Sonny Side Up
Sonny Side Up is an album by trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, and the tenor saxophonists Sonny Stitt and Sonny Rollins, recorded in December 1957 in New York City. It was released in 1959 on producer Norman Granz's newly launched Verve label.
Sonny Side Up | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 1959[1] | |||
Recorded | December 19, 1957 Nola Recording Studio, New York City | |||
Genre | Jazz, bebop, hard bop | |||
Length | 37:42 | |||
Label | Verve MGV-8262 | |||
Producer | Norman Granz | |||
Dizzy Gillespie chronology | ||||
| ||||
Sonny Rollins chronology | ||||
| ||||
Sonny Stitt chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
As Thomas Cunniffe has written, "The pairing of Rollins and Stitt was highly inspired. More important than their common nicknames (and the punning album title), tenor saxophonists Rollins and Stitt were both influenced by Charlie Parker, but each took a vastly different approach to improvisation. Stitt transferred Parker’s white-hot intensity to the tenor after several fans and critics pointed out the tonal similarity of their alto sounds. Rollins was a more thoughtful player who expanded the vocabulary of bop improvisation by incorporating thematic elements into his solos and by experimenting with different melodic shapes and unusual phrase lengths."[3]
Pianist Ray Bryant, bassist Tommy Bryant, and drummer Charlie Persip provide the rhythm section.[4]
Track listing
- "On the Sunny Side of the Street" (Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields) – 5:41
- "The Eternal Triangle" (Stitt) – 14:10
- "After Hours" (Avery Parrish) – 12:19
- "I Know That You Know" (Vincent Youmans, Anne Caldwell) – 5:27
Personnel
- Dizzy Gillespie – trumpet, vocal (track 1)
- Sonny Stitt – tenor saxophone
- Sonny Rollins – tenor saxophone
- Ray Bryant – piano
- Tommy Bryant – double bass
- Charlie Persip – drums
Additional personnel
- Burt Goldblatt – cover photography
- Nat Hentoff – liner notes
References
- Billboard, February 9, 1959.
- "Sonny Side Up - Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Stitt, Sonny Rollins | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- "Dizzy Gillespie:'Sonny Side Up' (Verve 314 521 426)/'Duets' (Verve 835 253)", Retro Reviews - Jazz History Online.
- Stephen Cook, Allmusic review