Jazz pianist Sonny Clark never made it past his 31st birthday but this record has gone on to be revered as one of the definitive, if not the definitive, Hard bop records.
Sonny died in 1963 of a heart attack but many think it was actually a drug overdose that killed him. Sonny was a heroine addict. As a musician he'd played with many of the best accompanying singers such as Dinah Washington and Billie Holliday, as a sidesman for the likes of Kenny Burrell and John Coltrane. He also recorded with Charles Mingus and Sonny Rollins.
COOL STRUTTIN was released within a year of Kind of Blue, the biggest selling Jazz record of all time. But while Kind of Blue focuses on modal forms, COOL STRUTTIN focuses squarely on the blues. At the time it see to have largely been forgotten and it wasn't till much later that it gained an appreciation amongst a new generation of fans. In the 1970s there was a thriving jazz scene in Japan where the patrons of jazz cafes (jazz kissa) would hunt out rare Hard Bop records. COOL STRUTTIN took on second life, prompting Blue Note Japan to re-release it and it's reputation and that of Clark, have only grown since.
The recoding also features Trumpet Player Art Farmer and Jackie McLeanon Alto Sax. Both had played together on other blues bands for many years and the chemistry between them is tangible, especially on their interplay during 'Sippin' at Bells'. It also includes two members of the Miles Davis quintet drummer Philly Joe Jones and bassist Paul Chambers who do a great job laying down a steady beat for the soloists, whilst also getting their own moments in the spotlight.
Not only is this record cool, but its also fresh and innocently exuberant. It's a clean jazz record, perfectly crisp and box fresh smart. But it's swinging too, and zips along with buzz and a bounce.
BLUE MINOR
COOL STRUTTIN
SIPPIN' AT BELLES
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