Sonny Side Up

More important than their common nicknames (and the punning album title), tenor saxophonists Rollins and Stitt were both influenced by Charlie Parker, but each took a vastly different approach to improvisation.

Stitt transferred Parker's white-hot intensity to the tenor after several fans and critics pointed out the tonal similarity of their alto sounds.

Rollins was a more thoughtful player who expanded the vocabulary of bop improvisation by incorporating thematic elements into his solos and by experimenting with different melodic shapes and unusual phrase lengths.

[2] Stephen Cook of AllMusic described the album as "one of the most exciting 'jam session' records in the jazz catalog.

...both a highly enjoyable jazz set and something of an approximation of the music's once-revered live cutting session".