Sonny Clark - Cool Struttin' (Music Matters 33BST-1588) 33rpm Gatefold Vinyl

	A$		50
	$		33

Played once. As new.

$55 USD retail (excluding postage to Australia).

Since its purchase it has been carefully stored on a shelf among other LPs and box sets in a smoke free home.

See product description here: https://www.musicmattersjazz.com/Ike-Quebec-Blue-And-Sentimental-Blue-Note-Vinyl-p/33bst-4098.htm
Ike Quebec was perhaps the least likely musician to be leading albums for Blue Note in the early 1960s for he was a big-toned swing stylist rather than a hard bop or soul jazz player. But Quebec, a superb musician who was making a major comeback, was one of the most important figures in the entire history of Blue Note. He was the one who introduced Alfred Lion to bebop in the mid-1940s (including Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell) which entirely changed the course of Blue Note.

Quebec, who gained some fame as a member of the Cab Calloway Orchestra, was a member of the Blue Note family back in the mid-1940s, having a hit with his recording of "Blue Harlem." After Quebec introduced Alfred Lion to the new music, he worked as an A&R man for Blue Note. Inactive during much of the 1950s, Quebec emerged in 1960 in prime form, recording several gems for Blue Note including Blue and Sentimental, his definitive album.

Equally skilled on intimate ballads and uptempo romps, Quebec displays his mastery of the tenor and his huge sound throughout this set. Joined by a pianoless quartet that includes Grant Green, Quebec makes every breath and sound count, playing seductive lines on the ballads and swinging forcefully on the hotter numbers. He only lived until 1963 (passing away when he was just 44), but, as Blue And Sentimental shows, Ike Quebec saved the very best for his later period, creating a masterpiece.

Like all Music Matters Jazz releases, this audiophile vinyl reissue is mastered from the original analog tape and pressed on 180g virgin vinyl at RTI in Camarillo, CA. The highest quality gatefold cover features original session photography on the inside.

Considered one of the great young pianists of the mid-to-late 1950s, Sonny Clark was practically the house pianist at Blue Note during 1957-62 before his tragically early death in 1963 when he was just 31. He began his career playing and recording with Teddy Charles and Wardell Gray in the early 1950s. Inspired by Bud Powell, he made a particularly strong impression during his period with clarinetist Buddy DeFranco's group.

He also worked with Dinah Washington, Serge Chaloff and Sonny Criss in addition to leading his own trio. But he is most famous for his work for Blue Note In addition to leading seven albums for the label, Clark was on many sessions as a sideman, uplifting every date with his adventurous and swinging playing. His playing was full of joyful discoveries, constant swing, and an optimistic creativity that was indescribable and quite infectious.

Cool Struttin', the pianist's most famous and rewarding album, features Sonny Clark in a quintet with altoist Jackie McLean, trumpeter Art Farmer, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones. On this 1958 gem, Clark is featured on four lengthy performances, including Miles Davis 'Sippin' At Bells" and the exotic 'Deep Night.' The music is filled with magical moments where the five musicians seem to think and create like one.

The greatest jazz performances include moments like those heard on 'Cool Struttin' where the music has a life of its own beyond the individual players. The more one plays this superb album, the more it is obvious that this is one of the truly essential Blue Note recordings.

Like all Music Matters Jazz releases, this audiophile vinyl reissue is mastered from the original analog tape and pressed on 180g virgin vinyl at RTI in Camarillo, CA. The highest quality gatefold cover features original session photography on the inside.