Early life
Edward Boatner was born in Boston, Massachusetts[1] and grew up in Saginaw, Michigan. He had a musical background; his father, Edward Boatner, was a baritone singer, composer and college music professor, his brother was a classically trained pianist, and his mother was a piano teacher.[1] Boatner was soon adopted by another family, the Stitts, who gave him his new surname. He later began calling himself "Sonny".
In 1943, Stitt first met Charlie Parker, and as he often later recalled, the two men found that their styles had an extraordinary similarity that was partly coincidental and not merely due to Stitt's emulation. Stitt's improvisations were more melodic/less dissonant than those of Parker. Stitt's earliest recordings were made in 1945 with Stan Getz and Dizzy Gillespie. He had also played in some swing bands, though he mainly played in bop bands. Stitt was featured in Tiny Bradshaw's big band in the early forties. Stitt replaced Charlie Parker in Dizzy Gillespie's band in 1945.[2]
Stitt played alto saxophone in Billy Eckstine's big band alongside future bop pioneers Dexter Gordon and Gene Ammons from 1945 until 1956, when he started to play tenor saxophone more frequently, in order to avoid being referred to as a Charlie Parker imitator. Later on, he played with Gene Ammons and Bud Powell. Stitt spent time in a Lexington prison between 1948–49 for selling narcotics.
Stitt, when playing tenor saxophone, seemed to break free from some of the criticism that he was imitating Charlie Parker's style, although it appears in the instance with Ammons above that the availability of the larger instrument was a factor. Indeed, Stitt began to develop a far more distinctive sound on tenor.[1] He played with other bop musicians Bud Powell and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, a fellow tenor with a distinctly tough tone in comparison to Stitt, in the 1950s and recorded a number of sides for Prestige Records label as well as albums for Argo, Verve and Roost. Stitt experimented with Afro-Cuban jazz in the late 1950s, and the results can be heard on his recordings for Roost and Verve, on which he teamed up with Thad Jones and Chick Corea for Latin versions of such standards as "Autumn Leaves."
Stitt joined Miles Davis briefly in 1960, and recordings with Davis' quintet can be found only in live settings on the tour of 1960. Concerts in Manchester and Paris are available commercially and also a number of concerts (which include sets by the earlier quintet with John Coltrane) on the record Live at Stockholm (Dragon), all of which featured Wynton Kelly, Jimmy Cobb and Paul Chambers. However, Miles fired Stitt due to the excessive drinking habit he had developed, and replaced him with fellow tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley. Stitt, later in the 1960s, paid homage to one of his main influences, Charlie Parker, on the album Stitt Plays Bird, which features Jim Hall on guitar and at Newport in 1964 with other bebop players including J.J. Johnson.
He recorded a number of memorable records with his friend and fellow saxophonist Gene Ammons, interrupted by Ammons' own imprisonment for narcotics possession. The records recorded by these two saxophonists are regarded by many as some of both Ammons and Stitt's best work, thus the Ammons/Stitt partnership went down in posterity as one of the best duelling partnerships in jazz, alongside Zoot Sims and Al Cohn, and Johnny Griffin with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis. Stitt would venture into soul jazz, and he recorded with fellow tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin in 1964 on the Soul People album. Stitt also recorded with Duke Ellington alumnus Paul Gonsalves in 1963 for Impulse! on the Salt And Pepper album in 1963. Around that time he also appeared regularly at Ronnie Scott's in London, a live 1964 encounter with Ronnie Scott, The Night Has A Thousand Eyes, eventually surfaced, and another in 1966 with resident guitarist Ernest Ranglin and British tenor saxophonist Dick Morrissey. Stitt was one of the first jazz musicians to experiment with an electric saxophone (the instrument was called a Varitone), as heard on the albums What's New in 1966 and Parallel-A-Stitt in 1967.
Later life
In the 1970s, Stitt slowed his recording output slightly, and in 1972, he produced another classic, Tune Up, which was and still is regarded by many jazz critics, such as Scott Yanow, as his definitive record. Indeed, his fiery and ebullient soloing was quite reminiscent of his earlier playing. He also recorded another album with Varitone, Just The Way It Was - Live At The Left Bank in 1971 which was released in 2000.
