by Scott Yanow
Sonny Stitt recorded over 100 albums as a leader and several dozen in a quartet setting in his productive career, but this one ranks at the top. The bebop tenor and alto stylist is very inspired by the top-notch rhythm section (pianist Barry Harris, bassist Sam Jones, and drummer Alan Dawson) and has rarely sounded more heated than on &Tune Up,& &Idaho,& &Just Friends,& and &Groovin' High.& However, it is his nine-minute jam on &I Got Rhythm& (which finds Stitt taking blazing solos on both tenor and alto) that is the high point of this essential set.