Sonny Criss Quartet - Featuring Wynton Kelly (2009)

Sonny Criss (as), Wynton Kelly (p), Bob Cranshaw (b), Walter Perkins (d), Ole Hansen (tb). Recorded in Chicago, 1959.

Recorded in Chicago in 1959, this date places the great underappreciated altoist Sonny Criss in the company of Miles Davis' pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Bob Cranshaw, and drummer Walter Perkins, with some help from Norway's Ole Hansen on trombone. The program consists of straight late-'50s ballads and hard bop. Most of the program belongs to standards, such as "You Don't Know What Love Is," "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" (a staple of Criss' live set throughout his life), and Duke Ellington's "I Got It Bad." But the real surprises here are the originals. Criss' crew really rocks it on "Butts Delight," playing stellar sprinting hard bop with incredible soloing by the leader. "Sylvia," his other number, is a strolling blues with requisite swing and beautifully articulated interplay between the saxophone and trombone. For the all too few Criss lovers out there, these sessions are essential. In addition to the material, the presentation and sound are excellent -- something rather uncharacteristic for Fresh Sounds as a label. ~Thom Jurek