Conrad Yeatis "Sonny" Clark (July 21, 1931 – January 13, 1963) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

pianist and composer who mainly worked in the

hard bop Hard bop is a subgenre of jazz that is an extension of bebop (or "bop") music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz that incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospe ...

idiom.

Early life

Clark was born and raised in

Herminie, Pennsylvania Herminie is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sewickley Township, Pennsylvania, Sewickley Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 856 at the 2000 census. History Hermini ...

, a coal mining town east of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

.Stephenson, Sam (January 13, 2011
"Notes from a Biographer: Sonny Clark"
''The Paris Review''. His parents were originally from

Stone Mountain, Georgia Stone Mountain is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 6,703 according to the 2020 US Census. Stone Mountain is in the eastern part of DeKalb County and is a suburb of Atlanta that encompasses nearly 1.7 square mil ...

. His miner father, Emery Clark, died of a lung disease two weeks after Sonny was born. Sonny was the youngest of eight children. At age 12, he moved to Pittsburgh.

Later life and career

While visiting an aunt in California at age 20, Clark decided to stay and began working with saxophonist

Wardell Gray Wardell Gray (February 13, 1921 – May 25, 1955) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist who straddled the swing and bebop periods. Biography Early years Gray was born in Oklahoma City, the youngest of four children. He spent his early chil ...

. Clark went to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

with

Oscar Pettiford Oscar Pettiford (September 30, 1922 – September 8, 1960) was an American jazz double bassist, cellist and composer. He was one of the earliest musicians to work in the bebop idiom. Biography Pettiford was born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, United ...

and after a couple months, was working with clarinetist

Buddy DeFranco Boniface Ferdinand Leonard "Buddy" DeFranco (February 17, 1923 – December 24, 2014) was an Italian-American jazz clarinetist. In addition to his work as a bandleader, DeFranco led the Glenn Miller Orchestra for almost a decade in the 1960s and ...

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 Howard Rumsey (November 7, 1917 – July 15, 2015) was an American jazz double-bassist known for his leadership of the Lighthouse All-Stars in the 1950s. Biography Born in Brawley, California, United States, Rumsey first began playing the piano ...

. Wishing to return to the east coast, Clark served as accompanist for singer

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the 1950s songs". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performe ...

in February 1957 in order to relocate to New York City. In New York, Clark was often requested as a

sideman A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform live with a solo artist, or with a group in which they are not a regular band member. The term is usually used to describe musicians that play with jazz or rock artists, whether solo ...

by many musicians, partly because of his rhythmic comping. He frequently recorded for

Blue Note Records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. Or ...

as one of their house musicians, playing as a sideman with many

players, including

Kenny Burrell Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige, Blue Note, Verve, CTI, Muse, and Concord. His collaborations with Jimmy Smith were notable, and produced the 1965 ...

Donald Byrd Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few hard bop m ...

Paul Chambers Paul Laurence Dunbar Chambers Jr. (April 22, 1935 – January 4, 1969) was an American jazz double bassist. A fixture of rhythm sections during the 1950s and 1960s, he has become one of the most widely-known jazz bassists of the hard bop era. ...

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of br ...

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and actor. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians, which included other greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gi ...

Art Farmer Arthur Stewart Farmer (August 21, 1928 – October 4, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet–flugelhorn combination especially designed for him. He and his identical twin brother, double ...

Curtis Fuller Curtis DuBois Fuller (December 15, 1932May 8, 2021) was an American jazz trombonist. He was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and contributed to many classic jazz recordings. Early life Fuller was born in Detroit on December 15, 1932. ...

Grant Green Grant Green (June 6, 1935 – January 31, 1979) was an American jazz guitarist and composer. Recording prolifically for Blue Note Records as both leader and sideman, Green performed in the hard bop, soul jazz, bebop, and Latin-tinged idioms ...

Philly Joe Jones Joseph Rudolph "Philly Joe" Jones (July 15, 1923 – August 30, 1985) was an American jazz drummer. Biography Early career As a child, Jones appeared as a featured tap dancer on ''The Kiddie Show'' on the Philadelphia radio station WIP. He was ...

