Out of Nowhere

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Alto saxophonist Sonny Criss embodied the spirit of West Coast bop, playing intense, hard-swinging music to little acclaim from the late 1940s on. In the front rank of Charlie Parker's legions of disciples, he played with a sound and a fluent invention so similar to Bird's that he was inevitably dismissed by many as an imitator. But Criss, like Sonny Stitt, had qualities of his own, a sound that was softer and rounder than Parker's, a personal affinity with the blues, and a distinctive melodic inflection. This quartet session was recorded in 1975, two years before Criss's death, and it's pure bop, with Criss flying through the changes of "All the Things You Are" and infusing the blues into the Depression-era "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" and his own "Dreamer." He gets sturdy, idiomatic support from pianist Dolo Coker and the rhythm team of Larry Gales on bass and Jimmie Smith on drums. --Stuart Broomer

Out of Nowhere,Sonny Criss,32. Jazz Records,Jazz,Jazz Music,Pop

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