Alto Saxophone Master Sonny Criss: "This is Criss!"

With all the "Sonnys" in Jazz, especially those who are saxophone players, one who seems always to be forgotten is William "Sonny" Criss. He is tonight's Jazz feature artist. Sonny had been around for a few years but his career was rather spotty but in 1965 he sent a demo tape to Prestige Record's producer Don Schlitten and Sonny was signed to a contract and recorded seven superb albums for Prestige from 1966 to 1969. We hear his initial date tonight recorded in RVG Studio on October 21,1966, 2 days before Sonny's 39th Birthday. Sonny appears with Walter Davis Jr. on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and the magnificent Alan Dawson on drums. The repertoire of 8 tunes is mostly standards but Walter Davis composed one and Sonny composed one also. As the cover of the album states "here is an alto saxophonist whose consummate artistry approaches perfection". That quote is no exaggeration and I'm sure you'll agree. "This is Criss!" tonight's Jazz Feature.