js “Stitt meets Brother Jack” was one of Sonny Stitt’s early forays into the new world of hard bop and B3 based blues-jazz. Sonny had started his career as a virtuoso bopper on the alto, playing very much in the style of Charlie Parker. Over the years, as musical tastes shifted, he began to feature the tenor as well and took on the new hard bop repertoire that went with the stronger sounding horn. This live date finds Sonny in top form as he effortlessly glides through two standards and five bluesy originals. The shift into the blues based world of hard bop was not a big step for Sonny at all as his take on bop always had a very strong blues flavor anyway. Sonny is still coming from his bop base on this one, everything swings, especially his always brilliant solos. Later in his career Sonny will get with the funky rhythms of the soul jazz crowd, but all that is still a few years away when this one was recorded.

Sonny’s backup band on here is excellent, but only the B3 master, Brother Groove Holmes, is given any solo space. Holmes contrasts Sonny’s spiraling bop solos with funky solos that feature the short punchy riffs of the new soul jazz language. The two soloists different styles blend perfectly due to their mutual love for the blues. An added treat on here is the conga work of Ray Barretto, its always nice to hear him when his drums can cut through the mix. This CD is highly recommended for fans of Sonny Stitt, as well as fans of jazz-blues.