Just Friends - Sonny Stitt

[6KingCooper6]

Easily the best Stitt tune.

[Derblitzadler]

Back when cats could swing...

[nadinecohenjazzco]

Just marvellous.

[kaferere]

Doesn't matter how long I live, this guy just amazes me, his utter mastery of harmonic movement not to mention his rhythmic placement is astonishing. To conjure such emotion turns me inside out. Having the tremendous harmonic knowledge is one thing, turning that knowledge into something that makes you hold your breath and choke you up is quite another. Thanks so much for posting.

[Nateisbored]

Damn.

[Jingles466]

just frineds..... but not like before

[kekenutikeke]

Thank you Nate.D this was a super awesome gift for my birthday..hugs and bunch of kisses.you allways rock with your music..muahhhh

[kooltique]

sublime

[subtoner]

the ultimate alto AND tenor giant. The best on either axe. Who else besides Rahsaan accomplished this?

[valentynesuite]

connie kay on drums?

[nadinecohenjazzco]

Thank you for the post .

Sonny STITT is my forever heroe.

[LIN11831]

NOT BAD. I LIKR THE JAZZ ARTISTS, BUT JUST NOT ON THIS SONG WHICH WAS NOT WRITTEN TO BE JOYOUS--TWO BEST FRIENDS PARTING, THAT'S SAD. NOT FUN. I THOUGHT JO DTAFFORD DID THIS SONG.

[KaiMatsu500]

@LIN11831 I don't if your criticizing Sonny's interpretation or not (hard to tell). If you are I would like to point of this is jazz. No rules, no boundaries. The whole point is to take something and add yourself and make something new. Not just play it as it is written. Also it is pointless to argue the original intentions of the song. The lyrics focuses on looking back to the past when the two lovers were still lovers. And hey that could be a good memory (maybe somewhat joyous).

[thelbronius]

@LIN11831 You again! Go blog about your musical opinions!

[BROTAST1C]

@LIN11831 that's actually not what the song is about

[ivanovickr]

Cool... Sonny had a great sound.

[BNforever2009]

I was talking Sonny Stitt in grammar school when other kids were talking Earth Wind and Fire and the Jackson 5 !!!!

[terrryc]

First of all, Sonny was his own thing. Compare him to Bird if you must, but the two were distinctively seperate, so we now have two great players to admire and study.

[boomerang905]

@terrryc Indeed they were very different. I love them both, even though my first experience with jazz when I was about 7 was with my brothers playing Mr. Parker. Personally, I never thought that they were so much alike and if they were, that's life. Both were giants and if we listen closely, some of our greatest stars will say that they were 'inspired' by certain other artists. Like Ray Charles. He said he tried hard to sound like Charles Brown. Very few know of Mr. Brown. Peace : )

[rgs1940]

The life of a jazz musician was a tough one back then. Being a saxophone player, Sonny dealt with two and sometimes three diffrerent horns. He had to stand and deliver night after night, spent the night or should i say early morning hours in less than pleasant surroundings. Had to eat restaurant food. Sonny was a heavy drinker after beating the heroin addiction. He was also a heavy smoker. And although he spent some nights in less than perfect form, his superb musicianship transcended.

[exjazzbassbaz]

what a player.swinging. melodic. always.and some ballad player too.fabulous.many thanks.

[BuckshotLaFunke]

There's even a bit of Bud Powell in Stitt (the four-note upward run at 1:30).

[9876543217303]

@BuckshotLaFunke True that and a thumbs up! ; )

[jgrodnik]

I've always loved Sonny. His album "Sittin' In" with Oscar Peterson is one of the all-time greats. Saw Sonny at the Jazz Workshop in San Francisco in the '60s.

Story: After a set, someone once said to Sonny as a put-down, "You play like Charlie Parker." Sonny handed the guy his horn and said, "Here, YOU play like Charlie Parker."

[9876543217303]

@jgrodnik  I love that!

[exjazzbassbaz]

just love this saw him with j.a.t.p awesome .now young men and women this is how a saxophone should be played he wasnt far wrong when he said parker left him the key to the office thanks for this

[xetro42]

i have 15 years old and i love this jazz

[9876543217303]

@xetro42 I was younger than that and I loved it. It's real music. I hope you continue to find the beauty in this music form.

[jazzdrummerful]

@xetro42 so what if you're 15?

[messi627]

you are old enogh to hear him when you are a teenager you must be 90

[negativjazz]

o shit

[nadinecohenjazz]

I did not know this part of the story ... But I can imagine !!!

[paxandrews]

i saw and heard SS at Monterey 1979 with Dizzy and Woody Herman. He is one of my all time favourites and never misses an opportunity to nail it.!

[9876543217303]

@paxandrews Three greats. Wow.  That's what memories are made of! Love it. :D

[paxandrews]

@9876543217303 very lucky........

[BuckshotLaFunke]

His more intricate lines sometimes resemble those of Bud Powell.

[devilalbz]

my last name is stitt and im young so i found out by google lol but im love this bloke

[Jazzsaxman1]

What style :) 

[daredaver]

Waaaaaaaaaaaaa exelente, no me alcanzara toda mi vida para escuchar toda la historia musical del mundo, morire algun dia pero espero escuchar lo que mas pueda.

[DajaWaja]

@daredaver que cierto !! que grandeel comentario

[blatella]

Sonny was born in my home town Saginaw, MI and played our local clubs from time to time.. I never missed a free concert, (except for the cost of the beer I drank)!!

[lamantell]

Thanks for the post and introducing me to "Sonny Stitt". Great....

[9876543217303]

Got to hear my baby periodically. Such melody, such wonderful interpretation of this classic Just Friends. Come on folks, let's party. Whatcha say? Swang it!!!!!! Work it baby, work it too!!! Listen to the piano how it's just plucking melodically. Thanks for making me happy just listening to my Sonny on this post.

[nadinecohenjazz]

Sonny is my heroe since a long time , I wish i could have met him , so "in love"with him and his music. Thank you for the post...

[9876543217303]

Met this man in a Chicago Club in the 70's. I requested a song and another artist had performed it before I entered. He said that it was poor showmanship to play it - a rule not to 'upstage' another act. Bought me a drink instead. I fell in love......what a classy guy. Wish I'd had been his girl.....RIP Sonny

[thfloydloyd]

I heard him when I was a teenager. He was playing in a club with Red Holloway and they were fantastic. Sonny wasn't feeling well that night, apparently because of dental problems, but he still rose to the occasion and left our collectives jaws hanging.

[9876543217303]

Thanks for sharing your experience with this legendary man with me. He was really cool, wasn't he? When he went Tenor and collaborated with Gene (the Jug) Ammons, it was awesome. Seems like the jazz men of yesterday died young but they left a heck of an impression on us. PEACE!

[nadinecohenjazz]

@thfloydloyd

How much I wish I could have meet him and see him....Definetely... my heroe

[thfloydloyd]

@nadinecohenjazz Another part of the story is that one of the local musicians sat in with them. Sonny took the first solo and the local guy cut in before Sonny was finished! Sonny turned his head and gave him a "look" and then absolutely tore it up, then Red did the same and finally it was the local guys turn. Poor guy didn't have a chance. Can you imagine trying to sound better than Sonny when Sonny was making a point.

[9876543217303]

Someone else has to listen to this glorious man play. He was a class act. Thanks for posting this.

[jazzonthetube]

I'm listening and lovin it!