"Sonny Stitt Goes Green"

[Man with the Golden Arm]

Sonny Stitt, Bunky Green, & Bennie Green --

Sonny Stitt Goes Green - "My Main Man"/"Soul In The Night" . . . 1964/1966 

2 classic Chess albums back to back -- both Sonny Stitt alongside other soul jazz players of the time! My Main Man is a lost little cooker that pairs the saxes of Stitt with the trombone of Benny Green -- recorded at a time when they were working together briefly, with backing by a Chicago organ trio that includes Bobby Buster on Hammond, Jo Diorio on guitar, and Dorel Anderson on drums. Tracks are short and fierce, but it's clear that Stitt can groove in a "blow the jukebox out" kind of way when he's in the right company -- but still show enough of the impeccable care that he did with his straighter jazz albums on Roost and Verve. Titles include "Let's Play Chess", "Double Dip", "My Main Man", and "Broilin". Soul In The Night is a twin-alto session that matches the sax of Sonny Stitt with that of Bunky Green -- both set up in a tight little combo that includes some smoking work on Hammond by organist Odell Brown! Brown's fierce approach to the keys creates a really gutbuckety sound on the set -- making the album burn like some of the best Prestige soul jazz sides from the mid 60s -- but also opening up some of the tunes in the same sort of skittish groove that Brown was using on his own albums of the period! A young Maurice White plays drums -- and titles include "Soul In The Night", "One Alone", "The Spies", and "Home Stretch".

Never heard either of these organists. Any recs for the above?

[jazzbo]

Odell had a band that did several (three?) lps on Argo or Cadet. . . . "Odell Brown and the Organizers."

I think their analysis of his work as being reminiscent of the best of the Prestige organ jazz sides is pretty on the mark!

[jazzbo]

These are good lps.

I guess this is a Lonehill Jazz release?

[Michael Fitzgerald]

Nah - in that case, wouldn't it be under Dorrell Anderson and Maurice White's names?

Mike

[jazzbo]

What was I thinking.

It's another Spanish outfit that is new to me. . . "Argo/Gambit". . .