Sonny Clark | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Conrad Yeatis Clark (1931-07-21)July 21, 1931 Herminie, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | January 13, 1963(1963-01-13) (aged 31) New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Piano |
| Years active | 1953–1963 |
| Labels | Blue Note |
Conrad Yeatis "Sonny"Clark (July 21, 1931 – January 13, 1963) was an Americanjazz pianist and composer who mainly worked in thehard bop idiom.[1]
Clark was born and raised inHerminie, Pennsylvania, a coal mining town east ofPittsburgh.[2] His parents were originally fromStone Mountain, Georgia.[2] His miner father, Emery Clark, died of a lung disease two weeks after Sonny was born.[2] Sonny was the youngest of eight children.[2] At age 12, he moved to Pittsburgh.
While visiting an aunt in California at age 20, Clark decided to stay and began working with saxophonistWardell Gray.[3] Clark went toSan Francisco withOscar Pettiford and after a couple months, was working with clarinetistBuddy DeFranco in 1953.[3] Clark toured the United States and Europe with DeFranco until January 1956, when he joined The Lighthouse All-Stars, led by bassistHoward Rumsey.
Wishing to return to the east coast, Clark served as accompanist for singerDinah Washington in February 1957 in order to relocate to New York City.[3] In New York, Clark was often requested as asideman by many musicians, partly because of his rhythmic comping. He frequently recorded forBlue Note Records as one of their house musicians, playing as a sideman with manyhard bop players, includingKenny Burrell,Donald Byrd,Paul Chambers,John Coltrane,Dexter Gordon,Art Farmer,Curtis Fuller,Grant Green,Philly Joe Jones,Clifford Jordan,Jackie McLean,Hank Mobley,Art Taylor, andWilbur Ware. He also recorded sessions withCharles Mingus,Sonny Rollins,Billie Holiday,Stanley Turrentine, andLee Morgan.
As a leader, Clark recorded albumsDial "S" for Sonny (1957, Blue Note),Sonny's Crib (1957, Blue Note),Sonny Clark Trio (1957, Blue Note),Cool Struttin' (1958, Blue Note),[3]Blues in the Night (1979, Blue Note, also released onStandards), and a second piano trio album titledSonny Clark Trio (1960, Time Records).
Clark died in New York City on January 13, 1963 (aged 31). The official cause was listed as a heart attack, but the likely cause was a heroin overdose.[4][5][6][7]
Clark's friend, fellow pianistBill Evans, dedicated the composition "NYC's No Lark" (an anagram of "Sonny Clark") to him after his death, included on Evans'Conversations with Myself (1963).John Zorn,Wayne Horvitz,Ray Drummond, andBobby Previte recorded an album of Clark's compositions,Voodoo (1985), as the Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet.[3] Zorn also recorded several of Clark's compositions withBill Frisell andGeorge E. Lewis onNews for Lulu (1988) andMore News for Lulu (1992).
| Recording date | Title | Label | Year released | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954-01 | The Sonny Clark Memorial Album | Xanadu | 1976 | Most tracks solo piano; some tracks trio, with Simon Brehm (bass), Bobby White (drums); trio tracks in concert |
| 1955-01 | Oakland, 1955 | Uptown | 1995 | Trio, with Jerry Good (bass), Al Randall (drums); concert |
| 1957-07 | Dial "S" for Sonny | Blue Note | 1957 | One track trio, withWilbur Ware (bass),Louis Hayes (drums); most tracks sextet, withArt Farmer (trumpet),Curtis Fuller (trombone),Hank Mobley (tenor sax) added |
| 1957-09 | Sonny's Crib | Blue Note | 1958 | Sextet, withDonald Byrd (trumpet),Curtis Fuller (trombone),John Coltrane (tenor sax),Paul Chambers (bass),Art Taylor (drums) |
| 1957-10 | Sonny Clark Trio | Blue Note | 1958 | One track solo piano; most tracks trio, withPaul Chambers (bass),Philly Joe Jones (drums) |
| 1957-12, 1958-01 | Sonny Clark Quintets | Blue Note | 1976 | Quintet with eitherClifford Jordan (tenor sax),Kenny Burrell (guitar), Paul Chambers (bass),Pete LaRoca (drums) orArt Farmer (trumpet),Jackie McLean (alto sax), Paul Chambers (bass), Philly Joe Jones (drums) |
| 1958-01 | Cool Struttin' | Blue Note | 1958 | Quintet, withArt Farmer (trumpet),Jackie McLean (alto sax), Paul Chambers (bass), Philly Joe Jones (drums) |
| 1957-10, 1958-11 | The Art of The Trio | Blue Note | 1980 | Some tracks trio withJymie Merritt (bass), Wes Landers (drums); some tracks trio with Paul Chambers (bass), Philly Joe Jones (drums) |
| 1958-11, 1958-12 | Blues in the Night | Blue Note | 1979 | Trio, with Paul Chambers (bass), Wes Landers (drums) |
| 1957-12, 1959-03 | My Conception | Blue Note | 1979 | Quintet, withDonald Byrd (trumpet),Hank Mobley (tenor sax),Paul Chambers (bass),Art Blakey (drums); reissue added tracks fromSonny Clark Quintets |
| 1960-01 | Sonny Clark Trio also released asThe 1960 Time Sessions | Time/Bainbridge/Tompkins Square | 1960 | Trio withGeorge Duvivier (bass),Max Roach (drums) |
| 1961-11 | Leapin' and Lopin' | Blue Note | 1962 | Five tracks quintet, withTommy Turrentine (trumpet),Charlie Rouse (tenor sax),Butch Warren (bass),Billy Higgins (drums); one track quartet, withIke Quebec (tenor sax) in place of Turrentine and Rouse |
Compilations
WithSonny Criss
WithBuddy DeFranco
WithCurtis Fuller
WithDexter Gordon
WithBennie Green
WithGrant Green
WithJackie McLean
WithHank Mobley
WithArt Pepper
WithHoward Rumsey's Lighthouse All Stars
| With others
|
