The late Sonny Clark left us too soon at age 31 on January 13,1963 from an overdose of heroin. Sonny was not an originator or a Jazz pioneer but a wonderful stylist who reflected the history of Modern Jazz piano. His touch and flow of ideas were the center points of his style and his ability to accompany horns made him a favourite among all the major horn players such as Jackie McLean, John Coltrane, Donald Byrd, Art Farmer, Curtis Fuller and the list goes on. Sonny was a wonderful composer as well and tonight's Jazz Feature has six of his works. Sonny's angel was Blue Note Record's Alfred Lion who loved Sonny's playing and his serious dedication to his art despite his drug problem. Lion recorded Sonny a lot as a sideman and as a leader. Trios, quartets and quintets. This session ended Sonny's first tenure with Blue Note and was done in March of 1959. It was never issued until the early 80's. It is a gem and has Donald Byrd on trumpet, Hank Mobley on tenor saxophone, Paul Chambers on bass and the great Art Blakey on drums and of course Mr. Clark on piano. They tackle six of Sonny's tunes and smoke on all of them. "My Conception" is one of his finest outings and is a minor classic. Long live Sonny Clark and his music!
