Slick Eddie

Recorded in 1975 for Cadet Records with arrangements and conducting by Alfred 'Pee Wee' Ellis, who also played Moog synthesiser on the session; the rhythm section featured Bernard Purdie on drums, Wilbur Bascomb on bass, and Patti Austin Brown on electric piano. The session was produced by Esmond Edwards. The opening track of Stitt's Never Can Say Goodbye album, 'Slick Eddie' placed the veteran bebop saxophonist in a full electric-funk context that aligned with the mid-1970s CTI and Kudu aesthetic while drawing on Pee Wee Ellis's deep James Brown production experience. The album represented Stitt's most commercially oriented and groove-forward statement on Cadet. The track became one of the most prized rare-groove records in the UK DJ scene of the 1980s and 1990s, with DJs such as Paul Murphy citing it as a floor-levelling drop comparable to Dexter Wansel's 'Life on Mars'; its scarcity on original vinyl made it a significant collector's item, and it has retained that status through digital reissue and DJ edits.