Stitt joined the all-star group Giants of Jazz, which also featured Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Kai Winding and bassist Al McKibbon) and made albums for Atlantic Records, Concord Records and Emarcy Records. His last recordings were made in Japan. In 1982, Stitt suffered a heart attack, and he died on July 22 in Washington, D.C..[2]
Constellation
Sonny Stitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
chuansong yi feng jianxun gei ni
wo hao xiang hao xiang ni
xiang yao like datong dianhua gei ni
wo hao xiang hao xiang ni
meitian qichuang de di yi jian shiqing
jiushi hao xiang hao xiang ni
wulun qingtian haishi xia yu
mei ci dang wo yi shuo wo hao xiang ni
ni dou bu xiangxin
dan que zong aiwen wo you meiyou xiang ni
wo bu dong de tianyanmiyu
suoyi zhi shuo hao xiang ni
fanzheng shuo lai shuo qu dou zhi xiang rang ni kaixin
hao xiang ni hao xiang ni hao
xiang ni hao xiang ni
shi zhen de shen de hao xiang ni
bushi jia de jia de hao xiang ni
hao xiang ni hao xiang ni hao
xiang ni hao xiang ni
shi gou li gou li hao xiang ni
zhen de xibeixi bei hao xiang ni
hao xiang ni
mei ci dang wo yi shuo wo hao xiang ni
ni dou bu xiangxin
dan que zong aiwen wo you
meiyou xiang ni
wo bu dong de tianyanmiyu
suoyi zhi shuo hao xiang ni
fanzheng shuo lai shuo qu
dou zhi xiang rang ni kaixin
hao xiang ni hao xiang ni hao
xiang ni hao xiang ni
shi zhen de zhen de hao xiang ni
bushi jia de jia de hao xiang ni
hao xiang ni hao xiang ni hao xiang ni hao xiang ni hao xiang ni
shi gou li gou li hao xiang ni
zhen de xibeixi bei hao xiang ni
hao xiang ni hao xiang ni hao
xiang ni hao xiang ni
she zhen de zhen de hao xiang ni
bushi jia de jia de hao xiang ni
hao xiang ni hao xiang ni hao
xiang ni hao xiang ni
shi gou li gou li hao xiang ni
zhen de xibeixi bei hao xiang ni
hao xiang ni
hao xiang ni
hao xiang ni
It is difficult to interpret the lyrics of Sonny Stitt's song "Constellation" because the lyrics are not in English but appear to be in Mandarin. The lyrics seem to be expressing longing and desire for someone, perhaps a lover or a friend. The singer wants to communicate with the person and wishes they could send a message via the wind or a phone call. The singer paints a picture of their daily routine and notes that no matter the weather, they always think of this person. The lyrics repeat the phrase "hao xiang ni" which means "really miss you." Despite the singer's efforts to express their feelings, the person they miss does not believe them and the singer feels like they have failed to convey their love properly.
Despite the language barrier, "Constellation" is a beautiful and emotional song that captures the universal feeling of missing someone. The melody of the song is haunting and evocative and Stitt's saxophone playing perfectly captures the longing expressed in the lyrics. This song is a testament to the power of music to transcend language barriers and convey deep emotion.
Line by Line Meaning
Xiang yao chuansong yi feng jianxun gei ni
I want to send a breeze to you, conveying my thoughts and feelings to you.
Wo hao xiang hao xiang ni
I really miss you, you're always on my mind.
Xiang yao like datong dianhua gei ni
I want to connect with you as if I'm talking to you on the telephone, sharing everything with you.
Meitian qichuang de di yi jian shiqing jiushi hao xiang hao xiang ni
Every morning, the first thing on my mind is you, and I can't help but miss you.
Wulun qingtian haishi xia yu dou hao xiang hao xiang ni
No matter if it's sunny or raining, I'm always missing you.
Mei ci dang wo yi shuo wo hao xiang ni ni dou bu xiangxin
Every time I tell you I miss you, you don't believe me.
Dan que zong aiwen wo you meiyou xiang ni wo bu dong de tianyanmiyu suoyi zhi shuo hao xiang ni
But I always love you, even if you're not aware of it, so I can only express my feelings silently to you.
Fanzheng shuo lai shuo qu dou zhi xiang rang ni kaixin hao xiang ni hao xiang ni hao xiang ni
Whether it's an argument or a conversation, I just want to make you happy, always missing you.
Shi zhen de shen de hao xiang ni bushi jia de jia de hao xiang ni hao xiang ni
I really, truly miss you from the bottom of my heart, it's not just a superficial feeling.
Hao xiang ni hao xiang ni hao xiang ni hao xiang ni hao xiang ni
I miss you so much, so much, so much, you are constantly on my mind.
Shi gou li gou li hao xiang ni zhen de xibeixi bei hao xiang ni hao xiang ni
The dogs and the wolves miss you too, really, truly, they also can't stop thinking about you.
Hao xiang ni hao xiang ni hao xiang ni hao xiang ni hao xiang ni
I miss you so much, so much, so much, you are constantly on my mind.
She zhen de zhen de hao xiang ni bushi jia de jia de hao xiang ni hao xiang ni
I really, really, really miss you, it's not just a casual feeling.
Hao xiang ni hao xiang ni hao xiang ni
I miss you so much, so much, so much.
Contributed by Grace E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.