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]
How Do You Do
Sonny Stitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But they wouldn't hurt you, not much
Since everyone spread the story
With his own little personal touch
Do nothin' till you hear from me
Pay no attention to what's said
Why people tear the seam of anyone's dream
Do nothin' till you hear from me
At least consider our romance
If you should take the word of others you've heard
I haven't a chance
True I've been seen with someone new
But does that mean that I'm untrue
When we're apart the words in my heart
Reveal how I feel about you
Some kiss may cloud my memory
And other arms may hold a thrill
But please do nothin' till you hear it from me
And you never will
Do nothin' till you hear from me
Do nothin' till you hear from me
Pay no attention to what's said
Why people tear the seam of anyone's dream
Is over my head
Do nothin' till you hear from me
At least consider our romance
If you should take the word of others you've heard
I haven't a chance
True I've been seen with someone new
But does that mean that I'm untrue
When we're apart the words in my heart
Reveal how I feel about you
Some kiss may cloud my memory
And other arms may hold a thrill
But please do nothin' till you hear it from me
And you never will
The lyrics of Sonny Stitt's "How Do You Do" explore the damaging effects of hearsay and how it can lead to misunderstandings and miscommunications in relationships. The song begins with the idea that someone started a rumor, and it has since been passed on and embellished with each retelling. Stitt advises the listener not to believe everything they hear and to wait until they hear directly from the source before taking any action or making judgments. He suggests that people are quick to tear apart others' dreams, but the reasons behind their actions are often unknown and can be difficult to understand.
Stitt then turns his attention to his own situation, reassuring his love interest that despite rumors that he's been seen with someone new, it doesn't mean he's been unfaithful. He acknowledges that others may try to cloud his memory with kisses and hold a momentary thrill, but his true feelings remain with his partner. He urges them to ignore the gossip and to trust that he will always be honest with them.
Overall, the lyrics of "How Do You Do" emphasize the importance of open communication and trusting in one's own judgment rather than relying on hearsay.
Line by Line Meaning
Someone told someone and someone told you
The news may be spread from one person to another until it reaches you
But they wouldn't hurt you, not much
The news is unlikely to hurt you
Since everyone spread the story with his own little personal touch
The news may be embellished or altered by each person who passes it on
Do nothin' till you hear from me
Don't take any action until you receive word from me directly
Pay no attention to what's said
Don't give credence to rumors or gossip
Why people tear the seam of anyone's dream is over my head
I don't understand why people try to undermine others' hopes and aspirations
At least consider our romance
Think about the relationship we have before making any decisions based on hearsay
If you should take the word of others you've heard, I haven't a chance
If you believe what others say about me, our relationship is unlikely to survive
True I've been seen with someone new, but does that mean that I'm untrue
It's true that I've spent time with someone else, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm being unfaithful
When we're apart the words in my heart reveal how I feel about you
My feelings for you are true and remain unchanged even when we're not together
Some kiss may cloud my memory and other arms may hold a thrill
I may have had other experiences that were enjoyable, but they do not diminish my feelings for you
But please do nothin' till you hear it from me, and you never will
Please don't act on rumors or gossip because I will always tell you directly
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DUKE ELLINGTON, BOB RUSSELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
royalcitysax
Good videos, Soren! This lick is using "CESH": Contrapuntal Elaboration of Static Harmony. Jerry Coker explains it with examples from Stitt and many other soloists in his "Elements of the Jazz Language" book, and other books of Coker's.
SorenBallegaardMusic
I did not know that this had a name hahahaha.
Thank you so much for saying and messaging me.
Love your input.
Let me know if you have comments to other videos. Really nice input.
:)
All the best to you
Get Your Sax Together
Yo dude! I just did a video on Sonny Stitt as well - what a legend. 🤛🏻
Looks like we’ve got a similar set up as well, Mk 6 and vintage link??
SorenBallegaardMusic
Great, I will check it out. Indeed, same setup :)
Stanley Zappa
awesome. thank you!
SorenBallegaardMusic
Thank you Stanley. Its always great to hear that the things you do are appreciated! Wonderfull.
Andrew Wright
Great video lesson.. nice playing.
Can I ask what sax and mouthpiece you use. Nice one
SorenBallegaardMusic
Hi Andrew, Thank you so much for you positive comment. I am playing a Otto link babbit refaced 6 - now a 8,5 - 9. My saxophone is a Selmer mk VI - 86xxx. Its a very nice mouthpiece which fits perfectly with the very beatiful horn. :)
Pascal Thouvenin
Without Bird, Stitt is nobody, work on Bird directly, he is God, you will save time.
Jazz Morgan
I would say I enjoy stitt more than bird. The vocabulary is very similar but I think I like Stitts time feel more, where he puts his lines. That’s why I transcribe stitt more than Parker.