The Complete Sonny Clark Blue Note Sessions
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.
