(23 October 1927 – 19 November 1977)
Alto saxophonist William "Sonny" Criss was an important figure in the bebop and hard bop movements, although his contribution has been much overlooked. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee, but moved to Los Angeles at a young age. While his playing style was rooted in the New York jazz tradition, he maintained residence in California.
As a leader, Criss recorded many fantastic albums, including Jazz U.S.A, Go Man!, At the Crossroads (with Wynton Kelly) and Sonny Criss Plays Cole Porter (which featured pianist Sonny Clark.
Sonny Criss also appears on many other prominent musicians' recordings, including;
Dexter Gordon on The Hunt
on Wardell Gray Memorial, Vol. 2.
Charlie Parker and Chet Baker on Inglewood Jam.
and with Hampton Hawes on Live At Memory Lane.
Criss had a very melodic playing style rooted in a strong narrative architecture. His playing on hard bop forms brough the listener to the fore. His playing style was heavily influenced by Charlie Parker - his lines were long and flowing, similar to the way that Parker's influence came through Sonny Stitt, but with a heavier blues influence running through all his lines. This, along with his ballad playing, can be attributed to the influence of Johnny Hodges' playing style on Criss.
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