The late Sonny Stitt was a great saxophone player with an impressive jazz resume, playing in bands led by Billy Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis, and alongside Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon and other jazz luminaries.

But Sonny Stitt on Stax? It’s true. Stax released three consecutive instrumental singles in February and March of 1969. The first two came courtesy of Booker T. & The MGs, “Double or Nothing” and their legendary epic “Time is Tight” (#7 R&B, #6 Pop single). The third single teamed Stitt with Booker T. & the MGs for an instrumental take on “Private Number,” which had already proved a hit Stax vocal duet by William Bell and Judy Clay during the previous summer.

“Private Number” shows Stitt both inside and outside of Charlie Parker’s considerable saxophone shadow. His fleet, fluttering introductory riffs build into each verse and chorus, one of Parker’s favorite devices for creating the sense of forward motion, of “leaping into” his solos. However, Stitt’s tone sounds more soft and fluid than Parker’s, almost pouring out this melody like liquid soft and warm. He also remains true to the original melody with almost no improvisation, unlike Parker’s trademark - and often volcanic and rampaging - free flights from the melody of his material.

Stitt cut “Private Number” under a contract signed with Stax in 1968. This same year he released at least four jazz albums, including sets for the Delmark and Prestige labels. Since he was already under contract to other labels, his agreement with Stax was void. Interestingly, Stitt’s ‘69 discography features only one entry as a leader, Night Letter recorded in October and released by Prestige almost immediately thereafter. So “Private Number” is not just the only fruit from Stitt’s Stax sessions (say THAT fast three times!), it seems to be one of the saxophonist’s rare sessions from early ‘69.