Although his life ended very early, Sonny Clark was still able to make his mark on the musical community. Sonny is known for his musical works as a hard bop, jazz pianist. But like many musicians, Clark may not have had such an impact on the musical world if not for the inspiration of the musicians before him. Sonny was inspired by several musicians, and therefore, spent much of his short life jumping from state to state gathering as much knowledge and experience as he could.
Sonny Clark was born July 21, 1931 in small town Herminie, Pennsylvania. Sonny’s real name is actually Conrad Yeatis, however, he preferred the nickname “Sonny.” Sadly, when Clark was still very young he had to endure the loss of his father. However, being the youngest …show more content…
Once Clark reached New York he teamed up with the gospel singer Dinah Washington. Sonny began a transformation from West Coast Jazz to Hard Bop. His performances with Washington allowed Clark to get his name out among other musicians and record companies. This way of advertisement proved to be quite successful for Sonny, as he received many requests to be a sideman by several musicians. Sonny performed with jazz legends such as John Coltrane, Billie Holiday, and Donald Byrd to name a few. The title of sideman did not stick around for long and soon Clark became the leader. As the leader Sonny recorded a total of nine albums for Blue Note Records that were a combination of minor blues and hard swing. The year 1957 was a very busy one for Clark as this was the year that he recorded a three of his popular albums which include “Dial ‘S’ for Sonny,” “Sonny’s Crib,” and “Sonny Clark Trio.” A review of “Dial ‘S’ for Sonny,” and “Sonny’s Crib” by Phil Gold was published stating the main attributes that he enjoyed. Gold stated that he preferred Sonny’s solo works as opposed to his accompanied performances. But what Gold enjoyed the most about Clark was the way he “plays with such freedom of time and form, while never losing the line of the song” (Rochlin, Steven). Along with these two albums, Sonny’s most renowned recordings were “Cool Struttin” and “Leapin and Lopin.” Critics claimed that …show more content…
This was not the only recognition that Clark received at a young age. In fact, 9 years later Sonny was given the opportunity to appear on the historic “Night of the Stars” Concert at the Syria Mosque. This show was sponsored by the Pittsburgh Courier and featured an exclusive cast of legendary Pittsburgh pianists, and Clark was honored to be one of them. Sonny Clark is said to be the greatest hard bop pianist and composer of his time and therefore earned himself the title of “Quintessential Hard Bop Pianist.” In fact, Clark was so successful that his albums “Dial ‘S’ for Sonny” and “Sonny’s Crib” were later restored to the catalog on high quality, 200 gram, Quiex Super Vinyl Profile (Rochlin, Steven). A more sentimental event was when Dexter Gordon announced that Sonny Clark was his favorite piano accompanist. Clark was inspired by many artists throughout his lifetime including John Coltrane. Ironically, Clark’s CD “Cool Struttin” out sold John Coltrane’s “Blue Train” album with an outstanding 179, 000 copies. This is immensely due to the fact that Clark’s music grew in popularity in countries as far as
Sonny Clark was born July 21, 1931 in small town Herminie, Pennsylvania. Sonny’s real name is actually Conrad Yeatis, however, he preferred the nickname “Sonny.” Sadly, when Clark was still very young he had to endure the loss of his father. However, being the youngest …show more content…
Once Clark reached New York he teamed up with the gospel singer Dinah Washington. Sonny began a transformation from West Coast Jazz to Hard Bop. His performances with Washington allowed Clark to get his name out among other musicians and record companies. This way of advertisement proved to be quite successful for Sonny, as he received many requests to be a sideman by several musicians. Sonny performed with jazz legends such as John Coltrane, Billie Holiday, and Donald Byrd to name a few. The title of sideman did not stick around for long and soon Clark became the leader. As the leader Sonny recorded a total of nine albums for Blue Note Records that were a combination of minor blues and hard swing. The year 1957 was a very busy one for Clark as this was the year that he recorded a three of his popular albums which include “Dial ‘S’ for Sonny,” “Sonny’s Crib,” and “Sonny Clark Trio.” A review of “Dial ‘S’ for Sonny,” and “Sonny’s Crib” by Phil Gold was published stating the main attributes that he enjoyed. Gold stated that he preferred Sonny’s solo works as opposed to his accompanied performances. But what Gold enjoyed the most about Clark was the way he “plays with such freedom of time and form, while never losing the line of the song” (Rochlin, Steven). Along with these two albums, Sonny’s most renowned recordings were “Cool Struttin” and “Leapin and Lopin.” Critics claimed that …show more content…
This was not the only recognition that Clark received at a young age. In fact, 9 years later Sonny was given the opportunity to appear on the historic “Night of the Stars” Concert at the Syria Mosque. This show was sponsored by the Pittsburgh Courier and featured an exclusive cast of legendary Pittsburgh pianists, and Clark was honored to be one of them. Sonny Clark is said to be the greatest hard bop pianist and composer of his time and therefore earned himself the title of “Quintessential Hard Bop Pianist.” In fact, Clark was so successful that his albums “Dial ‘S’ for Sonny” and “Sonny’s Crib” were later restored to the catalog on high quality, 200 gram, Quiex Super Vinyl Profile (Rochlin, Steven). A more sentimental event was when Dexter Gordon announced that Sonny Clark was his favorite piano accompanist. Clark was inspired by many artists throughout his lifetime including John Coltrane. Ironically, Clark’s CD “Cool Struttin” out sold John Coltrane’s “Blue Train” album with an outstanding 179, 000 copies. This is immensely due to the fact that Clark’s music grew in popularity in countries as far as