Duty Free

Sonny Stitt was dogged by the claim that he was a clone of Charlie Parker, while his tendency to cover some of the same material with a similar approach may have added fuel to the fire. But even though the alto saxophonist tackles Parker's "Little Suede Shoes" and the standard "There Will Never Be Another You," it is on his own terms. His supporting group includes pianist Gerald Price, bassist Don Mosley and drummer Bobby Durham, who keep him in high spirits. The CD lists Stitt as only playing tenor, though he switches to the bigger instrument for his late-night blues "Duty Free," the riff tune "Steamline Stanley" and the brisk closer "Simone's Blues." The engineering is a bit erratic in spots with sudden shifts of instruments from one channel to the other, but this budget CD available from Laserlight is a worthwhile investment for bop fans, even if the total time of 33 minutes is a bit miserly. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide