Dial "S" for Sonny | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 1957 [1] | |||
Recorded | July 21, 1957 | |||
Studio | Van Gelder Studio Hackensack, NJ | |||
Genre | Bop | |||
Length | 40:55 | |||
Label | Blue Note BLP 1570 | |||
Producer | Alfred Lion | |||
Sonny Clark chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [3] |
Dial "S" for Sonny is the debut studio album by the American jazz pianist Sonny Clark. It was released in November 1957 through Blue Note Records. [1] The recording was made on July 21, 1957 and the septet assembled for the session consists of horn section Art Farmer, Curtis Fuller, and Hank Mobley and rhythm section Wilbur Ware and Louis Hayes. [4]
The album title is an allusion to Frederick Knott's play Dial M for Murder , which was first produced in 1952 and then made into a successful film by Alfred Hitchcock in 1954.
Critic John S. Wilson, in a contemporaneous review, remarked "Art Farmer contributes some crackling solos to Dial S for Sonny, ... but he has to fight a chomp-chomp rhythm section." [5]
The AllMusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine states, "Dial 'S' for Sonny, Sonny Clark's first session for Blue Note Records and his first session as a leader, is a terrific set of laidback bop, highlighted by Clark's liquid, swinging solos... Clark steals the show in this set of fine, straight-ahead bop." [6]
Chart (2022) | Peak position |
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Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [7] | 147 |
Conrad Yeatis "Sonny" Clark was an American jazz pianist and composer who mainly worked in the hard bop idiom.
Henry Mobley was an American tenor saxophonist and composer. Mobley was described by Leonard Feather as the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", a metaphor used to describe his tone, that was neither as aggressive as John Coltrane nor as mellow as Lester Young, and his style that was laid-back, subtle and melodic, especially in contrast with players such as Coltrane and Sonny Rollins. The critic Stacia Proefrock claimed him "one of the most underrated musicians of the bop era." Mobley's compositions include "Double Exposure", "Soul Station", and "Dig Dis".
William Franklin Hardman Jr. was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist who chiefly played hard bop. He was married to Roseline and they had a daughter Nadege.
Douglas Watkins was an American jazz double bassist. He was best known for being an accompanist to various hard bop artists in the Detroit area, including Donald Byrd and Jackie McLean.
Wilbur Bernard Ware was an American jazz double bassist. He was a regular bassist for the Riverside record label in the 1950s, and recorded regularly in that decade with Johnny Griffin, Kenny Dorham, Kenny Drew, and Thelonious Monk. He also appeared on records released by J.R. Monterose, Toots Thielemans, Sonny Clark, Tina Brooks, Zoot Sims, and Grant Green, among others.
Trane's Blues is a compact disc credited to the jazz musician John Coltrane, released in 1999 on Blue Note Records, catalogue 98240. It comprises recordings from sessions for Blue Note and United Artists Records with Coltrane as a sideman for Paul Chambers, Sonny Clark, Johnny Griffin, and Cecil Taylor. These recordings were issued respectively on their Whims of Chambers, Sonny's Crib, A Blowin' Session, and Hard Driving Jazz albums. Two selections are from Coltrane's own 1957 Blue Train, and "One for Four" had been previously unissued. "Trane's Blues" had been issued on the compilation High Step in 1975, previously known as "John Paul Jones" and named after himself, the bass player Chambers, and the drummer Philly Joe Jones. Like Prestige Records before them, as Coltrane's fame grew long after he had stopped recording for the label, Blue Note used varied recordings, often those where Coltrane had been merely a sideman, and reissued them as a new album with Coltrane's name prominently displayed. In this case, the Big Four conglomerate EMI continued that earlier practice.
Originally is an album by drummer Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers recorded in 1956, but not released on the Columbia label until 1982. The album features unreleased tracks from the sessions that produced The Jazz Messengers and Hard Bop which have since been released as bonus tracks on those albums and Drum Suite.
Poppin' is an album by jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley first released on Blue Note Japan in 1980 as GXF 3066. It was recorded on October 20, 1957 and features Mobley, trumpeter Art Farmer, baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams, pianist Sonny Clark, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer “Philly” Joe Jones.
Hank is an album by the Hank Mobley Sextet recorded on April 21, 1957 and released on Blue Note later that year. The sextet features horn section Donald Byrd and John Jenkins, and rhythm section Bobby Timmons, Wilbur Ware and “Philly Joe" Jones.
Hank Mobley is an album by American jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley recorded on June 23, 1957 and released on Blue Note the following year. The sextet features horn section Bill Hardman and Curtis Porter and rhythm section Sonny Clark, Paul Chambers, and Art Taylor.
Lou Takes Off is an album by American jazz saxophonist Lou Donaldson recorded on December 15, 1957 and released on Blue Note the following year. The sextet features brass section Donald Byrd and Curtis Fuller and rhythm section Sonny Clark, Jamil Nasser and Art Taylor.
Sonny's Crib is a studio album by the jazz pianist Sonny Clark. It was released through Blue Note Records in March 1958. The sextet assembled for the recording session consists of horn players Donald Byrd, Curtis Fuller, and John Coltrane and rhythm section Paul Chambers and Art Taylor. The first half of the album comprises three jazz standards, while the second half contains two original compositions by Clark. The recording was made on September 1, 1957.
Silver's Blue is a studio album by American jazz pianist Horace Silver recorded for the Epic label in 1956 featuring performances by Silver with Joe Gordon, Hank Mobley, Doug Watkins, and Kenny Clarke and another session with Donald Byrd and Art Taylor replacing Gordon and Clarke. Silver, Mobley, Watkins, and Byrd all had recently left The Jazz Messengers. These were Silver's first sessions as a leader after leaving the Messengers.
The Opener is an album by American jazz trombonist Curtis Fuller, recorded on June 16, 1957 and released on Blue Note later that year—his debut for the label.
Bone & Bari is an album by American jazz trombonist Curtis Fuller, recorded on August 4, 1957 and released on Blue Note early the following year. The quintet features saxophonist Tate Houston and rhythm section Sonny Clark, Paul Chambers and Art Taylor.
Curtis Fuller, Volume 3 is an album by American jazz trombonist Curtis Fuller recorded on December 1, 1957 but not released on Blue Note until late 1960. The quintet features trumpeter Art Farmer and rhythm section Sonny Clark, George Tucker and Louis Hayes.
This Is New is an album by pianist Kenny Drew recorded in 1957 and released on the Riverside label.
Curtis Fuller with Red Garland is an album by trombonist Curtis Fuller with pianist Red Garland recorded in 1957 and originally released on the New Jazz label, a subsidiary of Prestige Records in 1963.
New Trombone is the debut album by trombonist Curtis Fuller recorded in 1957 and originally released on Prestige Records.
Central Avenue Reunion is a live album by Art Farmer and Frank Morgan recorded in Emeryville, CA in 1989 and originally released on the Contemporary label.