Edward "Sonny" Stitt (born Edward Boatner, Jr., February 2, 1924 – July 22,… Read Full Bio ↴Edward "Sonny" Stitt (born Edward Boatner, Jr., February 2, 1924 – July 22, 1982), was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. He was one of the most well-documented saxophonists of his generation, recording over 100 albums. He was nicknamed the "Lone Wolf" by jazz critic Dan Morgenstern, in reference to his relentless touring and devotion to jazz.

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]

Walk On By
Sonny Stitt Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If you see me walking down the street
And I start to cry each time we meet
Walk on by, walk on by

Make believe
That you don't see the tears
Just let me grieve
In private 'cause each time I see you

I break down and cry
And walk on by (don't stop)
And walk on by (don't stop)
And walk on by

I just can't get over losing you
And so if I seem broken and blue
Walk on by, walk on by

Foolish pride
Is all that I have left
So let me hide
The tears and the sadness you gave me
When you said goodbye
Walk on by
And walk on by
I just can't get over losing you
And so if I seem broken and blue
Walk on by, walk on by

Foolish pride
Is all that I have left
So let me hide
The tears and the sadness you gave me
When you said goodbye
Walk on by
And walk on by

Walk on by (don't stop)
Walk on by (don't stop)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Walk On By" by Sonny Stitt convey feelings of heartbreak and the desire to hide one's emotions from an ex-lover who has caused them pain. The singer describes how they start to cry each time they see their ex and asks them to "walk on by" and pretend not to see their tears. The singer wants to grieve privately and not be reminded of the pain that their ex has caused them. The repetition of the phrase "walk on by" emphasizes the singer's desire for their ex to continue walking without stopping or acknowledging them.

The second verse reinforces the singer's feelings of heartbreak and their inability to move on from their lost love. The singer's "foolish pride," the only thing they have left, prevents them from openly expressing their sadness and tears. The pain of their separation is still very fresh, and the singer isn't ready to confront their emotions yet. Therefore, they ask their ex to continue walking and not stop to console them.

Overall, the lyrics of "Walk On By" express the universal pain of heartbreak and the desire to hide emotions caused by lost love. The singer's words convey a message of letting go and moving on, but not without first taking time to mourn in private.

Line by Line Meaning

If you see me walking down the street
If you happen to come across me walking down the street

And I start to cry each time we meet
And I become emotional every time I encounter you

Walk on by, walk on by
Just keep walking by and don't stop

Make believe
Pretend

That you don't see the tears
That you are not witnessing my tears

Just let me grieve
Just allow me to mourn

In private 'cause each time I see you
Alone because every time I see you

I break down and cry
I cannot help but burst into tears

And walk on by (don't stop)
And continue walking past me without stopping

And walk on by (don't stop)
And keep walking right past me without pausing

And walk on by
And simply carry on walking by

I just can't get over losing you
I am unable to move on from losing you

And so if I seem broken and blue
Therefore, if I appear shattered and unhappy

Walk on by, walk on by
Please just keep moving and don't stop

Foolish pride
My foolish sense of dignity

Is all that I have left
Is the only thing I still have

So let me hide
So let me conceal

The tears and the sadness you gave me
The tears and the distress that you caused me

When you said goodbye
When you left me

Walk on by
Please keep walking without stopping

And walk on by
And just carry on walking past me

Walk on by (don't stop)
Please do not cease walking onward

Walk on by (don't stop)
Walk right past me without halting

Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Integrity Music, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Burt Bacharach, Hal David

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

David Eastlee

3y↑1

Whoa...yeah Don makes SUCH great records... always a great sound with great players

Steve Stalzle

3y↑1

I love this version, and I own a copy of the album.

Howard Kleidman

10y↑5

Damn shame so few people have caught this gem. This is music!!

Weslee

6y↑2

WOW!!!! THIS IS AWESOME COVER OF THIS SONG!!! DON PATTERSON is among some of the greatest Organists of all time. So many great artists like this never receive their right deserve acclaim before they die. RIP DON PATTERSON-Jazz Organist great.

Kevin Young

7y↑2

I can't believe I'd never heard of this great jazz organist until recently. Many thanks to WHCJ-FM at Savannah State University in Georgia for turning me on to him...