As I got into this, I really began to like it. I shouldn't be surprised. I love Sonny Stitt. He was such a gentleman and genius. Once he played at a local club and I stepped in and asked for a request. It could have been for "Just Friends". He apologized and said it was poor showmanship to play what the musician before him had played before I came in. He bought me a drink instead, nodded his head and smiled. I felt honored.
The problem is that there is a severe lack of education in this country about the art of jazz. America is the birthplace of jazz, and we produce the finest jazz musicians, but at the same time the masses remain ignorant and uneducated about it. It's a terrible imbalance.. When you talk about jazz, people think of Kenny G and Michael Buble, but mention Stitt, Bird, Coltrane, Clifford Brown, Barney Kessel, Joe Williams, Sarah Vaughan, etc.. and you get blank stares. This has got to change..
MR Stitt he KNEW about Bruce Edwards, man...so did Pharoa Sanders..whoever HE is......Sonny Stitt, Sonny Fortune, Sonny Rollins and Sunny Ozuna, man, that's all y'all need during BLACK History MONTH, man! lol
From listening to Sonny I'm starting to agree that sonny was smoother than charlie.
even though he learned a lot of charlies licks. Music must progress