Soul Summit is the combined effort of two of the most hard-swinging saxophonists of the 1960s: Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt. The album, which received an extra injection of soul from organist Brother Jack McDuff and drummer Charlie Persip, was recorded on this day (February 19) in 1962 at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio in Englewood, New Jersey.
“Tubby,” which kicks the album off, is a rough-and-tumble soul burner that features some pugnacious yet playful exchanges between Ammons and Stitt. Beneath them, McDuff’s organ churns heavily, with an almost metallic thrum. Persip, meanwhile, is a whirlwind on drums, ranging over the set with unceasing energy as he rattles the song from inside.
