Sonny Clark - The Complete Sonny Clark Blue Note Sessions (Remastered) (2023)

It’s impossible to sum up Sonny Clark’s music as sounding like the music of one player or another without adding a “but” to the description, including appreciative words about one component or another of his playing that was his alone.
Yes, he could match the speed and rhythmic inventiveness of Powell, but added a lyrical effortlessness that was never Powell’s. In a hard bop vein, he could recall Horace Silver, but Clark was groovier and more buoyant. When Clark would give voice to his bluesy side – as he did on two dates focusing on shorter-length singles for the jukebox market – he was matchless.

The extended solos of his trio work revealed what was frequently a horn-like and fluid approach to playing, sometimes catching him discover, become fascinated with, and deeply explore a new harmonic or rhythmic idiom, without ever abandoning his natural instinct to swing.

His “Sonny Clark Trio” date from October of 1957 is undoubtedly one of the best examples anywhere, from anyone, of how piano, bass, and drums can work together to create as satisfying a musical experience you could hope to find. Clark’s ensemble dates are easy evidence of why he was so often chosen to occupy the piano bench.

It’s hard to imagine a more careful, thoughtful, and supportive teammate, always listening, always filling holes, always economically moving a tune forward with just the right beam of light.

Even in his last session for Blue Note in 1962, regardless of what his lifestyle was doing to his life, his musical instincts were sharp, critical, challenging and lively, proving good support isn’t just welcome, it’s indispensable. The album of that session, “Leapin’ And Lopin,’” is on at least one list of the most essential albums from 1945 to 1970, and justly so.

Saxophonist Johnny Griffin singled him out for his attack on the instrument that recalled Bud Powell’s, but lauded Clark for his finesse and exceptional technique. Dexter Gordon said Clark was his favorite piano accompanist. If you need any other proof of how highly he was regarded, his memorial service included performances by Thelonious Monk and Jackie McLean.

Nine Classic Studio Albums on Six CDs!
This limited edition set features Hank Mobley, Art Farmer, Jackie McLean, John Coltrane, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones (pictured above). As well as Donald Byrd, Kenny Dorham, Clifford Jordan, Kenny Burrell, Art Blakey, and more from Blue Note’s stable of artists in a variety of settings including trio, quintet, and sextet.

Astonishing Audio Quality
Mastered from hi-res files of the original analog masters by Andreas Meyer. Thanks to current 24 bit/192 hKz technology and dramatic improvement in analog to digital converters, the sound on this set is far superior to any previous CD issues and is astonishingly close to that of audiophile vinyl.

The Complete Sonny Clark Blue Note Sessions includes 61 original tracks and alternates on six CDs. It is by far the best this music has sounded in the CD era, thanks to better analogue-to-digital transfer technology and higher resolution than was available when the music first started getting reissued twenty-five-or-so years after it was recorded.

Essay and Track-By-Track Analysis
This limited edition box set includes our deluxe Mosaic booklet featuring a complete discography, plus an essay and track-by-track analysis by Bob Blumenthal. Bob Blumenthal has been writing jazz criticism since 1969 and has contributed to numerous publications. He has received Grammy Awards for Best Album Notes and the Jazz Journalists Association’s Excellence in Newspaper, Magazine, or Online Feature or Review Writing Award and Jazz Journalism Lifetime Achievement Award.

Tracklist
CD1
[7:27] 1. Sonny Clark Sextet - Dial "S" For Sonny
[5:18] 2. Sonny Clark Sextet - Bootin' It (Stereo Take)
[7:02] 3. Sonny Clark Sextet - It Could Happen To You
[8:40] 4. Sonny Clark Sextet - Sonny's Mood
[6:46] 5. Sonny Clark Sextet - Shoutin' On A Riff
[5:54] 6. Sonny Clark Sextet - Love Walked In
[5:17] 7. Sonny Clark Sextet - Bootin' It (Mono Take)
[7:55] 8. Sonny Clark Sextet - With A Song In My Heart
[6:50] 9. Sonny Clark Sextet - Speak Low
[7:29] 10. Sonny Clark Sextet - Come Rain Or Come Shine
[9:54] 11. Sonny Clark Sextet - Sonny's Crib (Alt Tk)

