Videos: Sonny Stitt, London 1964

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com

When I was a kid in the '70s, Sonny Stitt was my favorite saxophonist. I loved his lyricism, aggression and intensity. Then I tried to collect him and found it impossible. There were simply too many recordings, and back then albums cost real money, which didn't come easy to teens. I'm still collecting Stitt all these years later and still not done. Here are three terrific videos of the saxophonist...

Here's Sonny Stitt on London's Jazz 625 on Oct. 18, 1964. He's joined by bebop legends Howard McGhee (tp), J.J. Johnson (tb), Walter Bishop (p), Tommy Potter (b) and Kenny Clarke (d) playing Buzzy...

Here's the same band playing My Little Suede Shoes...

And here's Stitt on the ballad Lover Man (dig the rundown at the end)...

Used with permission by Marc Myers