Sonny Clark

Cool Struttin' is a 1958 album by jazz pianist Sonny Clark. Described as an "enduring hard-bop classic" by The New York Times, the album features alto saxophonist Jackie McLean, trumpeter Art Farmer and two members of the Miles Davis Quintet, drummer Philly Joe Jones and bassist Paul Chambers. According to The Stereo Times, the album enjoys "a nearly cult status among hardcore jazz followers", a reputation AllMusic asserts it deserves "for its soul appeal alone".

This unusual album is an unlikely success. Altoist John Zorn, who is best-known for his avant-garde flights and rather eccentric concept albums, here plays it fairly straight. He interprets seven compositions (all fairly obscure) by the somewhat forgotten hard bop pianist Sonny Clark including "Cool Struttin'," "Voodoo" and "Sonny's Crib." With alert support from pianist Wayne Horvitz, bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Bobby Previte, Zorn creates fairly boppish solos with occasional hints at more advanced improvising techniques.

Sonny Clark Trio - The 45 Sessions (1958) {Blue Note Japan TOCJ-1617 rel 1996}
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© 1957-58, 1996 Blue Note / Toshiba-EMI Japan | TOCJ-1618
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Jazz Piano Trio

Producer's Notes: 'This album features three powerful alternate takes from the original Trio album with Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones and a session of standards with future Jazz Messenger Jymie Merrit [sic] on bass and Wes Landers. The second session was issued at the time on 45 singles, but not LP.' by Michael Cuscuna.

Conrad Yeatis "Sonny" Clark (July 21, 1931 – January 13, 1963) was an American jazz pianist who mainly worked in the hard bop idiom.

Sonny Criss - Go Man! (1956) {Imperial–Toshiba-EMI Japan TOCJ-5978 rel 1995}
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© 1956, 1995 Imperial / Toshiba-EMI | TOCJ-5978
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Saxophone

By the mid-'50s, William "Sonny" Criss was maturing as a significant voice on the alto saxophone. Heavily influenced by Charlie Parker, much of Criss' earlier output was plagued by a hurried time feel, awkward phrasing and an uncomfortably tense vibrato. Go Man!, one of three dates he did for the Imperial label, showcases a confident, energetic Criss on ten standard tunes and two original lines.

Sonny Criss - Sonny Criss Plays Cole Porter (1956) {Toshiba-EMI TOCJ-6869 24-bit}
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© 1956, 2006 Imperial Records / Toshiba-EMI | TOCJ-6869 | 24bit remastering
Jazz / Hard Bop / Bop / Saxophone

Sonny Criss plays Cole Porter – and the results are way greater than the sum of the parts – even though those parts are already pretty darn great! Criss' alto sax has a superb tone at this time – razor-sharp, and nicely crisp – yet still filled with warmth that sets it apart from some of his more modern contemporaries – a beautiful balance that really illuminates these tunes, and has you thinking of them as fresh Criss compositions, not older Porter standards. The instrumentation is quite fresh, too – thanks to the addition of Larry Bunker on vibes, which is a really nice surprise – and piano by Sonny Clark and Jimmy Bunn. The great Lawrence Marable plays drums – and titles include "I Love You", "Easy To Love", "Night & Day", and "Love For Sale".

Sonny Rollins - The Sound Of Sonny (1957) {2007 Riverside} [Keepnews Collection Complete Series] (Item #10of27)
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© 1957, 2007 Concord / Riverside | RCD-30186
Jazz / Hard Bop / Saxophone

Remastered in 24-bit from the original master tapes. Part of our Keepnews Collection, which spotlights classic albums originally produced by the legendary and arguably the most respected of all jazz producers, Orrin Keepnews. A new phase in Sonny Rollins' career began in 1957. He started what was at the time an almost blasphemous trend of recording for a number of different labels. His pioneering spirit yielded a few genre-defining albums, including this disc. His performances were also at a peak during 1957 as Down Beat magazine proclaimed him the Critics' Poll winner under the category of "New Star" of the tenor saxophone.