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Sonny Stitt, Saxophonist born

Sonny Stitt

*Edward “Sonny” Stitt was born on this date in 1924. He was a Black jazz saxophonist and one of jazz's most consistently important reed musicians.

Stitt was from Boston, Massachusetts, and began his career in the 1940s playing with Dizzy Gillespie. He led his combos in the 1950s and 1960s, traveling around the United States and abroad, and played with Norman Granz’s Jazz at the Philharmonic. His connection with the early bebop music and its players gave him a steady and devoted fan base. Stitt’s performances often gave listeners proof that he was one of the best at what he represented in the crowded reed players of jazz.

As traditional jazz grew compliant to the rock and roll of the 1960s and beyond, essential jazz figures such as Stitt seemed to fade from the public's ear and heart. Always conscious of his musical identity, he switched from alto saxophone to tenor to avoid comparisons between his music and that of Charlie Parker. He also proved to be equally talented on the tenor, alto, and baritone saxophone. Sonny Stitt died on July 22, 1982, in Washington, D.C.

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