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 Want To Be Happy
Sonny Stitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trying to work out life's happy plan
Doing unto others as I'd like to have them doing unto me
When I find a very lonely soul
Soon be-kinda-comes my only goal
I feel so much better when I tell them my philosophy
But I won't be happy
Till I make you happy too.
Life's really worth living
When we are mirth giving
Why can't I give some to you
When skies are gray and you say you are blue
I'll send the sun smiling through
I want to be happy
But I won't be happy
Till I make you happy too.
When skies are gray and you say you are blue
I'll send the sun smiling through
I want to be happy
But I won't be happy
Till I make you happy too.
The lyrics to Sonny Stitt Bud Powell & J.J. Johnson's song "I Want to be Happy" express a desire for happiness, not just for oneself, but for others as well. The singer acknowledges their "ordinary" status, but still seeks to find "life's happy plan." To do this, the singer believes in treating others kindly and helping those who are lonely to find companionship. By following their philosophy, the singer feels better about themselves and their place in the world.
The chorus of the song repeats the desire for happiness, but adds the caveat that the singer won't be truly happy until they make someone else happy too. The singer believes that life is most fulfilling when we are able to bring joy to others. When someone they care about is feeling sad, they want to be able to bring them happiness, like sending the sun smiling through on a gray day.
Overall, the song expresses a belief that happiness is not just an individual pursuit, but something that should be shared with others. By helping others find happiness, the singer hopes to find it themselves, creating a cycle of joy that benefits everyone.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm a very ordinary man
I am a regular and common individual
Trying to work out life's happy plan
I am attempting to figure out the ideal way to lead a happy life
Doing unto others as I'd like to have them doing unto me
I treat others as I would like to be treated myself
When I find a very lonely soul
If I come across someone who is feeling alone and isolated
Soon be-kinda-comes my only goal
Helping that person becomes my main objective
I feel so much better when I tell them my philosophy
Sharing my beliefs with them brings me great satisfaction and contentment
I want to be happy
My own happiness is important to me
But I won't be happy
However, I cannot be fully content
Till I make you happy too.
Unless I can also make you happy as well.
Life's really worth living
The essence of existence is truly valuable
When we are mirth giving
During moments of joy-sharing
Why can't I give some to you
I do not understand why I cannot share my happiness with you
When skies are gray and you say you are blue
When your mood is low and you feel unhappy
I'll send the sun smiling through
I will try to lift your spirits and bring joy back into your life
But I won't be happy
Still, my own happiness cannot be complete
Till I make you happy too.
Until I manage to make you feel happy as well.
When skies are gray and you say you are blue
Once again, when you feel unhappy and dejected
I'll send the sun smiling through
My goal is to bring joy into your life, to make you feel better
But I won't be happy
However, my happiness cannot be complete
Till I make you happy too.
Unless I can bring happiness to you as well.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IRVING CAESAR, VINCENT YOUMANS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John High/Jazz Channel
Stitt had his own sound!!! I would'nt compare him with Bird. If you are really listening, you will hear Stitt's identity. Listen to his elongated ideas, phrasing and articulation. He was very unique and fantastic!
Gary Claytor
Absolute genius! My favorite sax player and that includes all before and after.
BNforever2009
all i can say is i could never do what Stitt did on the alto and tenor. That guy is exellent and he is jazz history. I know Cannonball coulld align himself right there with him and both could make the bomb explode!
2fast
Sonny Stitt was the only musician of his time to rival Charlie Parker in speed, precision, and technical ability.
Lawrence Muller
Plus he played both alto and tenor sexophones.
Matias Alucema
@Lawrence Muller Parker also played tenor.
fsubilly
Good gracious...the precision and speed...spot-on, every note. Unreal!
caponsacchi
No saxophonist should try to go very far before listening to Sonny Stitt--not that he's the most original or innovative, but the logic of his melodic constructions, the cleanness of his tone and attack, his impeccable technique are a textbook of how to play the saxophone--tenor or alto. I love hearing him opposite Rollins on that Diz date, "Sonny Side Up." And Roberta Gambarini has memorized the solos of all 3, singing them back perfectly, in the proper register of each instrument.
Ulf Nordin
Is stars available? 6 out of five. Incredible. Music never gets better. +60 years and it still is more than okay.
exjazzbass baz
ON ANY SAX STITT WAS ONE OF THE GREATS