(February 2, 1924 – July 22, 1982)
Sonny Stitt was born Edward Hammond Boatner Jr. in Boston, Massachusetts. His birth father, Edward Boatner, was a baritone singer, composer, and college music professor and his mother was a piano teacher. He was placed for adoption in 1924 by his father and adopted by the Stitt family in Saginaw, Michigan.
Sonny Stitt is one of the most recorded saxophonists of all time. Like his fellow Sonny, Criss, he received criticism for imitating Charlie Parker, however his early work is often mistunderstood.
Although Stitt's early improvisations were heavily influenced by Parker, this was generally on a melodic and harmonic level. Sonny Stitt's rhythmic approach was very different to Parker's, bearing more similarity to the earlier Benny Carter. He played long flowing lines that clearly outlined the harmony. While he deployed a harmonic aesthetic that taken from Parker, he codified and homogenised Parker's language. Stitt had immaculate control of resolution points, effortlessly achieving harmonic perfection at every rhythmic subdivision his solos, in a way that other musicians of his generation could not.
Stitt's move to tenor demonstrates his affinity for the playing of Lester Young, his study of which helped him make greater use of contrasting melodic phraes. His immense recorded output has left a legacy to study. His control of harmonic resolution points over long lines set a new standard for future generations. The influence of Johnny Hodges on Sonny Stitt is also apparent, particularly at slower tempos.
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