I go up on stage and I blow that Mark 7 Tenor saxophone that you gave me in 1978 I say a little prayer to you every single time before I play and I thank you for all the lessons of teaching me how to have a big sound play ballads soft and beautiful like Coleman Hawkins do extensive jazz runs and patterns like you did and have a big sound people say when they close their eyes I sound 50% Sonny stitt and 50% Stanley turrentine I'm 65 now and I still get standing ovations from studying from the master the great legend saxophone player Sonny stitt this message from Lance Parker Pittsburgh Pennsylvania saxophone player

Damn, I need to listen to more McGhee. That opening solo is unbelievable.

Diz and Bird called Kenny Clarke (one of the first recognized bop drummers) “Klook Mop” - for his accenting the fourth beat using the rim ; 1 - 2 - 3 - klook (rim on 4) mop (1)

Well...no words...music at its highest ..thank you for having been on this earth at some time...now is the time...to...remember...

Woah sounds like Howard McGhee influenced Freddie Hubbard and why not! Cool cat, epitome 😎

Sonny's solos were absolutely brilliant! Definite Bird influence in his playing.

What a great band! I got to hear (and record) a lot of Stitt in a couple of small Chicago clubs in the mid-'70s, and to hear J J live in that time frame

This video is a pure gem of some of the greatest jazz players of all time! Sonny's playing on Lover Man is so beautiful ! OMG !! This is wonderful! Thanks for posting !!

What Stitt didn't say verbally, he certainly made up for it playing alto saxophone!..In saying that, he was more than proficient on all the horns and an outstanding musician!!

This was broadcast on BBC2 as "In Memoriam - Charlie Parker". Part 1 went out at midnight on November 7, 1964; Part 2 on February 6, 1965

It doesn’t get better than this! Elegant, refined, sophistication! Love every note that hangs on the breeze like a spring orange blossom...

I was there in the sixties to a concert of this marvelous group at the Teatro dell'Arte in Milan, Italy, dedicated to Charlie Parker!