CRISS, Sonny. Sonny’s Dream (Birth of the New Cool). Prestige. 1992; orig. 1968. SC, alto, sop sx; David Sherr, alto sx; Teddy Edwards, ten sx; Pete Christlieb, bari sx; Conte Candoli, tpt; Dick Nash, tbn; Ray Draper, tuba; Tommy Flanagan, p; Al McKibbon, b; Everett Brown, dr; Horace Tapscott, comp., arr. and cond.
in the 50s, altoist Sonny Criss was the West Coast’s Bird, not a copy of Charlie Parker but strongly and obviously influenced by him. On recordings, he played with Dexter Gordon, Wardell Gray, Hampton Hawes and on a session with both Parker and Chet Baker. He recorded twenty-three albums as leader. When you listen to him, you can why he appealed. His rich full tone on alto sax exuded confidence, optimism. He was equally fluent an on his second ax, the soprano. Sadly, his career was cut short. He committed suicide at fifty after being diagnosed with stomach cancer. This album was recorded when he was forty or forty-one and is generally held to be his best. The Penguin Guide to Recorded Jazz includes it in its Core Collection. What makes it special?
First, the quality of Criss’s playing. He plays intelligent lines and his bright sound imbues everything he plays with ebullience. There are many different emotional colors in this fine album but Criss’s playing lends an aura of confidence to the whole enterprise, uncommon in as multi-toned and complex a music as jazz, particularly bop or later jazz.
Secondly, the tunes and the arrangements are by LA legend Horace Tapscott. Although Tapscott doesn’t play on the album, he crafted all six tunes (alternate recordings of two of them are included on the album), wrote the arrangements and conducted the recording session(s). The group is mid-sized, not a full band but rather nine instead of fifteen or sixteen players: there are three saxes (alto, tenor, bari), three brass (trumpet, trombone, tuba) and three rhythm (piano, bass, drums), and riding across the top, Criss’s keening sax. It’s the brass that makes the difference. The trombone customarily floats in the middle, playing lower than the trumpet, but at moments it soars above, sounding like a French horn. The tuba, down below, is most of the time felt rather than heard as a separate voice, providing a rich bottom to the exceptionally full-sounding chording.
Criss solos on every piece but there are solos as well by Teddy Edwards (tenor), Conte Candoli (trumpet), Tommy Flanagan (piano) and Al McKibbon (bass). The album is a keeper which should please the novice listener to jazz as well as the long-time aficionado.
CD purchased to minimize wear and tear re the original LP. from 68 . Don't like the evil silver discs but sometimes needs must . His best LP (IMO ). Mighty fine compositions /arrangements by the great Horace Tapscott. Fine piano playing from Tommy Flanagan.. Sonny Criss sounds relaxed . .The New Birth of The Cool indeed . Highly recommended !!
5つ星のうち5.0Sonny Criss THE SONNY CRISS ORCHESTRA: Sonny S Dream.
2016年5月8日にドイツでレビュー済み
Amazonで購入
Sonny Criss, der leider unterschätzte Saxophonist, - hier mit leichtem Orchester. Genial, einfach genial. Hörer des guten Jazz sollten mal ein Ohr riskieren und hineinhören bzw. kaufen solange noch erhältlich.
5つ星のうち5.0A unique recording: Horace Tapscott compostions played by a tentet starring Sonny Criss
2014年2月2日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済み
Amazonで購入
I consider Sonny's Dream (Birth of the New Cool) an essential album in any jazz-lover's collection. It's absolutely unique: six original compositions by the unjustly neglected pianist Horace Tapscott, who also arranged and conducted the tentet. Altoist Sonny Criss is joined by, among others, Tommy Flanagan on piano, Conte Candoli on trumpet, Teddy Edwards on tenor, Peter Chistlieb on baritone and Ray Draper on tuba.
Even with two alternate takes on the CD, there's still not enough music on this disk! You just have to play it again. You will.
Sonny Criss is one of those rare musicians who can take a mundane standard and turn it into something special.This one off with the brilliant arranger/composer Horace Tapscott is also something special and certainly the most progressive music Sonny Criss has played. I do have one issue with this recording:Daughter of Cochise is rhythmically cliched and redundant, sounding like a musical caricature of a Native American dance. For this reason I must deny this otherwise fine recording a 5th star.The alternate takes are good.