AMG Review of Oakland, 1955

Michael G. Nastos
All Music Guide

The first officially recorded date from an ensemble led by the brilliant jazz pianist Sonny Clark is an interesting prelude to his subsequent classic efforts for the Blue Note label. After leaving his home near Pittsburgh, moving to Los Angeles and finishing work as a sideman with Wardell Gray, Oscar Pettiford and Buddy DeFranco, Clark lived in the Northern California Bay area of San Francisco, and led this obscure trio of bassist Jerry Good and drummer Al Randall. Recorded in performance at the ~Mocambo Club in Oakland in mid-January of 1955, it is an historical document for fans of Clark who might want to hear the pianist at a time when he was happy, not doing the drugs that destroyed his life and career, and in a freewheeling mood playing standards. The other aspect that makes this CD a precious commodity lies in the exceptional liner notes penned by Bob Blumenthal, as he tells the tale of Clark's involvement on the West Coast scene before heading back east to New York City for his rise to fame, and his unfortunate demise at such a young age. Clearly influenced by Bud Powell's virtuosity, Clark shows he has all of the chops, inventiveness, and speed to burn that made him one of the most impressive pianists of the hard bop era. The production values being thin, especially the drumming of Randall, hurts the overall quality of the sound, but Clark's piano still reigns supreme, and it takes him little time to warm up. As deft as his fleet lines are, the feeling of the music is relaxed in tempos and development. It is only until the third tune "There Will Never Be Another You" that the trio brings the beat to a boil, and Clark shows off with flurries of arpeggios, but not staggeringly so. A take of the basic happy blues of John Lewis "D & E" lopes along, while "All the Things You Are" sports a slight calypso refrain. The rest of the program is distinguished by classic bop tunes, and the scratchy snare drum of Randall. The loose snare is annoying, and sounds like a supplemental percussion instrument. The band does kick into another gear, using tight and frequent stop-start techniques on the melody of "Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea," while Clark unleashes his power during "But Not for Me" and Dizzy Gillespie's stretched out "Night in Tunisia". There's a wow in the tape recording for the intro of "All the Things," some poor microphone placements on the drums causing the sonic imbalance, and Randall sounding tired or less inspired in the second half. Good went on to a career in music as a player and accountant for the local musician's union, while Randall died choking on a piece of steak a full decade after these recordings. Clark spent only eight more years playing brilliant jazz before losing his battle with drug addiction. This CD, while definitely flawed, gives a clear indication of what the pianist had to offer when the moment was even somewhat right.