Customer Reviews

The Complete Imperial Sessions

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
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If i could i would give this C.D. 10 STARS..or more! I originally bought the LP version of "JAZZ U.S.A" in 1977. it was a Japanese pressing and cost me a huge sum back then!---why? i can't think why . Ironically Sonny Criss lived from hand to mouth..scraping by for a living! He wasn't appreciated much in the States and he had to go to France where they loved his style of playing!
One of the fastest be-bop players around who never lost his sense of feel and a fantastic interpreter of the Blues he was apparently once Charlie Parkers chauffeur briefly and then played in both Billy Eckstines and Buddy Richs' Band.
This 2 CD set comprises of the BEST recordings of Criss done at a time when he was in his peak.--It is combined of 3 full LP's (all really hard to obtain!)..if you like an alto man who can play the blues this is your man. Just listen to "West Coast Blues" or the incredible "Hams Blues".--Fantastic rhythm section to match with Hampton Hawes and Barney Kessel.
In the same tradition as Sonny Stitt, much later on in Criss's short career he had to compromise during the "70's disco era" and do some relatively mediocre stuff-- However, even on those records, he played wonderfully!!
He died really young in 1977 from a self inflicted gunshot wound. Some say he was suffering from terminal stomach cancer and decided he couldn't face the pain anymore.
But others say it was because he was depressed about the fact that he couldn't be acknowledged and gain credibility in the USA.

This set fills a substantial gap in Sonny Criss' early recording career, combining his three Imperial albums only previously available as expensive Japanese imports into one exquisite 2-CD set. An inspired choice by Michael Cuscuna and Blue Note for limited reissue in the Connoisseur series. Criss didn't always perform the most challenging material (although how do you go wrong with Cole Porter), but he gets the most out of the material with superb technical playing and expressive, sensitive soloing. There isn't nearly enough Criss material available because he did very little side work -- and of course, he committed suicide at the age of 50 -- but almost all of his work for Prestige, Xanadu and Muse is highly recommended. Most of his recorded work is available now on CD domestically, although the album that followed this Imperial material -- Sonny Criss At The Crossroads on Peacock Records -- is gorgeous and deserves reissue as well in the U.S. It has been available as an expensive Japanese import, but I don't believe that is even available now. Snatch this one up while it's available; once it's gone, it's not likely to see the light of day for a long, long while. But be careful. Buy one Sonny Criss album and you'll have to own 'em all.

I originally got this because Sonny Clark is on two of the three albums collected here. I vaguely recalled Sonny Criss being on one or two Parker sessions but knew nothing about him. Well, he was GREAT. He got a very distinctive, personal sound from his instrument, as well as having his own peculiar rhythmic inflections. He's great on both uptempo and slow ballad numbers. And, of course, there's always Sonny Clark. If this 2-CD package seems pricey, remember you're getting THREE LP's for the money and grab it before it goes out of print. I've since discovered that just about everything that Criss recorded (which was little enough) is worth having. (The fan from Castro Valley was right.)

Underrecorded, undervalued, and underappreciated. Sonny Criss was a West Coast alto man that never garnered the recognition and acclaim that was his due. His life ended sadly in 1977.

He was not considered an innovator in Bebop and was a study of Charlie Parker. In my humble opinion, Criss was just as nimble as Bird. Sonny played with Bird during his extended stay in Los Angeles. Contrary to the popular urban legend that no one showed up when Diz, Bird, and Bebop Invaded the West, Sonny Criss tells a different story, "I don't recall it that way because the club(Billy Berg's) was packed every night." Sonny's tone was as unique as it was bright, sharp, crisp, brilliant, and downright perfect. Can Bebop sound romantic? To hear these recordings the answer is a resounding, "YES." Man, this cat could SWING! And his Blue Jazz balladry was also quite STUNNING!

When I pull this out of my collection and play these remarkable Imperial sides, I always say to myself, "this man is one of the reasons why I love jazz."

Surely, this is one of my Desert Island Selections.

No jazz collection is complete without this Double CD. One of the GREATEST archival recordings BLUE NOTE has to offer. A MUST OWN!

SONNY CRISS LIVES!

Enjoy.

Sonny Criss had a sound that grabs you. Rich, elegant, bluesy, effortless, all rolled into one. This collection has one standard after another, but none is ordinary. One reviewer had it right -- they're all fresh, and they stand up to listening, and listening, and listening. The rhythm sections are varied and terrific, but there's no question who's the leader. There's a special Sonny Criss feeling that runs throughout. He's more "overlooked" than "underrated." An "essential" for anyone who loves sax.

This 2-disc set from Blue Note showcases an very underated artist. Recorded over six days in 1956 these sessions sound fresh and showcase Criss's big alto sound on every cut. You can hear touches of bird and other big horn players in his bluesy style, but his rich voice seems to come from his great command (smooth, fleet & big tone) he has. Supporting players Kenny Drew, Sonny Clack, Larry Bunker, Barney Kessel never turn a wrong step. It's a shame Sonny Criss is not more widely known.
These recordings have wonderful full (mono) sound throughout.

The slashing, savage intensity of Criss's alto work on these three 1956 sessions must be heard to be believed. This is take-no-prisoners, hell-bent-for-leather, full-throated G-force jazz of astonishing intensity (and I've just about run out of cliches at this point). Why Sonny Criss was not universally recognized as one of the greatest (if not the greatest) jazz altoists of all time is beyond me. I personally find his playing even more intense and visceral than Charlie Parker's! And brother, that's saying something.

As West Coast Jazz fans know, there was an Art Pepper album released in 1963 titled "Intensity." It's not my intention to put Art down, since I'm a fan of his (and own about 25 of his albums), but I didn't hear a single truly intense moment on that entire album. I did hear a fair amount of good alto playing, of course, but nothing all that intense, despite the title. "Intensity," however, would have been a perfect and apt title for any of the three albums contained in this 2-CD release. There isn't a single word that would better describe Criss's playing throughout these 34 tracks--all of which are superb.

Of the three LPs which comprise this set, Jazz USA and Go Man! are fine LPs, but Sonny Criss Plays Cole Porter goes way beyond those two in terms of fire, heat, soul and guts--it's otherworldly. It's hard to describe the passionate INTENSITY of Criss's playing on these ten tracks. Sonny's alto tone on the first two LPs occasionally tended toward a hot shrillness that could be disconcerting. But on Plays Cole Porter, the shrillness is gone, but not the fullness of timbre. His sound here is mellower yet richer at the same time. I don't know whether he change mouthpieces or reeds, or both, but to listen to the fullness of his tone is a joy to behold. Words are inadequate to describe both his sound here and the (here it comes again) intensity of his playing. He's utterly inspired, as is his superb, unobtrusive rhythm section. I feel that Sonny Criss plays Cole Porter is one of the greatest jazz alto saxophone albums ever released.

To break it down, I would rate this set 4 1/2 stars if reviewers could utilize half-stars: 4 stars each for Jazz USA and Go Man! and a definite 5 stars for the astonished Cole Porter LP. THAT LP is, to use one more cliche in a review already overloaded with them, OUT OF THIS WORLD! (By the way, when Nat Hentoff reviewed Go Man! for DownBeat in 1956, he was VERY upset by the cover photo: a nice-looking blonde on the back of a Vespa showing a little [or a lot] of thigh. How dreadful, Nat! And to think, I thought you were one of these tolerant liberals! My,my!)