[Music]
DC Music Salon: Sonny Stitt

About This Event

Sonny Stitt, jazz sax legend, passed away in DC thirty years ago this summer. An avid disciple of Charlie Parker's, Stitt developed his own style, which influenced John Coltrane and a generation of others. Stitt's name comes up time and again as a bebop/hard-bop mainstay, but one can't ignore his blues and ballads, we can conclude Ellington would say Stitt's playing is "beyond category." He played alongside a virtual who’s-who of the most important names in jazz -- Billy Eckstine, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Sonny Rollins, Art Blakey, Thelonious Monk -- to name just a few. Unlike many of his list-topping contemporaries, Stitt is less of a household name. We're going to try to learn why this is, as we hear more about the man behind the amazing sound -- and, of course, listen to some of his music!

This month, we're lucky to have the opportunity to learn more about this great musician from his daughter Katea Stitt, WPFW's longtime Music and Cultural Affairs Coordinator. Ms. Stitt, a much-loved leader of DC's arts community, has her own production company, Anyanwu Management. She's worked with Ntozake Shange, Lester Bowie, Sekou Sundiata, Defunkt, the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival, and Sweet Honey In The Rock, among others. She will be interviewed about her late father by her friend Askia Muhammad, who is News Director at WPFW, as well as a poet, radio producer, commentator and, for over thirty years, a journalist. This special evening (note it's a Monday) is presented in conjunction with the DC Jazz Festival, so arrive early!