SONNY STITT — Kaleidoscope (1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Deftly handling the alto, tenor, and baritone saxophone, bebop giant Sonny Stitt is heard to perfection here on a variety of early-'50s dates. Stitt not only shows off his patented speed throughout, but he goes a long way in dispelling criticisms of him being all fire and no grace. The 16-track disc kicks off with four tight, Latin-tinged swingers featuring an octet that includes trumpeter Joe Newman and timbales player Humberto Morales. Switching to piano quartet mode for the bulk of the disc, Stitt ranges effortlessly from frenetic blasts ("Cherokee") to golden-hued ballads ("Imagination"). Capping off the set with four bonus cuts featuring the likes of Gene Ammons and Junior Mance, Stitt delivers one of the top sets of performances from the late bebop era. Stephen Cook
Tracklist :
1    Stitt's It 2:35
Written-By – Massey, Stitt
2    Cool Mambo 2:40
Written-By – Massey, Stitt
3    Blue Mambo 2:25
Written-By – Massey, Stitt
4    Sonny Sounds 2:29
Written-By – Massey, Stitt
5    Ain't Misbehavin' 3:02
Written-By – Razaf, Waller, Brooks
6    Later 3:00
Written-By – Sonny Stitt
7    P.S. I Love You 3:00
Written-By – Jenkins, Mercer
8    This Can't Be Love 2:47
Written-By – Rodgers-Hart
9    Imagination 3:24
Written-By – Burke-Van Heusen
10    Cherokee 2:33
Written-By – Ray Noble
11    Can't We Be Friends 2:41
Written-By – Swift, James
12    Liza (All The Clouds'll Roll Away) 2:45
Written-By – Gershwin-Gershwin, Kahn
– BONUS TRACK –
13    To Think You've Chosen Me 3:11
Written-By – Benjamin, Weiss
14    After You've Gone 2:25
Written-By – Creamer, Layton
15    Our Very Own 3:05
Written-By – Elliot, Young
16    'S Wonderful 2:24
Written-By – Gershwin-Gershwin
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Sonny Stitt
Baritone Saxophone – Gene Ammons (tracks: 13 to 16)
Bass – Ernie Sheppard (tracks: 1 to 4), Gene Wright (tracks: 7 to 16), Tommy Potter (tracks: 5, 6)
Drums – Art Blakey (tracks: 5, 6, 9, 10), Shadow Wilson (tracks: 1 to 4), Teddy Stewart (tracks: 7, 8, 11, 12), Wesley Landers (tracks: 13 to 16)
Engineer [Recording] – Rudy Van Gelder
Piano – Charlie Bateman (tracks: 7, 8, 11, 12), John Houston (tracks: 1 to 4), Junior Mance (tracks: 9, 10, 13 to 16), Kenny Drew (tracks: 5, 6)
Timbales – Humberto Morales (tracks: 2, 3)
Trombone – Matthew Gee (tracks: 13 to 16)
Trumpet – Bill Massey (tracks: 1 to 4, 13 to 16), Joe Newman (tracks: 1 to 4), John Hunt (tracks: 1 to 4)
Vocals – Larry Townsend (tracks: 13 to 16)
Nota.
Selections #1-4 recorded on March 25, 1952; #5-6 February 17, 1950; #7-8 February 1, 1951; #9-10 December 15, 1950; #11-12 January 31, 1951; #13-16 October 8, 1950. All selections recorded in New York City.
NoNOISE reprocessing by Sonic Solutions.
Audio restoration and digital remastering, 1992 (Fantasy Studios, Berkeley).
Selections #13-16 previously released on Stitt’s Bits (Prestige 7585).