Sonny Stitt - No Greater Love (2001)

Though Sonny Stitt had less than a year to live at the time of this live recording, made in November 1981, he showed no signs of slowing down. This somewhat sloppy British reissue of Stitt's live session at Bubba's Restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, not only fails to list the date and venue, but omits the presence of tenor saxophonist Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison on several tracks, with lousy packaging that gives this CD the appearance of a bootleg. With those reservations aside, this music is just as exciting as the companion volume recorded the same day by Who's Who in Jazz (Sonny, Sweets & Jaws). With pianist Eddie Higgins, bassist Donn Most, and drummer Duffy Jackson fueling the fires of the horn soloists, all is well. Edison's "Lax" is an up-tempo blues that brings Jazz at the Philharmonic on-stage battles to mind, while Miles Davis' "Four" also has some fine solos, but in a more relaxed groove. Stitt's lyricism comes through on alto sax in "What's New" and "Old Folks." If you don't already own one of the earlier editions of this music (check carefully, as every label seems to title this session differently), then this CD will do, even with its major packaging flaws.