Clifford Jordan Clifford Laconia Jordan (September 2, 1931 – March 27, 1993) was an American jazz tenor saxophone player. While in Chicago, he performed with Max Roach, Sonny Stitt, and some rhythm and blues groups. He moved to New York City in 1957, after ...

Jackie McLean John Lenwood "Jackie" McLean (May 17, 1931 – March 31, 2006) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator, and is one of the few musicians to be elected to the ''DownBeat'' Hall of Fame in the year of their deat ...

Hank Mobley Henry "Hank" Mobley (July 7, 1930 – May 30, 1986) was an American hard bop and soul jazz tenor saxophonist and composer. Mobley was described by Leonard Feather as the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", a metaphor used to descr ...

, Art Taylor, and

Wilbur Ware Wilbur Bernard Ware (September 8, 1923 – September 9, 1979) was an American jazz double bassist.Feather, Leonard & Gitler, Ira (2007) ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'', p. 674. Oxford University Press He was a regular bassist for t ...

. He also recorded sessions with

Charles Mingus Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, pianist, composer, bandleader, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians and ...

Sonny Rollins Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, he has recorded over sixty albums as a ...

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop si ...

Stanley Turrentine Stanley William Turrentine (April 5, 1934 – September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He began his career playing R&B for Earl Bostic and later soul jazz recording for the Blue Note label from 1960, touched on jazz fusion dur ...

, and

Lee Morgan Edward Lee Morgan (July 10, 1938 – February 19, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer. One of the key hard bop musicians of the 1960s, Morgan came to prominence in his late teens, recording on John Coltrane's '' Blue Train'' (1 ...

. As a leader, Clark recorded albums '' Dial "S" for Sonny'' (1957, Blue Note), ''

Sonny's Crib ''Sonny's Crib'' is an album by jazz pianist Sonny Clark, released on the Blue Note Records, Blue Note label in March 1958. It features Donald Byrd, Curtis Fuller, John Coltrane, Paul Chambers, and Art Taylor. The first half of the album comprise ...

'' (1957, Blue Note), ''

Sonny Clark Trio ''Sonny Clark Trio'' is an album by jazz pianist Sonny Clark recorded for the Blue Note label and released in May 1958. The trio consists of Clark with Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones. The original album comprises six jazz standards; three alt ...

'' (1957, Blue Note), '' Cool Struttin''' (1958, Blue Note), '' Blues in the Night'' (1979, Blue Note, also released on '' Standards''), and a second piano trio album titled ''Sonny 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.Blue Note Records: the biography
By Richard Cook

Legacy

Close friend and fellow jazz pianist

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

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 John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger and producer who "deliberately resists category". Zorn's avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of jaz ...

Wayne Horvitz Wayne Horvitz (born 1955) is an American composer, keyboardist and record producer. He came to prominence in the Downtown scene of 1980s and '90s New York City, where he met his future wife, the singer, songwriter and pianist Robin Holcomb. He ...

Ray Drummond Ray Drummond (born November 23, 1946 in Brookline, Massachusetts) is an American jazz bassist and teacher. He also has an MBA from Stanford University, hence his linkage to the Stanford Jazz Workshop. He can be heard on hundreds of albums and co- ...

, and

Bobby Previte Bobby Previte (born July 16, 1951 in Niagara Falls, New York) is a drummer, composer, and bandleader. He earned a degree in economics from the University at Buffalo, where he also studied percussion. He moved to New York City in 1979 and began ...

recorded an album of Clark's compositions, ''

Voodoo Voodoo may refer to: Religions * African or West African Vodun, practiced by Gbe-speaking ethnic groups * African diaspora religions, a list of related religions sometimes called Vodou/Voodoo ** Candomblé Jejé, also known as Brazilian Vodu ...

'' (1985), as the Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet. Zorn also recorded several of Clark's compositions with

Bill Frisell William Richard Frisell (born March 18, 1951) is an American jazz guitarist, composer and arranger. Frisell first came to prominence at ECM Records in the 1980s, as both a session player and a leader. He went on to work in a variety of contexts ...

and George E. Lewis on '' News for Lulu'' (1988) and '' More News for Lulu'' (1992).

