Sonny Clark

• Name — Sonny Clark • Birth Name — Conrad Yeatis Clark • Born — 21 July 1931 • Birthplace — Herminie, Pennsylvania, U.S. • Died — 13 January 1963 • Place of death — New York City, U.S. • Instrument — Piano • Genre — * Jazz • hard bop • Occupation — Musician • Years Active — 1953–1963 • Label — Blue Note

Clark was born and raised in Herminie, Pennsylvania, a coal mining town east of Pittsburgh. His parents were originally from Stone Mountain, Georgia. His miner father, Emery Clark, died of a lung disease two weeks after Sonny was born. Sonny was the youngest of eight children. At the age of 12, he moved to Pittsburgh.

While visiting an aunt in California, aged 20, Clark decided to stay and began working with saxophonist Wardell Gray. Clark went to San Francisco with Oscar Pettiford and after a couple months, was working with clarinetist Buddy DeFranco in 1953. Clark toured the United States and Europe with DeFranco until January 1956, when he joined The Lighthouse All-Stars, led by bassist Howard Rumsey. Wishing to return to the east coast, Clark served as accompanist for singer Dinah Washington in February 1957 in order to relocate to New York City. In New York, Clark was often requested as a sideman by many musicians, partly because of his rhythmic comping. He frequently recorded for Blue Note Records as one of their house musicians, playing as a sideman with many hard bop players, including Kenny 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, and Wilbur Ware. He also recorded sessions with Charles Mingus, Sonny Rollins, Billie Holiday, Stanley Turrentine, and Lee Morgan. As a leader, Clark recorded albums Dial "S" for Sonny (1957, Blue Note), Sonny's Crib (1957, Blue Note), Sonny Clark Trio (1957, Blue Note), Cool Struttin (1958, Blue Note), Blues in the Night (1979, Blue Note, also released on Standards), a second piano trio album titled Sonny Clark Trio (1960, Time Records), My Conception (1979, Blue Note), and Leapin' and Lopin (1962, Blue Note). 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.

• 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, with Wilbur Ware (bass), Louis Hayes (drums); most tracks sextet, with Art Farmer (trumpet), Curtis Fuller (trombone), Hank Mobley (tenor sax) added • 1957-09 — Sonny's Crib — Blue Note — 1958 — Sextet, with Donald 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, with Paul Chambers (bass), Philly Joe Jones (drums) • 1957-12, 1958-01 — Sonny Clark Quintets — Blue Note — 1976 — Quintet with either Clifford Jordan (tenor sax), Kenny Burrell (guitar), Paul Chambers (bass), Pete LaRoca (drums) or Art Farmer (trumpet), Jackie McLean (alto sax), Paul Chambers (bass), Philly Joe Jones (drums) • 1958-01 — Cool Struttin — Blue Note — 1958 — Quintet, with Art 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 with Jymie 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, with Donald Byrd (trumpet), Hank Mobley (tenor sax), Paul Chambers (bass), Art Blakey (drums); reissue added tracks from Sonny Clark Quintets • 1960-01 — Sonny Clark Trio also released as The 1960 Time Sessions — Time/Bainbridge/Tompkins Square — 1960 — Trio with George Duvivier (bass), Max Roach (drums) • 1961-11 — Leapin' and Lopin — Blue Note — 1962 — Five tracks quintet, with Tommy Turrentine (trumpet), Charlie Rouse (tenor sax), Butch Warren (bass), Billy Higgins (drums); one track quartet, with Ike Quebec (tenor sax) in place of Turrentine and Rouse Compilations • Standards (Blue Note, 1998)

With Sonny Criss • Go Man! (Imperial Records, 1956) • Sonny Criss Plays Cole Porter (Imperial, 1956) With Buddy DeFranco • In a Mellow Mood (Verve, 1954) • Cooking the Blues (Verve, 1955) • Autumn Leaves (Verve, 1956) • Sweet and Lovely (Verve, 1956) • Jazz Tones (Verve, 1956) With Curtis Fuller • 1957: Bone & Bari (Blue Note, 1958) • 1957: Curtis Fuller Volume 3 (Blue Note, 1961) • 1958: Two Bones (Blue Note, 1980) With Dexter Gordon • Go (Blue Note, 1962) • A Swingin' Affair (Blue Note, 1962) • Landslide (Blue Note, 1980) – rec. 1961–1962 With Bennie Green • Soul Stirrin (Blue Note, 1958) • Bennie Green Swings the Blues (Enrica, 1960) • Bennie Green (Time, 1960) • The 45 Session (Blue Note, 1975) – rec. 1958 With Grant Green • 1961: Gooden's Corner (Blue Note, 1980) • 1962: Nigeria (Blue Note, 1980) • 1962: Oleo (Blue Note, 1980) • 1962: Born to Be Blue (Blue Note, 1985) • compilation: The Complete Quartets with Sonny Clark (Blue Note, 1997) With Jackie McLean • Jackie's Bag (Blue Note, 1959) • A Fickle Sonance (Blue Note, 1961) • Vertigo (Blue Note, 1962) • Tippin' the Scales (Blue Note, 1962) With Hank Mobley • 1957: Hank Mobley (Blue Note, 1958) • 1957: Poppin (Blue Note, 1980) • 1957: Curtain Call (Blue Note, 1984) With Art Pepper • 1953: Straight-Ahead Jazz Volume One (Straight Ahead Jazz, 1989) • 1953: Straight Ahead Jazz Vol. Two (Straight Ahead Jazz, 1989) • 1953: Art Pepper With Sonny Clark Trio Vol. 2 (Straight Ahead Jazz, 1989) With Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All Stars • Mexican Passport (Contemporary, 1956) • Music for Lighthousekeeping (Contemporary, 1956) • Oboe/Flute (Contemporary, 1956) With Stanley Turrentine • 1960: Stan "The Man" Turrentine (Time, 1963) • 1962: Jubilee Shout!!! (Blue Note, 1986) With others • Tina Brooks, Minor Move (Blue Note, 1980) • Serge Chaloff, Blue Serge (Capital, 1956) • Teddy Charles, Teddy Charles' West Coasters, EP (Prestige, 1953) • Lou Donaldson, Lou Takes Off (Blue Note, 1958) • Johnny Griffin, The Congregation (Blue Note, 1957) • John Jenkins, John Jenkins with Kenny Burrell (Blue Note, 1957) • Philly Joe Jones, Showcase (Riverside, 1959) • Clifford Jordan, Cliff Craft (Blue Note, 1957) • Larance Marable, Tenorman featuring James Clay (Jazz: West, 1956) • Lee Morgan, Candy (Blue Note, 1958) • Ike Quebec, Easy Living (Blue Note, 1962) • Sonny Rollins, The Sound of Sonny (Riverside, 1957) • Frank Rosolino, I Play Trombone (Bethlehem, 1956) • Louis Smith, Smithville (Blue Note, 1958) • Cal Tjader, Tjader Plays Tjazz (Fantasy, 1956) • Don Wilkerson, Preach Brother! (Blue Note, 1962)