Conrad Yeatis "Sonny" Clark (July 21, 1931 – January 13, 1963) was an American jazz pianist and composer who mainly worked in the hard bop idiom.
Early life
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 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. 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), 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.
Legacy
Close friend and fellow jazz pianist Bill Evans 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, Wayne Horvitz, Ray Drummond, and Bobby Previte recorded an album of Clark's compositions, Voodoo (1985), as the Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet. Zorn also recorded several of Clark's compositions with Bill Frisell 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 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
Bone & Bari (Blue Note, 1958) – rec. 1957
Curtis Fuller Volume 3 (Blue Note, 1961) – rec. 1957
Two Bones (Blue Note, 1980) – rec. 1958
With Dexter Gordon
Go (Blue Note, 1962) A Swingin' Affair (Blue Note, 1962) Landslide (Blue Note, 1980) – rec. 1961-62
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
Gooden's Corner (Blue Note, 1980) – rec. 1961
Nigeria (Blue Note, 1980) – rec. 1962
Oleo (Blue Note, 1980) – rec. 1962
Born to Be Blue (Blue Note, 1985) – rec. 1962
The Complete Quartets with Sonny Clark (Blue Note, 1997) – compilation
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
Hank Mobley (Blue Note, 1958) – rec. 1957
Poppin' (Blue Note, 1980) – rec. 1957
Curtain Call (Blue Note, 1984) – rec. 1957
With Art Pepper
Straight-Ahead Jazz Volume One – rec. 1953Straight Ahead Jazz Vol. Two – rec. 1953 Art Pepper With Sonny Clark Trio Vol. 2 – rec. 1953
With Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All Stars
Mexican Passport (Contemporary, 1956) Music for Lighthousekeeping (Contemporary, 1956) Oboe/Flute (Contemporary, 1956)