Sonny Clark Trio - Sonny Clark Trio (UHQ-CD)

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.”

UHQ-CD’s reproduce the sound of original master tapes as faithfully as possible by utilizing new transfer technologies and improved materials to produce high-quality sound with a better representation of the whole stage. UHQ-CDs comply with CD standards and can be played on existing players. Each title is presented in a UHQ-CD jewel case with an obi-strip and the original sleeve notes reproduced on the back inlay.

Tracklist:
1. Be-Bop
2. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
3. Two Bass Hit
4. Tadd’s Delight
5. Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
6. I’ll Remember April