Sonny Stitt

Edward Hammond Boatner Jr., known as Sonny Stitt, was born February 2, 1924, in Boston, Massachusetts. Though adopted and raised by the Stitt family in Saginaw, Michigan, he came from a highly musical background. His biological father Edward Boatner was a baritone singer and college music professor. His adoptive mother taught piano, and his brother was a classically trained pianist. This environment led young Sonny to piano lessons before he switched to clarinet, then saxophone. He received instruction from Wardell Gray and Big Nick Nicholas, both accomplished saxophonists who lodged with the Stitt family. By high school, Stitt performed in local swing bands and developed the technical command that would define his career.

In 1943, Stitt moved to New York at age nineteen and encountered Charlie Parker. This meeting proved revelatory and controversial. Parker remarked: “Well, I’ll be damned, you sound just like me.” Rather than discouraging Stitt, the encounter cemented his bebop identity. By 1945 he joined Dizzy Gillespie’s quintet at New York’s Spotlite club, replacing Leo Parker. He recorded his first solos on “Oop Bop Sh’bam” and “One Bass Hit,” establishing himself as one of bebop’s most fluent saxophonists. Stitt also recorded with Stan Getz and Billy Eckstine’s orchestra throughout the mid-1940s. His style employed broken phrases, free accenting, and chromatic harmonies with virtuoso technique.

By the early 1950s, Stitt’s scope expanded dramatically when he partnered with tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons. Together they led a competitive band and Stitt began mastering the baritone saxophone, an instrument he played with distinctive lyricism. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, he recorded prolifically for Prestige, Verve, and Atlantic Records. Notable albums included collaborations with Oscar Peterson’s trio in 1959 and duets with Dizzy Gillespie and Sonny Rollins on “Sonny Side Up” that same year. His 1964 album “Stitt Plays Bird” served as a tribute to Parker and demonstrated his hard-won independence. In 1960, Stitt briefly joined Miles Davis’s quintet. From 1971 to 1972 he participated in the all-star “Giants of Jazz” ensemble with Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, and Art Blakey.

Stitt’s later career showcased his adaptability and relentless work ethic. His 1963 album “Stitt Goes Latin” demonstrated fluency across genres, featuring pianist Chick Corea in Afro-Cuban jazz settings. The 1972 recording “Tune-Up!” with pianist Barry Harris, bassist Sam Jones, and drummer Alan Dawson combined his commanding bebop speed, clean lines, and technical brilliance. He also experimented with the Varitone electric saxophone, notably on 1966’s “What’s New.” Critic Dan Morgenstern nicknamed him “Lone Wolf” for his relentless touring and devotion to jazz. Stitt remained a working musician until his final weeks and died of a heart attack on July 22, 1982, in Washington, D.C., at age fifty-eight. He left behind over 500 recordings and a legacy as master of multiple saxophones and a central voice in bebop jazz.