CD2
[13:32] 1. Sonny Clark Sextet - Sonny's Crib
[8:35] 2. Sonny Clark Sextet - News For Lulu
[8:49] 3. Sonny Clark Sextet - With A Song In My Heart (Alt Tk)
[6:58] 4. Sonny Clark Sextet - Speak Low (Alt Tk)
[7:31] 5. Sonny Clark Quintet - Junka
[7:18] 6. Sonny Clark Quintet - Blues Blue
[6:48] 7. Sonny Clark Quintet - Minor Meeting (Second Version)
[7:01] 8. Sonny Clark Quintet - Royal Flush (Second Version)
[6:20] 9. Sonny Clark Quintet - Some Clark Bars
[4:45] 10. Sonny Clark Quintet - My Conception
CD3
[9:54] 1. Sonny Clark Trio - Be-bop
[4:23] 2. Sonny Clark Trio - I Didn't Know What Time It Was (Alt Tk)
[3:48] 3. Sonny Clark Trio - Two Bass Hit
[6:03] 4. Sonny Clark Trio - Tadd's Delight
[6:36] 5. Sonny Clark Trio - Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
[4:58] 6. Sonny Clark Trio - I'll Remember April
[4:22] 7. Sonny Clark Trio - I Didn't Know What Time It Was
[4:04] 8. Sonny Clark Trio - Two Bass Hit (Alt Tk)
[5:03] 9. Sonny Clark Trio - Tadd's Delight (Alt Tk)
CD4
[6:56] 1. Sonny Clark Quintet - Minor Meeting
[8:17] 2. Sonny Clark Quintet - Eastern Incident
[6:32] 3. Sonny Clark Quintet - Little Sonny
[9:24] 4. Sonny Clark Quintet - Cool Struttin'
[10:20] 5. Sonny Clark Quintet - Blue Minor
[8:20] 6. Sonny Clark Quintet - Sippin' At Bell's
[9:36] 7. Sonny Clark Quintet - Deep Night
[9:02] 8. Sonny Clark Quintet - Royal Flush
[7:02] 9. Sonny Clark Quintet - Lover
CD5
[4:03] 1. Sonny Clark Trio - Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You (Alt Tk)
[4:50] 2. Sonny Clark Trio - Ain't No Use
[3:54] 3. Sonny Clark Trio - I Can't Give You Anything But Love
[3:24] 4. Sonny Clark Trio - Black Velvet
[4:34] 5. Sonny Clark Trio - I'm Just A Lucky So And So
[4:00] 6. Sonny Clark Trio - The Breeze And I
[3:54] 7. Sonny Clark Trio - Gee Baby, Aint I Good To You (Alt Tk)
[5:58] 8. Sonny Clark Trio - Blues In The Night
[4:21] 9. Sonny Clark Trio - Can't We Be Friends?
[4:18] 10. Sonny Clark Trio - Somebody Loves Me
[3:57] 11. Sonny Clark Trio - All Of You
[3:33] 12. Sonny Clark Trio - Dancing In The Dark
[4:43] 13. Sonny Clark Trio - I Cover The Waterfront
[7:14] 14. Sonny Clark Trio - Blues In The Night (Alt Tk)
CD6
[6:25] 1. Sonny Clark Quintet - Something Special
[6:48] 2. Sonny Clark Quartet - Deep In A Dream
[7:50] 3. Sonny Clark Quintet - Melody For C
[5:44] 4. Sonny Clark Quintet - Eric Walks
[7:42] 5. Sonny Clark Quintet - Voodoo
[7:16] 6. Sonny Clark Quintet - Midnight Mambo
[5:44] 7. Sonny Clark Quintet - Zellmar's Delight
[8:13] 8. Sonny Clark Quintet - Melody For C (Alt Tk)