Sonny Stitt - The Classic Albums Collection: 1957 - 1963 (2017)

Having appeared on over 100 albums as either leader or sideman, across a career spanning four decades, Sonny Stitt remains one of the best-documented musicians in all of jazz history. A master of the saxophone - primarily alto and tenor - Stitt s tireless dedication to recording, touring and the jazz genre in general was renowned, earning him the moniker lone wolf from acclaimed jazz critic Dan Morgenstern. With a plethora of classic records under both his own name and alongside other greats - including Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey and Gene Ammons - Stitt carved out a legacy as one of the foremost players to have worked in the bebop and hard bop idioms. This four disc collection, containing over five hours of music from eight original, remastered LPs, collates the very best of Sonny Stitt s extensive catalogue of albums released between 1957 and 1963. Featuring too appearances from a wide range of other jazz greats, and demonstrating Stitt s extraordinary skill on both the alto and tenor saxophones, this compilation serve as both a perfect introduction to this master musician, and as a welcome reminder of why, some 35 years after his passing in 1982, he retains such respect and acclaim among the jazz cognoscenti.