Cool Struttin [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Sonny Clark | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 20, 1999)
• Original Release Date: 1958
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B00000IL28
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,527 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #31 in Music > Indie Music > Jazz > General
  • #48 in Music > Jazz > Bebop > Hard Bop
  • #94 in Music > Jazz > Bebop > Bebop General

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Iconic Blue Note jazz, October 1, 2001

By 

N. Dorward "obsessive reviewer" (Toronto, ON Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cool Struttin (Audio CD)

Sonny Clark was, like Kenny Drew, one of the favourite pianists among the hard-boppers, & he put in a lot of sideman appearances in the 1950s & 1960s (though, interestingly enough, he got his start as an accompanist to Buddy DeFranco). His playing draws on the main models of the time--Powell, Monk, Silver--along with one unexpected source, Lennie Tristano (not an obvious influence beyond Clark's fondness for extremely long & cogently argued lines in his solos). But Clark's playing is nonetheless immediately recognizable, both when he solos, & when he comps--he is an especially logical accompanist.

This album contains 6 tracks, of which two ("Lover" & "Royal Flush") were not present on the original vinyl. Though not all the tunes are blues, the blues inform the album's mostly relaxed, minor-key mood and pacing. Jackie McLean is a key voice here, delivering one of his most brilliant performances of the 1950s; his tone is here unusually limpid, without the abrasiveness & deliberately idiosyncratic pitching of other McLean recordings of this period. Art Farmer is an unusual choice for the trumpet chair--if this were recorded a few years later I'm sure Morgan, Byrd or Hubbard would have got the date, all Blue Note favourites--but proves an excellent choice because of his temperamental reserve & poise. The key performance here is the medium-up "Deep Night", a rather little-played standard (I think I've only one other performance of it in my collection, on Betty Carter's _The Audience With..._). Clark's opening statement is comparable to Horace Silver's more pensive moments (e.g. "Melancholy Mood" on _Blowin' the Blues Away_) but unfolds with a gentle but inexorable logic that I find quite breathtaking: the track builds in excitement as Philly Joe Jones switches from brushes to sticks when Farmer comes in, & as the mood intensifies with Jackie McLean's solo. It's truly exciting.

A lovely, lovely disc. One oddity is that "Lover", the second of the previously unreleased tracks, contains no solo by the leader....which explains why it wasn't released, I guess. Anyway, this is an essential disc.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Blue Note - Hard Bop Classic, May 20, 2007

By 

JoeyD (los gatos, ca) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Cool Struttin (Audio CD)

One day (about five years ago) I was cruising along in my car searching for something, ANYTHING, that was semi-pleasing to listen to on my car stereo. However, I was having one hell of a time finding anything decent - for it seems as if even the world of music nowadays is riddled with pollution. Alas, just as I was about to throw in the towel and settle for talk radio on AM (UGH!!! like that is any better!) I hear this jazz tune come on "Cool Struttin" and it was at that moment, because of that particular song, my love affair with jazz truly began. This album, along with about ten others (KIND OF BLUE - Miles Davis, MY FAVORITE THINGS - John Coltrane, SONG FOR MY FATHER - Horace Silver, SOMETHIN' ELSE - Cannonball Adderley etc...) was one of the first jazz albums I went out and purchased. Now of course "Cool Struttin" may not quite fall into the same category as the ones I listed above, but it's definitely, in my humble opinion, one notch right below them and still easily worthy of a five-star rating. It's recordings such as this that make me want to listen to jazz music twenty-four hours a day.

Most jazz fanatics out there probably already own this Blue Note classic. Therefore, this review is aimed more for the novice jazz fan or perhaps someone (such as I five years ago) just learning about jazz after perhaps hearing it on the radio or satellite television. Well, all I can say is you can't go wrong making this purchase! First off, you have an all-star quintet led by the smooth as silk Sonny Clark (piano), joined by Art Farmer (trumpet), Jackie McClean (alto sax), Paul Chambers (bass), and Philly Joe Jones (drums). Despite the fact that most of these cats were blasted on drugs (particularly heroin) and booze at the time, they still turned in tremendous, top-notch performances. McClean does his best Charlie Parker imitation, squawking away his solos with reckless abandon and absolutely no fear. Like Art Farmer was quoted as saying in Nat Hentoff's original liner-notes, "Jackie has a feeling in his playing that you know immediately is him. He doesn't just copy." Yes, there is no doubt McClean has is own unique, original voice and this album is one of the prime examples of that. It is also, one of his best performances ever (see SWING, SWANG, SWINGIN and ONE STEP BEYOND for two more examples).

Art Farmer may not always be talked about in the same breath as others when one is mentioning the greatest trumpet players of all-time (i.e. Louis, Dizzy, Miles, Brownie, Freddie, Lee Morgan, et al...) but he definitely is worthy of praise. I don't know if I have ever heard Art Farmer not sound great. Sure he may lack the charisma and magnetism of a Miles Davis (his main influence as a musician), but I personally love his clean, controlled, consistent style. Sonny Clark on the keys has always been one of my favorites because in many ways he is the quintessential hard bop pianist (which is my personal favorite style of jazz). By the way, does anyone else think that Clark and Tommy Flanagan are the same person at times? The way they swing, their perfect control of melody, and the way they seem to glide across the keys with a soft, unique touch. Simply sensational!

Finally, there is no amount of hyperbole I can write about Philly Joe Jones and Paul Chambers that would ever do them justice. I have never read about any other drummer in the history of jazz (Rich, Roach, Blakey, Tony Williams, Elvin Jones, etc...) that gets more compliments from his fellow musicians than Philly Joe Jones. My favorite quote was by Miles in his autobiography, "...he (Jones) knew everything I was going to do, everything I was going to play; he anticipated me, felt what I was thinking." And Paul Chambers is simply one of the top three bass players of all-time on just about every one's list, especially when it comes to hard-bop. The two of them are outstanding.

In 1963, at the early age of 31, Sonny Clark left this Earth way too soon like so many other jazz legends - Billie, Bird, Brownie, Coltrane, Jaco, LaFaro, Pettiford, Watkins, Powell, et al... I have to stop now, because I am getting depressed. However, all I have to do to start feeling good is press the play button on my stereo and once again start listening to this sensational, five-star recording.

This is one of the longest reviews I've ever written. But after all, it was that one song from this great album, that truly changed my life forever.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The quintessential Blue Note hard-bop album., August 3, 1999

By 

bruce horner - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cool Struttin (Audio CD)

If you were forced to buy only one late-fifties Blue Note album, this would be an excellent choice. Few could swing as LUCIDLY as Sonny Clarke, and with Jackie McClean and Art Farmer making strong contributions throughout, this is a superior "blowing session" album. Clarke was a superb sideman but as a leader he rarely equaled this peak. An essential LP at any price.