Sonny Clark

Brilliant late '50s material by the great hard bop pianist and equally gifted supporting players, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones. Clark was among the most inventive pianists of the period, a masterful ballad interpreter and dynamic uptempo soloist, while Chambers and Jones had few peers, either as accompanists or in the spotlight.

Sonny Clark - Cool Struttin' (1958) [Ron McMaster Edition]
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 368 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 122 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 16 Mb
Blue Note / Manhattan CDP 7 465132
Jazz / Hard Bop / Piano

Sonny Clark's classic COOL STRUTTIN' is a session that epitomizes the Blue Note golden era. A celebrated cast that includes Clark, Art Farmer, Jackie McLean, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones in their prime swings and struts its way through Clark's originals and some choice standards.

Bluesy swingers like Clark's smoky title cut and scorching burners like Miles Davis's "Sippin' at Bells" offer swinging grooves at opposing extremes that serve as vehicles for stellar solo spots by all. Intricate tunes like Clark's energetic "Blue Minor" and a blistering read of Rodgers and Hart's "Lover" are held in tight check by the consummate rhythm team of Chambers and Jones. The tracks also provide excellent breathing room for Farmer, McLean, and Clark to strut their stuff. The lone trio cut is the swinging "Deep Night," which showcases Clark's sharp technique and tasteful touch. In all, this is an essential disc for connoisseurs of the classic hard-bop period, a period that continues to inspire future generations.

The piano trio material included in this Japanese reissue, along with another session from late 1958 (see The Art of the Trio, aka "The 45 Sessions"), constitutes a body of work which was never released in LP format during Sonny Clark's tragically short life. Clark was an underrated master of the hard bop genre who had a very subtle, artful touch.

Sonny Clark - Oakland, 1955 (1995) {Uptown Records UPCD 27.40}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 289 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 175 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 17 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1955, 1995 Uptown Records | UPCD 27.40
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Piano

The first officially recorded date from an ensemble led by the brilliant jazz pianist Sonny Clark is an interesting prelude to his subsequent classic efforts for the Blue Note label. After leaving his home near Pittsburgh, moving to Los Angeles and finishing work as a sideman with Wardell Gray, Oscar Pettiford, and Buddy DeFranco, Clark lived in the Northern California Bay area of San Francisco, and led this obscure trio of bassist Jerry Good and drummer Al Randall. Recorded in performance at the Mocambo Club in Oakland in mid-January 1955, it is an historical document for fans of Clark who might want to hear the pianist at a time when he was happy – not doing the drugs that destroyed his life and career – and in a freewheeling mood playing standards.

Sonny Clark Trio - Blues In The Night (1958) {Blue Note Japan TOCJ-1618 rel 1996}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 230 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 80 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 32 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1958, 1996 Blue Note / Toshiba-EMI Japan | TOCJ-1618 | The BN Works 1500 Unissued Series
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Jazz Piano Trio

The piano trio material included in this Japanese reissue, along with another session from late 1958 (see The Art of the Trio, aka "The 45 Sessions"), constitutes a body of work which was never released in LP format during Sonny Clark's tragically short life. Clark was an underrated master of the hard bop genre who had a very subtle, artful touch. On this date, he exhibits the influence of Ahmad Jamal and Red Garland (a lighter sound) and less of the Bud Powell-inspired, hard-driving bebop lines.

Sonny Clark Trio - The 1960 Time Sessions with George Duvivier and Max Roach (2018) {2CD Set Tompkins Square TSQ 5579}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 598 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 244 Mb | Cover | 5% repair rar
© 1960, 2018 Tompkins Square | TSQ 5579
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Jazz Piano Trio

Sonny Clark’s reputation as one of the finest jazz pianists of his era has grown in recent years, with many folks rediscovering his classic Blue Note recordings like ‘Cool Struttin’, ‘Dial ‘S’ for Sonny’, ‘Leapin’ and Lopin’, as well as session work with Lee Morgan, Grant Green and others. Cut down by heroin addiction at age 31 in 1961, Clark’s legacy continues to expand.

Sonny Clark - My Conception - (1957 & 1959) {Limited Edition} (Connoisseur Series)
EAC Rip | FLAC, Tracks + CUE, LOG | 388 MB | 1CD | STEREO & MONO Recordings| Complete Scans
Jazz, Hard Bop | Label: Blue Note Records|Year: 1957 & 1959| Catalog Number: 7243 5 22674 2 2| RAR 5% Rec. | RS & HF

Transferred using 24-bit resolution and mastered by Ron McMaster

Pianist Sonny Clark enjoyed a rich recording career in the golden age of Blue Note. MY CONCEPTION is a combination of a 1959 session that included regulars Donald Byrd, Hank Mobley, Paul Chambers, and Art Blakey with a bonus session recorded two years earlier that featured guitarist Kenny Burrell. Clark's amazing dexterity is featured throughout as he trades hot licks with Mobley, Byrd, and Blakey in the first half and blues runs with Burrell and saxophonist Clifford Jordan in the second. As to be expected with this cast of legends, the performances from either session are pristine and swinging. (Cduniverse.com).