The Complete Sonny Clark Blue Note Sessions captures a standout legacy — album review
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Sonny Clark’s melodic poise, sharp intellect and rhythmic thrust represented the pinnacle of modern jazz piano in the late 1950s. He assimilated the flowing lines and sparse left-hand jabs of be-bop, confirmed African-American roots with soulful asides, and held his virtuosity in check until thrillingly unleashed. The joy, natural flair and invention of Clark’s music fills this six-CD set. The title of the pianist’s last Blue Note LP, Leapin’ and Lopin’, captures the essence of his style.
The pianist’s life is an exemplar of promise cut short. The youngest of eight siblings, Clark was born in coal country near Pittsburgh in 1931 — his father died of black lung two weeks later. Yet Clark, an early starter, was gigging before he hit his teens and by the age of 20 he had moved to California and was working with the leading figures in west-coast jazz. In 1957 he joined Dinah Washington for a coast-to-coast tour that ended in New York. There, working as a freelancer, he recorded over 50 albums in less than four years. Some — like Dexter Gordon’s Go and A Fickle Sonance by Jackie McLean — are now recognised as classics. And there it ends. Clark died of heroin overdose in 1963, aged 31.
Although he never led a permanent band, he recorded nine sessions for Blue Note as a leader, which are collected here. Sidemen include trumpeter Lee Morgan, drummer Art Blakey and saxophonist John Coltrane, and the repertoire ranges from speedy be-bop classics and sprightly songbook covers to soulful originals and blowing-session blues. Two moody trio sessions were recorded for release as jukebox 45s.
Like many jazz recordings of the time, bands were assembled for the recording session, given a day to rehearse and encouraged to take wing. For Clark, the process was a creative spur. The collection is laden with rhythmic urgency, sensuous improvised narratives and the rush of edge-of-seat control. In all, a standout legacy made when jazz was at a peak.
★★★★☆
‘The Complete Sonny Clark Blue Note Sessions’ is released by Mosaic
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