Sonny Stitt - Everything Happens To Me - Jazz Giants - Tivoli november 1971

The beautiful thing is that,no matter how many notes come out of one of Sonny's rapid flurries, he means every single one of them.

My name is Lance Parker I'm from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania I met Sonny Stitt when I was 17 years old the University of Pittsburgh jazz lecture with dr. Nathan Davis after the lecture Sonny Stitt and I became very good friends that night he ate dinner at my home in Squirrel Hill my grandmother made spaghetti chicken steak in Sunny became great friends with me I was studying with Jerome Levine from Carnegie Mellon University the saxophone studying classical saxophone two days a week but after I have to say after I met Sonny my life changed I began going on the road with him to Buffalo Rochester Columbus Cincinnati went to Columbus and played it a place called The Taj Mahal in The High Chaparral with greats such as Jimmy Smith Abraham laboriel Kenny Clark Monty Alexander Don Patterson Louis Hayes slide Hampton jaki byard and many more over the various cities I stayed in the hotel with him can go out onto the gigs with him in the evenings he would bring me up the last half an hour to play with him up on stage but during the day we would go to the conference room so the hotels and that's where he would teach me what he taught me was the craft that is unbelievable not only do I have improvisational skills but he taught me how to play a big fat tone on the tenor saxophone like Coleman Hawkins and Euston person and also himself those big fluffy sub tones in the lower register big fat sounds in 1978 he gave me his Mark 7 tenor saxophone which I played all my life which he cherry-picked at Elkhart Indiana at the summer Factory where he sat down with over 20 horns over 6 hours and picked a worn-out that is the horn that I have cherry-picked Mark 7 tenor saxophone that Sonny Stitt hand-picked he also gave me his 1938 busher Biggby alto saxophone which I have to this day over the years I played various mouthpieces but I have finally settled on a Bobby dukoff Nine Star metal mouthpiece with a number 3 Rico Royal Reed I am 64 years old now and can still remember every job and gig that I went to and studied with him at the hotels during the day at night in the middle of the night I would hear the bag ruffle with his Nikolai vodka where he would take his ships during the night Sonny Stitt had a virtuoso of the saxophone in my opinion as good as Charlie Parker and in some ways could be possibly even better because of this commanding sound in cutting-edge patterns I thank God everyday of the memories that I have of going on the road with the great Sonny Stitt and him teaching me how to play I still play to this day and I'm a very well-known saxophone player in the Greater Pittsburgh area and 1976 when I was 19 years old I want a nationwide contest at Cedar Point amusement park to play in their big Bicentennial show America Sings Cedar Point auditioned all over the United States New York Los Angeles Chicago Detroit Pittsburgh I was cherry-picked to be the tenor saxophone player for the show where we played music from the 40s 50s 60s and 70s over the years I've played with many famous people in many shows and 446 years off and on with the great Jimmy Sapienza and five guys named Moe from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania I play now is Series 3 Model 64 tenor saxophone but I'm getting ready to get Sonny stitts 1978 Selmer Mark 7 tenor saxophone overhauled shortly with ostrich beds once it's done that will be the horn that I will continue to play as I played it for over 25 years it's a monster instrument and with a Nine Star metal mouthpiece Bobby Duke off the sounds absolutely fantastic most of the great musicians who were famous that I played with are all dead now but my memory lives on forever it was something that everybody in the world would have wished that they could have done but I did to travel with the great jazz legend Sonny Stitt and be his student this is Lance Parker from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania one thing I learned in order to be a great saxophone player you must practice 325 hours a day for years study classical saxophone and technique and then also do jazz and improvisation technique also the best way to do it is 3 hours of classical training through different books such as the Gustavo Rosary book the Klose book and Lennie niehaus Jazz studies book study 3 hours classical in 2 hours Jazz do it for years and you too can become a great saxophone player nothing is easy that's for sure again God bless the great Sonny Stitt my dear friend and teacher

Glad I had the privilege to not only know him, but to 'hang' out with him on many occasions. One of the best ever!

There aren't enough words in the entire universe to describe the eloquent delivery of this wonderful musician.

Sonny Stitt.  God almighty could he play.    

Remember Sonny Stitt from a child. His Mother was gifted in her own right! One of the Greatest Saxophone Artist I ever heard.

Sonny, left us such a magnificent musical legacy of the most beautiful alto,tenor and on occasion baritone saxophone, that will last to the end of creation. Sonny tone is so beautiful, so pure,his style of every single note counts it sets him apart from many other musicians.Recording over a hundred albums.Sonny Stitt aka Lone Wolf belongs at the top of his class in the Jazz hall of Fame.Thank you my brother the world is a better place because of your eloquently beautiful music.RIP Lone Wolf!!!!

Sonny Stitt!!! Such an amazing musician.

He just brings tears to my eyes... Wish I could have seen him live.

Sonny Stitt, always a joy, had the real pleasure of seeing him live many times in the 60s. Treasured memories.

Stitt is one of my fave sax players of all time - a GOAT for sure

So very lyrical. This dude had a very mystical quality to his soloing. One of my favorite jazz dudes. Listen to those lines at yhe end of this piece. Damn.

I didn’t think I was a fan of jazz but this man is changing my mind! 😮

Electronically the sax looks on fire,how symbolic!!

Masterful performance! What a sound! .... Thank you so much!

the best version of this incredible composition

Caught him at The Village Vanguard in the early ‘70’s. Memorable performance

Badass Sonny.Every one of them is a GIANT. Over 50 years ago, God bless them all.

Nobody owns this song like S.Stitt

Tellement magnifique ! J'adore Sonny Stitt !