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]
Count Every Star
Sonny Stitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Count every rose, every firefly
For that's how many times I miss you
Heaven knows I miss you
Count every leaf on a willow tree
Count every wave on a stormy sea
Count every star and darling when you do
Count every leaf on a willow tree
Count every wave on a stormy sea
Count every star and darling when you do
You'll know the times I have cried for you
In Sonny Stitt's song "Count Every Star," the lyrics express the deep longing and yearning for a loved one who is no longer present. The song begins by urging the listener to count every star in the midnight sky, every rose, and every firefly. These natural and celestial elements become symbolic representations of the vastness and beauty of the world. The repetition of "count every" emphasizes the meticulous effort the singer is willing to put into remembering and cherishing their beloved.
The lyrics continue with the statement that by counting these objects, one will understand the extent of the singer's longing and how much they miss their loved one. The phrase "Heaven knows I miss you" further emphasizes the depth of their feelings, implying that not only do they long for the person's presence, but it is also a longing that transcends earthly boundaries.
The repetition of the lines "Count every leaf on a willow tree, count every wave on a stormy sea, count every star" reinforces the intensity of the emotions felt. The imagery of a willow tree, known for its graceful, flowing branches, and a stormy sea, evokes a sense of turbulence and emotional upheaval. These natural elements are used to communicate the vastness of the singer's emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Count every star in the midnight sky
Take the time to meticulously and attentively observe each and every star that illuminates the sky during the late hours of the night
Count every rose, every firefly
Thoroughly enumerate and keep track of the exact number of roses and fireflies that exist in the world, acknowledging their beauty and significance
For that's how many times I miss you
The amount of times I yearn for your presence and long for your company is equivalent to the sum of every counted star, rose, and firefly
Heaven knows I miss you
It is widely known and deeply understood by the heavens and all that is sacred that I profoundly yearn for you
Count every leaf on a willow tree
Devote your attention to meticulously enumerating each and every leaf that graces the branches of a graceful willow tree
Count every wave on a stormy sea
Take the time to diligently count and account for every single wave that crashes upon the turbulent surface of a tempestuous sea
Count every star and darling when you do
Carefully tally up the precise number of stars that fill the sky, my beloved, and once you complete this task
You'll know the times I have cried for you
You will gain an understanding of the depth and magnitude of the moments when tears have streamed down my face because of my longing for you
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Sammy Gallop, Bernard Paul Marie Georges Michel, Bruno Andre Coquatrix
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
SelectCircle
This is QUITE a tune!
節子ちやん
👑👑👑👑👑
Timo Partanen
Very nice, Otaku-san. There is also an octet version of this I guess, with Sonny again on tenor.
60otaku4
Thank you dhouchi-san!! Otaku4 (^_^)/
60otaku4
Thanks so much, Timo Partanen-san!! Otaku4 d(^_^)b
dennis ouchi
nice post. like sonny.