Clark was born and raised in Herminie, Pennsylvania, a coal mining town southeast of Pittsburgh. At age 12, he moved to Pittsburgh. When visiting an aunt in California at age 20, Clark decided to stay and began working with saxophonist Wardell Gray. Clark went to San Francisco with Oscar Pettiford and after a couple months, was working with clarinetist Buddy DeFranco in 1953. Clark toured the U.S. and Europe with DeFranco until January 1956, when he joined The Lighthouse All-Stars, led by bassist Howard Rumsey.
Wishing to return to the east coast, Clark served as accompanist for singer Dinah Washington in February 1957 in order to relocate to New York City. In New York, Clark was often requested as a sideman by many musicians, partly because of his rhythmic comping. He frequently recorded for Blue Note Records, playing as a sideman with many hard bop players, including Kenny Burrell, Donald Byrd, Paul Chambers, John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Art Farmer, Curtis Fuller, Grant Green, Philly Joe Jones, Clifford Jordan, Jackie McLean, Hank Mobley, Art Taylor, and Wilbur Ware. He also recorded sessions with Charles Mingus, Sonny Rollins, Billie Holiday, Stanley Turrentine, and Lee Morgan.
As a band leader, Clark recorded albums Dial "S" for Sonny (1957), Sonny's Crib (1957), Sonny Clark Trio (1957), with Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones, and Cool Struttin' (1958). Sonny Clark Trio, with George Duvivier and Max Roach was released in 1960.
Clark died of a heart attack in New York City, although commentators attribute the early death to Clark's drug and alcohol abuse.
Close friend and fellow jazz pianist Bill Evans dedicated the composition "NYC's No Lark" (an anagram of "Sonny Clark") to him after his death, included on Evans' Conversations with Myself (1963). John Zorn, Wayne Horvitz, Ray Drummond, and Bobby Previte recorded an album of Clark's compositions, Voodoo (1985), as The Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet. Zorn also recorded several of Clark's compositions with Bill Frisell and George Lewis on News for Lulu (1988) and More News for Lulu (1992).
Deep Night
Sonny Clark Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Moonlight, lighting our place of love
Night winds seem to have gone to rest
Two eyes, brightly with love are gleaming
Come to my arms, my darling, my sweetheart, my own
Vow that you'll love me always, be mine alone
Deep night, whispering trees above
Deep night, deep in the arms of love
Come to my arms, my darling, my sweetheart, my own
Vow that you'll love me always, and be mine alone
Deep night, whispering trees above
Kind night, bringing you nearer, dearer and dearer
Deep night, deep in the arms of love
In 'Deep Night,' Sonny Clark's lyrics describe a beautiful, tranquil night under the stars with someone he loves. The song begins by acknowledging the peaceful environment around them, with "stars in the sky" and "night winds seem to have gone to rest." But in contrast to the calm surroundings, his lover's "two eyes" shine brightly with love. He invites her to come to him, embracing her in a vow of eternal love, to always be his and his alone. The repeated phrases of "deep night" and "whispering trees above" adds to the romantic and intimate atmosphere.
The lyrics of 'Deep Night' play on the classic themes of love and nature, drawing upon the serenity of the night sky and the whistling breeze that resonates with the lovers' relationship. It embodies a typical jazz ballad sound and theme that stems from an era in music history that heavily favored the traditions of the Great American Songbook. This song's simple melody and gentle tempo make it accessible to wide audiences and continue to make it a popular selection for jazz instrumentalists and vocalists.
Line by Line Meaning
Deep night, stars in the sky above
The night is peaceful with the stars shining up above.
Moonlight, lighting our place of love
The moonlight is shining on the place where we express our love.
Night winds seem to have gone to rest
The winds are calm and still, giving us a moment of serenity.
Two eyes, brightly with love are gleaming
Your eyes are shining with love and passion.
Come to my arms, my darling, my sweetheart, my own
Come to me, my love, my dear, my soulmate.
Vow that you'll love me always, be mine alone
Promise me that you'll always love me and never leave me.
Deep night, whispering trees above
The night is quiet with the trees whispering above us.
Kind night, bringing you nearer, dearer and dearer
The night is kind and brings us closer and closer to each other.
Deep night, deep in the arms of love
The night is deep and we're lost in the embrace of our love.
Come to my arms, my darling, my sweetheart, my own
Come to me, my love, my dear, my soulmate.
Vow that you'll love me always, and be mine alone
Promise me that you'll always love me and be with me forever.
Deep night, whispering trees above
The night is quiet with the trees whispering above us.
Kind night, bringing you nearer, dearer and dearer
The night is kind and brings us closer and closer to each other.
Deep night, deep in the arms of love
The night is deep and we're lost in the embrace of our love.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Cloud9, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Charles E. Henderson, Rudy Vallee
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-mh7vd1fo4l
懐かしい。20代で昭和の頃、毎晩聞いていました。個人的にはこのアルバムのベストです。
@user-dc1pj1mz3t
高校生から大学生時代に毎日聴いてました。すべてのハードバップジャズの中でも最も好きな曲です。
@justjazz784
私が音楽で好きなのは、2 つの非常に異なる文化の人々に音楽が触れる方法です。 ソニー・クラークの素晴らしいピアノが奏でる西洋のアメリカ人と東洋の日本人。これも大好きなジャズソングです。 私の翻訳が理にかなっていることを願っています。
@SanJordiBluenotian
クラークの転がるけれど重いトーン、マクリーンのかすれ、フィリー・ジョーの少し荒れたドラム。切なくて、日本のジャズ喫茶ファンはしびれます。
@The90sGamingGuy
Spectacular song and well recorded album in my opinion.
@paulleighton4639
i have this album for a number of years and this is my fovourite track from it every member is superb
@Dems-fk8sh
What a sound !
@kempfkempfkempf
"Cool Struttin' is an album by jazz pianist Sonny Clark that was released by Blue Note Records in August 1958.[1] Described as an "enduring hard-bop classic" by The New York Times,[6] the album features alto saxophonist Jackie McLean, trumpeter Art Farmer and two members of the Miles Davis Quintet, drummer Philly Joe Jones and bassist Paul Chambers. According to The Stereo Times, the album enjoys "a nearly cult status among hardcore jazz followers",[7] a reputation AllMusic asserts it deserves "for its soul appeal alone".[8]
Originally released on LP in 1958 by Blue Note, the album has been re-released on CD many times, also featuring two bonus tracks. In 1991, Blue Note released a Christmas themed CD called Yule Struttin' with a cover derived from the sleeve design for this album."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cool_Struttin'
@stevefromchicago8277
A wonderful hard bop album from the late 50s. This song, the title track, and Blue Minor are all stellar tracks. Wonderful solos by Clark, Jackie McLean, and Art Farmer. I associatethis album with Christmas, not sure if that is because of the cover photo or because of some past Blue Note marketing.
@matthiasalexanderfeulbach254
GREAT SOUND!!