Sonny Clark
Like Fats Navarro and Charlie Parker before him, Sonny Clark's life was short but it burned with musical intensity. Influenced deeply by Bud Powell, Clark nonetheless developed an intricate and hard-swinging harmonic sensibility that was full of nuance and detail. Regarded as the quintessential hard bop pianist, Clark never got his due before he passed away in 1963 at the age of 31, despite the fact that it can be argued that he never played a bad recording date either as a sideman or as a leader. Known mainly for seven records on the Blue Note label with a host of players including such luminaries as John Coltrane, Art Farmer, Donald Byrd, Jackie McLean, Hank Mobley, Art Taylor, Paul Chambers, Wilbur Ware, Philly Joe Jones, and others, Clark actually made his recording debut with Teddy Charles and Wardell Gray, but left soon after to join Buddy DeFranco. His work with the great clarinetist has been documented in full in a Mosaic set that is now sadly out of print. Clark also backed Dinah Washington, Serge Chaloff, and Sonny Criss before assuming his role as a leader in 1957. Clark's classic is regarded as Cool Struttin' but each date he led on Blue Note qualifies as a classic, including his final date, Sonny's Crib with John Coltrane. And though commercial success always eluded him, he was in demand as a sideman and played dozens of Alfred Lion-produced dates, including Tina Brooks' Minor Move. Luckily, Clark's contribution is well documented by Alfred Lion; he has achieved far more critical, musical, and popular acclaim than he ever did in life.
© Thom Jurek /TiVo
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Leapin' and Lopin' (Remastered)
Jazz - Released by Avid Entertainment on 1 Apr 1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Four Classic Albums (Dial "S" For Sonny / Sonny Clark Trio / Cool Struttin' / Leapin' and Lopin') [Remastered]
Jazz - Released by Avid Entertainment on 19 May 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin'
Jazz - Released by Firefly Entertainment on 1 Jul 1958
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cool Struttin’
Jazz - Released by Blue Note Records on 1 Jul 1958
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Dial "S" For Sonny (Remastered)
Jazz - Released by Avid Entertainment on 1 Dec 1957
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
Jazz - Released by Blooming Jazz Records on 3 Aug 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Late Night Sonny Clark
Jazz - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 3 Feb 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Sonny Clark: Standards/Dial"S" For Sonny
Jazz - Released by Blue Velvet on 9 May 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Leapin' And Lopin'
Jazz - Released by Blue Note Records on 13 Nov 1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Sonny's Crib
Jazz - Released by Marylebone Records on 1 Mar 1958
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Modern Jazz: Paul Chambers - Sonny Clark
Alternative & Indie - Released by Bella Musica Edition on 26 Jun 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Studio Recordings
Jazz - Released by Gambit Records on 1 Jan 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Classic Sonny Clark, Vol. 1
Jazz - Released by Top Tracks on 30 Oct 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Dial "S" For Sonny, Vol. 1
Jazz - Released by Diamond Days on 18 Jul 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo