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]
I'm In The Mood For Love
Sonny Stitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Simply because you're near me.
Funny, but when you're near me
I'm in the mood for love.
Heaven is in your eyes
Bright as the stars we're under
Oh! Is it any wonder
Why stop to think of whether
This little dream might fade?
We've put our hearts together
Now we are one, I'm not afraid!
If there's a cloud above
If it should rain we'll let it
But for tonight, forget it!
I'm in the mood for love
The opening lines of Sonny Stitt's classic 'I'm In the Mood for Love' captures the essence of pure love in the simplest form. As the singer croons about being in a romantic mood, it's not just a random feeling that engulfs them, but the presence of the loved one makes it all more special. The energy and chemistry of being together are well captured in the lines "Simply because you're near me. Funny, but when you're near me I'm in the mood for love." It highlights the power of love and how it can spark certain emotions within us.
As the stanza moves forward, the lyrics take a poetic turn with the reference to 'Heaven' in the loved one's eyes. It symbolizes the pure and untainted love between the two, which is as bright as the stars they are under. The singer is in awe of their partner and, in a moment of absolute charm, wonders if they could ever not be in the mood for love. The following lines, "Why stop to think of whether this little dream might fade? We've put our hearts together, now we are one, I'm not afraid!" showcase how the singer does not shy away from loving and taking risks. The lover's courage to embrace love despite the fear of losing it forms the crux of this song.
In the next verse, the singer acknowledges that life may not always be fair and that cloudy days and rainy nights may come. But instead of thinking about tomorrow, the singer encourages living in the present and soaking up the goodness of being together. The carefree and romantic undertones of the lines "But for tonight, forget it! I'm in the mood for love" signifies how the loved one's presence has a positive impact on the singer's life.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm in the mood for love
I feel a strong desire for love.
Simply because you're near me.
I am attracted to you and my feelings for you have put me in this mood.
Funny, but when you're near me
It may seem strange, but being close to you has this effect on me.
I'm in the mood for love.
I am feeling this way because of my emotions for you.
Heaven is in your eyes
Your eyes are so beautiful and radiant that they remind me of heaven.
Bright as the stars we're under
Your eyes shine just as brightly as the stars we are looking at together.
Oh! Is it any wonder
It's no surprise that I am in love with you because of your amazing eyes.
I'm in the mood for love?
My state of being is due to my adoration for you.
Why stop to think of whether
There's no need to worry about the future of our relationship.
This little dream might fade?
This moment we're sharing could be fleeting, but that doesn't matter right now.
We've put our hearts together
Our feelings for each other are united and strong.
Now we are one, I'm not afraid!
We are together and I am not afraid of the future because I have you by my side.
If there's a cloud above
If there is something troubling or difficult happening in our lives,
If it should rain we'll let it
We will face it together and let it happen.
But for tonight, forget it!
But for now, let's focus on our love and enjoy this moment together.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DOROTHY FIELDS, JIMMY MCHUGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind