Sonny Side Up

 (23 customer reviews)

I approach "all-star" recordings cautiously because they don't always live up to their billing. Sometimes the talent is there but the chemistry isn't, sort of like a basketball team that looks great on paper but comes up short in execution. Happily that isn't the case with "Sonny Side Up." There's plenty of room for Rollins, Stitt and Gillespie to show off their individual chops, but they all work together for a satisfying group sound.As soon as you hear "Sunny Side of the Street," you know you're in for a good time. It's a great, joyful song that's enlivened by Dizzy's appealingly fractured vocal. "Eternal Triangle" is appropriately named as all three of these great improvisers fire up zesty solos made in hard bop heaven. The contrast of sounds between the tenors and Gillespie's darting trumpet is wonderful.My favorite cut, however, is a definitive blues workout, "After Hours." It's a classic approach that allows the...Read more

The trend toward hyperbole with these reviews is justified with an album like "Sonny Side Up". No bones about it, this CD is a smoker! This was one of my first albums that set the hook for 28 years of jazz enjoyment. With thousands of records in my collection now I still never tire of this one, a desert island pick for sure.Diz, Newk and Stitt are at the pinnicle of their creative careers. Dizzy is like bubbling oiled fire. Rollins...raw, biting, searching. Stitt...smooth as butter, funny, fast. One of the two strokes of genius on this date...the pairing of these two tenor titans. Their styles are so totally different yet they compliment one another.The other stroke of genius is the use of blues oriented jazz pianist Ray Bryant who adds a solid mood that anchors this session."On The Sunny Side Of The Street" opens the set at a business man's bounce. Stitt takes the first solo followed by Diz using a Harmon mute. Rollins jumps in with all fours...Read more

Stitt, Dizz, and Rollins combine perfectly while still showing off their individual talents. "On the Sunny Side of the Street" is a sweet, laid back tune that immediately lets you know that you're listening to a classic. "Eternal Triangle" is a fast-pace battle of the masters between Stitt and Rollins. According to the booklet, Dizz told Rollins and Stitt each separatley that the other one was "loaded for bear" on "Eternal Triangle". It shows in the song; the two tenors trade fours and then eights and have an all-out war! Dizzy's punctuating trumpet completely balances the saxophones, and the rhythm section sets a steady groove for the brass to improvise on. If you are at all interested in jazz, I suggest you buy this cd NOW!