Discography

As leader

Compilations * '' Standards'' (Blue Note, 1998)

As sideman

With Teddy Charles and the Westcoasters (1953) With The Lighthouse All Stars (Contemporary Records 1956) With

Sonny Criss William "Sonny" Criss (23 October 1927 – 19 November 1977) was an American jazz musician. An alto saxophonist of prominence during the bebop era of jazz, he was one of many players influenced by Charlie Parker. Biography William Criss wa ...

* ''Go Man!'' (Imperial Records, 1956) * ''Sonny Criss Plays Cole Porter'' (Imperial, 1956) With

* ''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

* '' Bone & Bari'' (Blue Note, 1958) – recorded in 1957 * '' Curtis Fuller Volume 3'' (Blue Note, 1961) – recorded in 1957 * ''

Two Bones 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...

'' (Blue Note, 1980) – recorded in 1958 With

* '' Go'' (Blue Note, 1962) * ''

A Swingin' Affair ''A Swingin' Affair'' is a 1962 album by saxophonist Dexter Gordon, recorded two days after ''Go (Dexter Gordon album), Go!'', and with the same line-up. Recording and music The album was recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jers ...

'' (Blue Note, 1962) * ''

Landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated grade (slope), slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of ...

'' (Blue Note, 1980) – recorded in 1961-62 With

Bennie Green Bennie Green (April 16, 1923 – March 23, 1977) was an American jazz trombonist. Born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, Green worked in the orchestras of Earl Hines and Charlie Ventura, and recorded as bandleader through the 1950s and ...

* ''

Soul Stirrin' ''Soul Stirrin'' is an album by American trombonist Bennie Green, recorded in 1958 and released on the Blue Note label.The 45 Session ''The 45 Session'' is an album by American trombonist Bennie Green recorded in 1958 but first released on the Japanese Blue Note label in 1975 as ''Minor Revelation''.

'' (Blue Note, 1975) – recorded in 1958 With

* '' Gooden's Corner'' (Blue Note, 1980) – recorded in 1961 * ''

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

'' (Blue Note, 1980) – recorded in 1962 * '' Oleo'' (Blue Note, 1980) – recorded in 1962 * '' Born to Be Blue'' (Blue Note, 1985) – recorded in 1962 * '' The Complete Quartets with Sonny Clark'' (Blue Note, 1997) – compilation With

* '' Jackie's Bag'' (Blue Note, 1959) * '' A Fickle Sonance'' (Blue Note, 1961) * ''

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...

'' (Blue Note, 1962) * '' Tippin' the Scales'' (Blue Note, 1962) With

* ''

'' (Blue Note, 1958) – recorded in 1957 * '' Poppin''' (Blue Note, 1980) – recorded in 1957 * '' Curtain Call'' (Blue Note, 1984) – recorded in 1957 With

's Lighthouse All Stars * ''Mexican Passport'' (Contemporary, 1956) * ''Music for Lighthousekeeping'' (Contemporary, 1956) * ''Oboe/Flute'' (Contemporary, 1956) With

*'' Stan "The Man" Turrentine'' (Time, 1963) – recorded in 1960 * '' Jubilee Shout!!!'' (Blue Note, 1986) – recorded in 1962 With others *

Tina Brooks Harold Floyd "Tina" Brooks (June 7, 1932 – August 13, 1974) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and composer best remembered for his work in the hard bop style. Early years Harold Floyd Brooks was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, an ...

, ''

Minor Move ''Minor Move'' is an album by American hard bop tenor Tina Brooks. It features performances by Brooks, Lee Morgan, Sonny Clark, Doug Watkins and Art Blakey. It was recorded on March 16, 1958, and was the first album Brooks recorded as a leader ...

'' (Blue Note, 1980) – recorded in 1958 *

Serge Chaloff Serge Chaloff (November 24, 1923 – July 16, 1957) was an American jazz baritone saxophonist. The first and greatest bebop baritonist, Chaloff has been described as 'the most expressive and openly emotive baritone saxophonist jazz has ever ...

