My Conception

Personnel: Sonny Clark (piano); Hank Mobley, Clifford Jordan (tenor saxophone); Donald Byrd (trumpet); Kenny Burrell (guitar); Paul Chambers (bass); Pete La Roca, Art Blakey (drums).
Producer: Alfred Lion.
Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna.
Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey on December 8, 1957 and March 29, 1959. Originally released on Blue Note (3056, 70093). Includes liner notes by Michael Cuscuna and Ben Sidran.
Digitally remastered using 24-bit technology by Ron McMaster.
This is part of Blue Note's Limited Edition Connoisseur series.
Pianist Sonny Clark enjoyed a rich recording career in the golden age of Blue Note. MY CONCEPTION is a combination of a 1959 session that included regulars Donald Byrd, Hank Mobley, Paul Chambers, and Art Blakey with a bonus session recorded two years earlier that featured guitarist Kenny Burrell. Clark's amazing dexterity is featured throughout as he trades hot licks with Mobley, Byrd, and Blakey in the first half and blues runs with Burrell and saxophonist Clifford Jordan in the second. As to be expected with this cast of legends, the performances from either session are pristine and swinging.
The obvious contrasts between the two different ensembles allow for a comparison of Clark's subtle adaptations to his environs while maintaining his signature nimble style. This is especially evident on the tune shared by both sessions, "Minor Meeting." In the 1957 recording with Burrell and Jordan it is a relaxed swinger. In 1959, under the powerful hands of Blakey, et al, it became a fiery bopper. Taken as a whole, this is a valuable double-shot that offers more rewards than most.