Sadik Hakim
(whose original name was
Argonne Thornton
) played with a few notable names from the bop era (including
Charlie Parker
) but has long been a somewhat obscure pianist. His "meeting" with
Sonny Stitt
(who splits his time here evenly between alto and tenor) was about as high profile as he ever got. With bassist
Buster Williams
and drummer
J.R. Mitchell
completing the quartet,
Stitt
is in his usual fine form on five veteran standards, a pair of blues-based originals and
Stevie Wonder
's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life." The music is not essential but has its heated moments; recommended for bop fans. ~ Scott Yanow