Personnel:
Dizzy Gillespie (tp), Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz (ts), Sonny Stitt (ts & as), Ray Bryant, John Lewis (p), Herb Ellis (g), Tommy Bryant, Ray Brown (b), Charles Persip, Stan Levey (d)
Reference: FSRCD 558
Bar code: 8427328605588
This double CD named The Eternal Triangles features three classic LPs on which Dizzy Gillespie is joined by Sonny Rollins, Sonny Stitt, and Stan Getz in different settings. On the 1957 sessions, which produced the albums "Duets" and "Sonny Side Up", Dizzy, in prime form, shares an uncannily empathetic relationship with Rollins and Stitt (both on tenor), agilely supported by the Bryant brothers, Ray and Tommy, and Charlie Persip. Comparing their style on tenor, Dizzy said Rollins is more raucous. He reminds me of a lion the way he attacks. About Stitt: Hes more like a cat charming a bird. He kind of hypnotizes, the way he gets in and out of things. He finished describing these performances as one of the most gratifying dates he had ever played on.
On the 1956 "For Musicians Only" album, Stitt is playing only alto because Stan Getz did not want to have two tenors on the session. The rhythm section is fabulous: Having Ray Brown, Herb Ellis, Stan Levey and John Lewis was a real dream team for us, said Gillespie. Fifty-three years on, these four sessions are still unmatched. Timeless.
—Jordi Pujol
-Duets
"The product of a day's worth of recording at Nola Studios in 1957, this album is essentially the same as a much older release of the same on Verve, but the master tapes had been found and remastered into stereo along with the addition of a couple of tracks previously left off the album. Presumably, these are the same sessions that spawned the Sonny Side Up album. Here, Dizzy works separately with each of the Sonnys for a couple of tracks. "Wheatleigh Hall" is something of a tour de force for both Rollins and Gillespie, and the "Con Alma" tracks are certainly worthwhile listens for a glimpse of Stitt's prowess. Finally, the album ends with "Haute Mon'," a themeless blues in G minor. Before that, however, is the addition of a newly discovered yet unlabeled track from the same sessions, which was belatedly titled "Anythin', Ha Ha" by Gillespie prior to the release of this album. Overall, the highlights are many, and one would probably be better off with this album than the original release (in mono, no less). On a related note, however, one would probably be better off with the Sonny Side Up album instead of this one (given only one choice), due to the simultaneous collaboration with both sax players (and for no other reason than the sheer beauty of "Eternal Triangle")."
—Adam Greenberg (All Music Guide)
-Sonny Side Up
"Dizzy Gillespie brings together tenor saxophonists Sonny Stitt and Sonny Rollins for four extended cuts, and in the process comes up with one of the most exciting "jam session" records in the jazz catalog. While the rhythm section of pianist Ray Bryant, bassist Tommy Bryant, and drummer Charlie Persip provides solid rhythmic support, Stitt and Rollins get down to business trading fours and reeling off solo fireworks. Apparently, Gillespie had stoked the competitive fires before the session with phone calls and some gossip, the fallout of which becomes palpable as the album progresses. On "The Eternal Triangle," in particular, Stitt and Rollins impress in their roles as tenor titans, with Stitt going in for sheer muscle as that most stout of bebop cutters and Rollins opting for some pacing as a more thematic player. In the midst of the rivalry (certainly some torch was being passed, since Rollins was soon to become the top tenor saxophonist in jazz), an embarrassment of solo riches comes tumbling out of both these men's horns. Gillespie adds his own split commentary on the proceedings with a casual solo on "After Hours" and a competitively blistering statement on "I Know That You Know." With an at ease rendition of "On the Sunny Side of the Street" rounding things out, Sonny Side Up comes off as both a highly enjoyable jazz set and something of an approximation of the music's once-revered live cutting session."
—Stephen Cook (All Music Guide)
-For Musicians Only
"This has plenty of great players and lots of amazing music. Getz, Dizzy Gillespie (tpt), and Sonny Stitt (as) are great, as are John Lewis (p) and Herb Ellis (g)."
—Ron Wynn (All Music Guide)
