Sonny Clark Trio

Sonny Clark Trio: Sonny Clark Trio LP (Blue Note Tone Poet Series)

Blue Note, 1958

The supremely swinging pianist Sonny Clark hit the Blue Note scene in 1957 with a burst of creativity, first appearing as a sideman on the excellent Hank Mobley session and quickly returning to Rudy Van Gelder’s Hackensack studio to record three albums as a leader over the next three months: his debut Dial ‘S’ for Sonny, Sonny’s Crib featuring John Coltrane, and the sublime Sonny Clark Trio featuring bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones.

Presented without horns for the first time, the six-song set of bebop themes and standards puts the emphasis on Clark’s pianism. The album opens with a blistering take of Dizzy Gillespie’s tune “Be-Bop” that demonstrates Clark’s dexterity before downshifting into a medium tempo swing through Rogers and Hart’s “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was.” Two more bop themes follow with excellent renditions of Gillespie and John Lewis’ “Two Bass Hit” and “Tadd’s Delight” by Tadd Dameron. Clark’s profound lyricism and inventive lines are evident on an excellent version of “Softly As In A Morning Sunrise” and the album closes with an exquisite solo performance of “I’ll Remember April.”

Tracklist & Credits - LP

Tracklist

A1: Be-Bop
A2: I Didn't Know What Time It Was
A3: Two Bass Hit
B1: Tadd’s Delight
B2: Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
B3: I’ll remember April

This stereo Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket.