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]
On The Sunny Side Of The Street
Sonny Stitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I had nothing but shadows
Then one morning you passed
And I brightened at last
Now I greet the day and complete the day
With the sun in my heart
All my worry blew away
When you taught me how to say
Grab your coat and get your hat
Leave your worry on the doorstep
Just direct your feet
To the sunny side of the street
Can't you hear a pitter-pat?
And that happy tune is your step
Life can be so sweet
On the sunny side of the street
I used to walk in the shade
With those blues on parade
But I'm not afraid
This Rover crossed over
If I never have a cent
I'd be rich as Rockefeller
Gold dust at my feet
On the sunny side of the street
Grab your street
On The Sunny Side Of The Street by Sonny Stitt is a jubilant song about experiencing a complete change in outlook and discovering a better way of life, through the embodiment of the sunny side of the street. The first verse of the song describes a person who has been wandering aimlessly and being constantly troubled, until they encounter someone or something that brings sunshine into their life, I.e., the person passing by. The chorus, which is the most memorable part of the song, has a set of instructions for how to achieve happiness and prosperity. The person is reminded to forget their troubles, and embrace the positivity that life has to offer by taking a walk on the sunny side of the street. In doing so, they will hear some cheerful tunes that will become the soundtrack to their life.
The following verse takes on a more personal note, wherein the singer realizes how much they had been struggling before the "rover crossed over" to the sunny side of the street. The metaphorical representation of crossing over underlines how being on the sunny side of the street helps make life more productive, and worthwhile. Lastly, the song uses the metaphor of the person being as rich as Rockefeller, further emphasizing that being on the sunny side of the street renders material wealth obsolete as joy is a more significant form of currency.
Line by Line Meaning
Walked with no one and talked with no one
I used to be alone and keep everything to myself
And I had nothing but shadows
My life had no substance, only a feeling of darkness inside
Then one morning you passed
Suddenly, someone special came into my life
And I brightened at last
I finally felt happy and alive
Now I greet the day and complete the day
Every day feels fulfilling and satisfying
With the sun in my heart
I feel warmth and joy inside of me
All my worry blew away
My concerns and anxieties disappeared
When you taught me how to say
You showed me the way to live happily and confidently
Grab your coat and get your hat
Get ready to go outside and enjoy life
Leave your worry on the doorstep
Don't let any negative thoughts or emotions hold you back
Just direct your feet
Take control and move forward with determination
To the sunny side of the street
Focus on the positive and embrace optimism
Can't you hear a pitter-pat?
Listen to the sound of your footsteps with joy
And that happy tune is your step
Let your happiness and contentment radiate from you
Life can be so sweet
Life is full of beauty and goodness
On the sunny side of the street
When you have a positive attitude and embrace positivity
I used to walk in the shade
I used to live in negativity and sadness
With those blues on parade
I was surrounded by negative thoughts and feelings
But I'm not afraid
But now, I am happy and content
This Rover crossed over
I have moved on from my past and am now living a happy life
If I never have a cent
Even if I never have much money or material possessions
I'd be rich as Rockefeller
I feel wealthy and blessed in my life
Gold dust at my feet
I feel surrounded by abundance and good fortune
On the sunny side of the street
When you focus on the positive, life is beautiful and full of excitement
Lyrics © SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC.
Written by: DOROTHY FIELDS, JIMMY MC HUGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
boomerang905
So cool. Sonny could be sooo warm and soulful. As a young adult in 1973 on a Saturday in May, I went to see him perform in the Bamboo Room about 3 blocks from my home. Omg 😀😀
DrJones
Happy birthday Sonny Stitt by the way! And Stan Getz!
Ettore Ulivelli
Chubby
Ettore Ulivelli
Chubby Hairy w thick
Valka Solidor
Great track thanks. And a glass of Manischewitz sounds like a nice idea while I let winter play out.