, '' Blue Serge'' (Capital, 1956) *

Lou Donaldson Lou Donaldson (born November 1, 1926) is an American retired jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist. He is best known for his soulful, bluesy approach to playing the alto saxophone, although in his formative years he was, as many were of the bebop ...

, ''

Lou Takes Off ''Lou Takes Off'' is an album by jazz saxophonist Lou Donaldson recorded for the Blue Note label and performed by a sextet also featuring trumpeter Donald Byrd, trombonist Curtis Fuller, pianist Sonny Clark, bassist Jamil Nasser and drummer Ar ...

'' (Blue Note, 1958) – recorded in 1957 *

Johnny Griffin John Arnold Griffin III (April 24, 1928 – July 25, 2008) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Nicknamed "the Little Giant" for his short stature and forceful playing, Griffin's career began in the mid-1940s and continued until the month of ...

, '' The Congregation'' (Blue Note, 1957) * John Jenkins, ''

John Jenkins with Kenny Burrell ''John Jenkins with Kenny Burrell'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist John Jenkins (jazz musician), John Jenkins and jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell recorded in 1957 by the Blue Note Records, Blue Note label and first released as BLP 1573 (mon ...

'' (Blue Note, 1957) *

, ''

Showcase Showcase or vitrine may refer to: *Cabinet (furniture) *Display case Music * ''Showcase'' (Bill Anderson album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Patsy Cline album), 1961 * ''Showcase'' (Buddy Holly album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Philly Joe Jones album), 1959 ...

'' (Riverside, 1959) *

, ''

Cliff Craft ''Cliff Craft'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Clifford Jordan featuring performances recorded in 1957 and released on the Blue Note label.

'' (Blue Note, 1957) *

Larance Marable Larance Norman Marable (May 21, 1929 – July 4, 2012) was a jazz drummer from Los Angeles, California. Early life Marable was born in Los Angeles on May 21, 1929. His family was musical, but he was largely self-taught. Later life and career In ...

, ''Tenorman'' featuring James Clay (Jazz: West, 1956) *

, ''

Candy Candy, also called sweets (British English) or lollies (Australian English Australian English (AusE, AusEng, AuE, AuEng, en-AU) is the set of varieties of the English language native to Australia. It is the country's common language an ...

'' (Blue Note, 1958) *

Ike Quebec Ike Abrams Quebec (August 17, 1918 – January 16, 1963) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He began his career in the big band era of the 1940s, then fell from prominence for a time until launching a comeback in the years before his dea ...

, '' Easy Living'' (Blue Note, 1962) *

, '' The Sound of Sonny'' (Riverside, 1957) *

Frank Rosolino Frank Rosolino (August 20, 1926 – November 26, 1978) was an American jazz trombonist. Biography Rosolino was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States, He performed with the big bands of Bob Chester, Glen Gray, Tony Pastor, Herbie Fields, Gen ...

, ''I Play Trombone'' (Bethlehem, 1956) * Louis Smith, '' Smithville'' (Blue Note, 1958) *

Cal Tjader Callen Radcliffe Tjader Jr. ( ; July 16, 1925 – May 5, 1982) was an American Latin Jazz musician, known as the most successful non-Latino Latin musician. He explored other jazz idioms, even as he continued to perform music of Afro-Jazz, ...

, ''Tjader Plays Tjazz'' (

Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

, 1956) *

Don Wilkerson Don Wilkerson (c. 1932 – 18 July 1986) was an American soul jazz / R&B tenor saxophonist born in Moreauville, Louisiana, probably better known for his Blue Note Records recordings in the 1960s as bandleader with guitarist Grant Green. Prior t ...

, ''

Preach Brother! ''Preach Brother!'' is an album by American saxophonist Don Wilkerson recorded in 1962 and released on the Blue Note label.

'' (Blue Note, 1962)

References

External links

Sonny Clark -Pittsburgh Music History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Sonny 1931 births 1963 deaths Hard bop pianists Mainstream jazz pianists Bebop pianists Post-bop pianists West Coast jazz pianists American jazz pianists American male pianists People from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Musicians from Pittsburgh Blue Note Records artists Xanadu Records artists 20th-century American pianists Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians