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]
Just Friends
Sonny Stitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just friends, but not like before
To think of what we've been and not to kiss again
Seems like pretending it isn't the ending
Two friends drifting apart
Two friends, but one broken heart
We loved, we laughed, we cried, and suddenly love died
The lyrics to Sonny Stitt's song "Just Friends" describe a couple who were once in love but have now moved on to being just friends. The first line "Just friends, lovers no more" sets the tone for the entire song, as it establishes that the relationship has ended. The next line "Just friends, but not like before" indicates that although they are still friends, their relationship has changed and will not be the same as it was before.
The chorus "To think of what we've been and not to kiss again, seems like pretending it isn't the ending" conveys the bittersweet feeling of reminiscing about their past relationship but knowing that it is over. The next two lines "Two friends drifting apart, two friends, but one broken heart" denote the sadness and disappointment that comes with breaking up and the emotional impact it has on both partners.
The final line "We loved, we laughed, we cried, and suddenly love died" sums up the entire relationship, emphasizing that they had good times and bad times, but in the end, love just wasn't enough.
Line by Line Meaning
Just friends, lovers no more
We used to be in a romantic relationship, but we have now transitioned to just being friends.
Just friends, but not like before
We still maintain a friendship, but it's not the same as when we were in a romantic relationship.
To think of what we've been and not to kiss again
It's difficult to reflect on our past romantic experiences together and refrain from physical intimacy.
Seems like pretending it isn't the ending
Trying to ignore the fact that our romantic relationship has ended feels like a futile attempt to deny reality.
Two friends drifting apart
Our friendship is slowly fading away due to the change in our romantic relationship status.
Two friends, but one broken heart
Though we've maintained our friendship, one of us is still struggling with the emotional fallout of the breakup.
We loved, we laughed, we cried, and suddenly love died
We experienced a range of emotions together during our relationship, but it ultimately came to an end unexpectedly.
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Written by: JOHN KLENNER, SAM M. LEWIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@thfloydloyd
I heard him when I was a teenager. He was playing in a club with Red Holloway and they were fantastic. Sonny wasn't feeling well that night, apparently because of dental problems, but he still rose to the occasion and left our collectives jaws hanging.
@terrryc
First of all, Sonny was his own thing. Compare him to Bird if you must, but the two were distinctively seperate, so we now have two great players to admire and study.
@ramakumarjones758
Several people on this comments section said they wished they could have met Sonny Stitt- and heard him playing live-in person.
I was lucky enough to have met Sonny Stitt and to have worked twelve nights with him in Cleveland in the 1970's (I played bass with him and two local musicians I knew and was friends with).
Sonny Stitt was absolutely the most inspiring and trilling musician I have ever played with.
I feel so fortunate to have been able to play with this fantastic improviser. And it was also beautiful to have spent some time talking with him and knowing him as a person. Sonny Stitt was truly a great human being. Ramakumar Fairfax, CA
@c.thompson6638
You lucky guy to have played with Stitt. Close to heaven on earth.
@jazzforever7433
You was so lucky to meet him
@ziruini5071
Thanks amazing, thanks for sharing !
@mattthejazzcat6069
What an honor!!
@mortweiss3151
Sonny was the best.
@paxwallacejazz
Players like Stitt are just axiomatic can't be denied. Somehow just staying in the sweet spot and just refining Bird a bit man it's powerful and always works .. I am glad he was out there.
@JD-gh9vl
Ain't nobody got a style like this, my favorite jazz piece the fast and smooth syncopation style he plays is unmatched! Sadly many people don't appreciate this kind of music especially the young these days