About: The Sonny Stitt You've Never Heard

"THE SONNY STITT YOUÕVE NEVER HEARD" Featuring The Exciting Eddie Russ On The Keyboards There is really nothing more that can be written about the late, great Sonny Stitt that has not already been written. Therefore, we will just talk about the contents of this album.

This CD is different from any music Sonny Stitt has ever produced. This collection of songs will transcend time and cultures. Although Sonny has recorded many outstanding albums with many great musicians, these are the best and most entertaining sessions ever produced for this giant of jazz. There are many reasons these cuts will have broad and lasting appeal.

First, Stitt is generally associated with hard, Bebop Greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz and others. He is also well known for his great ballad and blues renditions. This collection of songs showcases a side of Sonny rarely, if ever heard. For the first time, he displays his natural funk and soul. Most jazz authorities have never seen or written about this side of Stitt.

Secondly, like most other jazz legends, SonnyÕs greatest recordings are of those legendary classics of the 30's, 40's and 50's. Unfortunately, most of the legends who recorded these classics and the jazz buffs who listened to them are no longer with us. Most present day jazz lovers cannot relate to the songs of that era. Consequently, they cannot truly appreciate the great artistry of those songs.Thousands of articles have been written about Sonny, his incredible sound, technique and time. As an example, one journalist wrote: "Sonny Stitt has achieved such mastery and proficiency over his instrument that his playing cannot be judged by ordinary standards." It is almost inconceivable that average jazz lovers of today have probably never even heard of Sonny Stitt. It is for this reason we have tried to record a jazz legend playing a few of the hits of the 60's, 70's and 80's. Songs to which present day jazz lovers can relate. We hope to introduce him to those who donÕt know him and display another side to those who are familiar with his works.

Last, but not least, we feel this album will have broad appeal because of the contributions of the late Eddie Russ who, unfortunately, left us all too soon (November, 1996). Eddie, who like Sonny, was a jazz purist, adds a more modern touch to the music. He also possesses a lot of funk and soul. We produced several popular albums on Eddie in the mid 70's including the hit album "See The Light." Back in the early seventies we theorized that if we could link these two jazz masters together with a few nightclub bookings, perhaps we could follow these up with subsequent recording sessions, which we were able to do. We used EddieÕs rhythm group , a fine bunch of musicians called "The Mixed Bag." We added younger funk players when necessary. The results are a series of recordings produced over a 5 year period in a variety of recordings studios, using a variety of engineers. The results of the music also varied from studio to studio. It is sad to note that none of the studios and engineers of those days had anything close to the digital equipment we see today. What can be produced or cleaned up today in digital sound is beyond belief. Thank God for digital technology! Engineers in those days had varying degrees of equipment and ingenuity. We were able to rescue many of the sub par recordings, never released before. We are happy with the end product and hope listeners will be too. We hope this CD will connect some new Stitt fans and show old Stitt followers another side of Sonny Stitt.

THE PLAYERS:

Sonny Stitt...........................................................................................Alto and tenor saxophones
Eddie Russ........................................ ..................................................All keyboards
Ron Brooks, Larry Rhodes, Tony Redic and Greg Coles.................... Bass
Danny Spencer, Calvin Welch..............................................................Drums
Jerry Glassel, Melvin Clark, Ron English, R.C. Crawford,
Jim Kessler and Eddie (Motown) Willis..............................................Guitars
Walter Corley.......................................................................................Keyboards
Doug Cook.......................................................................................... Piano and other keyboards
Wilt Machen, Marcus Belgrave, Dave Sporney,
Dan Yessian, George Benson............................................................... Horns
Gerry Paul, Calvin Welch and Dave Koether .......................................Percussions
Kitty Haywood Singers and Marika McCoy .......................................Vocals

Executive Producer: Bob Crawford

Arrangements by Bob Crawford, Eddie Russ and Dave Sporney Engineers: Ken Sands, Greg Reilley and Tim Heldt Remix Engineers: Tim Heldt and Larry Rhodes Technical advisor: Larry Rhodes Art Design: Brad Yarhouse and Andre Posey

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