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 Cover the Waterfront
Sonny Stitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm watching the sea,
Will the one I love,
Be coming back to me?
I cover the waterfront,
In search of my love,
And I'm covered by,
Here am I,
Patiently waiting,
Hoping and longing,
Oh! How I yearn!
Where are you?
Are you forgetting?
Do you remember?
Will you return?
I cover the waterfront,
I'm watching the sea,
For the one I love,
Must come back to me.
The lyrics to Sonny Stitt Quartet's song I Cover the Waterfront reflect the heartbreak and longing of someone waiting for their lover to return. The singer of the song is watching the sea as they cover the waterfront, hoping and waiting for their lover to come back to them. They are covered by a starless sky above, representing the darkness and sadness of their situation. The singer is patiently waiting and yearning for their lover to return, but they are left wondering if their lover is forgetting about them. However, their hope and longing remain strong as they cling onto the possibility of their lover's return.
The repetition of "I cover the waterfront" symbolizes the singer's tireless efforts to search for their lover. As they move from one end of the waterfront to the other, they are consumed by the thought of their lover coming back to them. The use of rhetorical questions like "Where are you?" and "Will you return?" adds to the lamenting tone of the song, emphasizing the singer's uncertainty and desperation.
Overall, the lyrics to I Cover the Waterfront are a powerful expression of love and loss. The song captures the melancholic tone of someone waiting for their lover to return, highlighting the uncertainty, impatience and hopelessness that comes with such situations.
Line by Line Meaning
I cover the waterfront,
I am exploring every inch of the area near the water in search of something or someone
I'm watching the sea,
I am keeping a close eye on the water in anticipation
Will the one I love,
Am I going to be reunited with my beloved?
Be coming back to me?
Will my beloved return to me?
I cover the waterfront,
I continue to search through the waterfront surroundings
In search of my love,
I am looking for my true love
And I'm covered by,
The starless sky above me is hiding me
A starless sky above.
There are no stars to light my way, leaving me in the dark
Here am I,
I am still here, waiting
Patiently waiting,
I am waiting calmly and with great patience
Hoping and longing,
I am filled with hope and yearning
Oh! How I yearn!
I deeply long for what is missing in my life
Where are you?
I am wondering where you are
Are you forgetting?
Have you forgotten about me?
Do you remember?
Do you still remember me?
Will you return?
Will you come back and be reunited with me?
I cover the waterfront,
I am still combing the waterfront area
I'm watching the sea,
I am still keeping a close eye on the water
For the one I love,
I long for the return of my true love
Must come back to me.
I am expecting my beloved to return to my side
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Edward Heyman, John W. Green
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lastknowngood0
This is a very cool rendition Ru. I still love it <3
@lastknowngood0
Love this song it reminds me of Copenhagen's Waterfront where The City Bar, plus a few other other Clubs swing on into the early morning hours. <<<3
@howardgibson3421
Head bobbing, finger popping, swinging tune reminds me of my former home town the windy City Chicago, Love this tune makes me think of Joe Segal Jazz show case club.Joe had all the Jazz master's, work their magic at the show case. I really miss Chicago and all that great Jazz.,
@lastknowngood0
Classic SS doing one of my film noir theme Faves ! Outstanding Ru ~ Hmmmm all those Bird Licks on an album entitled "Don't call me Bird" Ego-Speak trageek ~ <3 ;-)
@lastknowngood0
<<<3 OKA must have a lot of waterfront. I'm thinking of the beautiful Music we could make! Just Hachimitsu & me Baby makes 3, Oh Yeah!
@yeankim690
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