Sonny Criss - 1967 - Portrait of Sonny

Sonny Criss

1967

Portrait of Sonny

01. A Million Or More Times 4:15

02. Wee 4:32

03. God Bless The Child 6:25

04. On A Clear Day 6:22

05. Blues In The Closet 5:09

06. Smile 4:40

Sonny Criss (alto saxophone)

Walter Davis Jr. (piano)

Paul Chambers (bass)

Alan Dawson (drums)

Recorded Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, March 23, 1967

The great altoist Sonny Criss is one of my favorite-ever reed players, and this beautiful session from his late 60's "comeback" period is a loving portrait of the wide range of his deep deep talents! On the surface, the record is deceptively simple, and only features Criss' work on alto sax, alongside with a piano trio led by Walter Davis. On hearing, though, the album is a rich tapestry of many soulful colors, all wrought by Sonny in a tone that had travelled the world – and which had been beaten down by years of struggle.

From the twilight years of bop, but the line up of Chambers, Walter Davis and Alan Dawson never fails to swing. Criss is an alto player who deserves a lot more attention than he enjoyed in his lifetime. His recording career stretches back to 1946, first appearance on record age 19. Recording initially for early classic labels such as Emarcy, Regent, Crown, Savoy, Norgran, Brunswick and Imperial, it was not until 1965 that he signed to Prestige as leader. A string of a half-dozen or more titles appeared in quick succession, Weinstock struggling to keep Prestige afloat through sheer volume of releases.

At end of the decade Criss relocated to California, where presumably work for an alto player was more plentiful, but recording only erratically until his death in 1977 – last title The Joy Of Sax (Impulse! AS-9326 – green bullseye label) in the slightly uncomfortable fusion company of Lee Ritenour (electric guitar) and Patrice Rushen (electric piano).

Times were changing, in my view not musically for the better, but that’s just my opinion today (just remember, it’s my blog). Somewhere in the attic are some Lee Ritenour albums, along with Bob James and David Sanborn, that GRP sound, sounding more dated than recordings made twenty years previously, though I must have liked it at the time.

Often characterized as a Parker disciple, but which bop altoist isn’t? Every critic’s first words to paper, everyone was influenced by Bird, how could they not be? Parker was the towering figure, so listen only to Parker? It’s a distraction from listening to the distinctive voices of those that followed. Criss is a distinctive player, a bluesy stylist with lightening-fast fluidity and drive more in the manner of Phil Woods. He is a joy to hear.

The selection “Wee” is an old fast-tempo BeBop tune from a Charlie Parker recording Wee (Allen’s Alley) – which is pure bebop virtuosity. It’s an astonishing if slightly imperfect performance but one which fulfils my need for speed. Conoisseurs of comparisons might want to pit Criss against the master, Wee as recorded at the famous Parker-Powell-Gillespie-Mingus-Roach Live at Massey Hall, Toronto, Canada 1953.

Criss often recorded popular show tunes and ballads, and a couple of times I passed on his 1956 album “Criss Plays Cole Porter” for fear of Karaoke-jazz – “over-familiarity” with the tunes: Night and Day, Anything goes, Just One of Those Things…. one Cole Porter tune maybe, but not all. His mid/late ’60s Prestige albums are nevertheless a solid showcase for his talent and worth seeking out.