About: The Greatest

A fter 28 years, it is completed. The best Sonny Stitt recording collection (CD) of all time. This is a collection of tracks that exhibit all of Sonny's passion, soulfulness and versatility. This album is different from all of his other recordings for several reasons. First, this material is based on the big hits of the 60's and 70's as opposed to those of the 30's and 40's. Secondly, it is not the typical be-bop, hard-driving tunes heard on many of Stitt's earlier releases. Thirdly, Eddie Russ greatly compliments Sonny. He often sets the tone and plays some great solos.

O ne of the first things I noticed the first time I heard Sonny play in person (1963) was that some of his renderings had more expression and feeling in person than on his records. In concerts, he seemed to be playing his horn and music directly at you.

I n 1972, I discovered Eddie Russ, then a young, talented and versatile pianist. He was a talent waiting to happen. As one jazz lover put it: "Eddie doesn't play the piano, he caresses it." I thought, what if I could hook him up with Sonny, what an interesting combination that would be. In December of 1972, I was able to do just that. I got them a one-week booking in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We also booked a recording session. Due to my inexperience, I chose a very poor 4-track studio. The musicianship was great, but the studio recording was putrid. Frankly, at the time, I wasn't a very good producer, either.

We attempted another recording session in 1973. This time, I had Eddie arrange some very modern "Hit" tunes for the occasion. The guys played great, but again, the engineering was poor. I spent several years trying to clean up the poor recordings, technical glitches and other problems on the tracks. Two years later, we booked another recording session. We had much better engineering and great music, but some how, we could not capture this sound and passion to tape or vinyl. To me personally, this was a tragedy. We worked all of these years and had nothing to show for it. We had great arrangements, tight rhythm, funky tracks, beautiful ballads, lots of soul. I finally gave up. The tracks remained in storage for over twenty years.

A nd then one day digital sound arrived. I am still awed at the results. We have been able to clean up the tracks and technical problems beyond my wildest dreams. We now have over forty great songs that will really showcase this great duet of Sonny Stitt and Eddie Russ.

I n our opinion, it is a cardinal sin that young jazz lovers... and particularly young Black music lovers do not know Sonny Stitt or the other great jazz legends and cannot identify with their music. Most African Americans are not aware that jazz originated from the Black experience, and is the only true American art form. Some call it music created by West Africans through European instruments. The late, great Rahsaan Roland Kirk called it "Black Classical Music."

W hatever the case, contemporary and early jazz giants should receive much more exposure than they currently get. The reasons they don't are two-fold: First, jazz artists and their producers have failed to produce albums with contemporary tunes with which young listeners can identify. What the jazz world has needed for years is to have the old "Masters" doing their thing on contemporary tunes as well as on original compositions so young jazz ears can truly appreciate their artistry. Secondly, jazz does not get the promotion other types of music receive. Many labels expect to lose money on jazz and produce it solely for a tax write-off. As I review new releases by contemporary and older artists, I hear great music (Mostly original compositions) that will never fall on the ears of most of today's music lovers because the artists have been unwilling to compromise their positions musically and include some of today's top compositions. Unless things change, I see the music of yesteryear fading into oblivion. I pray to God that nevers happens.

Eddie Russ, who like Stitt, was a jazz purist, was versatile, funky and was often able to contain Sonny in a defined pocket. In most of his previous releases, Stitt took command of the tempo and the swing. The rest of the rhythm group just seemed to follow. This time, I wanted Eddie's more modern approach to influence Sonny's style, tempo and swing... and it did!
-Bob Crawford

THE PLAYERS:

Sonny Stitt.................................................................................Alto and tenor saxophones
Eddie Russ................................................................................Piano and keyboards
Ron Brooks .............................................................................Bass
Larry Rhodes ...........................................................................Bass
Hawk Lee ................................................................................Bass
Jerry Glassel.............................................................................Guitar
Melvin Clark ............................................................................Guitar
Calvin Welch ............................................................................Drums and Percussion
Danny Spencer .........................................................................Drums
George Brown ..........................................................................Drums

Executive Producer: Bob Crawford

Art Illustration: Herschel Turner Art Direction/Designer: Antonio Designs / Adolfo Rosado Engineer: Tim Heldt Digital Re-mastering at River City Studios, Grand Rapids, MI.

The Best Of Sonny Stitt And Eddie Russ • The Sonny Stitt You've Never Heard • The Best Of Eddie Russ • The Greatest