Dial "S" for Sonny
| Dial "S" for Sonny | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| 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 with a septet assembled for the session consisting of horn section Art Farmer, Curtis Fuller, and Hank Mobley and rhythm section Wilbur Ware and Louis Hayes.[4]
Background
[edit]Title
[edit]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.
Reception
[edit]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]
Track listing
[edit]- All compositions by Sonny Clark, except as indicated
- "Dial "S" for Sonny" – 7:26
- "Bootin' It" – 5:17
- "It Could Happen to You" (Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 6:59
- "Sonny's Mood" – 8:38
- "Shoutin' on a Riff" – 6:45
- "Love Walked In" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 5:50
- "Bootin' It" [Alternate Take] – 5:15 (CD bonus track)
Personnel
[edit]Musicians
[edit]- Sonny Clark – piano
- Art Farmer – trumpet (except "Love Walked In")
- Curtis Fuller – trombone (except "Love Walked In")
- Hank Mobley – tenor saxophone (except "Love Walked In")
- Wilbur Ware – bass
- Louis Hayes – drums
Technical personnel
[edit]- Alfred Lion – producer
- Rudy Van Gelder – recording engineer
- Reid Miles – design
- Francis Wolff – photography
- Robert Levin – liner notes
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[7] | 147 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Parnes, Sid, ed. (November 9, 1957). "November Album Releases" (PDF). The Cash Box. New York: The Cash Box Publishing Co. p. 33. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 9, 2021.
- ^ Allmusic Review
- ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 254. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
- ^ Sonny Clark discography accessed December 21, 2009.
- ^ Wilson, John S. (1959) The Collector's Jazz: Modern, p. 68. J. B. Lippincott.
- ^ Earlewine, S. T. Allmusic Review accessed December 21, 2009.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Sonny Clark – Dial %22S%22 for Sonny" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
