Lighthouse All-Stars Collection XXVII ★ Hampton Hawes║Sonny Clark

The Lighthouse All-Stars with 

Hampton Hawes 

and

Sonny Clark

The Pianoman

For this new chapter in the series, more recordings of immense historical value, rescued by Bob Andrews.

Since we already know how Andrews worked with his portable equipment back then, the technical quality of the tracks becomes secondary. What really matters here are the moments captured in the recorded concerts: the music in its purest and most direct form, exactly as it sounded at the time. An archival gem that deserves to be preserved.

Below are the album liner notes written by Keisuke Okada to delve into all the details of these sessions:

Sonny Clark and Hampton Hawes on the West Coast:

Sonny Clark, born and raised in eastern Pennsylvania, moved to Los Angeles with his brother upon the death of his mother when he was 20 years old. As a child, Sonny preferred to play boogie-woogie and stride piano using both hands, but upon reaching adulthood he awakened to modern jazz, and while being adopted by the boppers of L.A., he changed to a style where he used almost no left hand.

His first recording was in 1953 on the album "Wardell Gray Memorial Vol. 1" by Teddy Charles's West Coasters (Prestige), but at that time he played in a very marked (marcato) manner, a style identical to that of Hampton Hawes. It is not difficult to imagine from his execution that Hawes, his predecessor whom he met shortly after arriving in L.A., was an absolute influence on him.

It was the following year that rivalry emerged in Sonny. In just half a year, his touch became legato and he began to show such a change that the notes seemed to leap in staccato, almost as if he were a different person. It is likely that being recruited by Buddy DeFranco was a great stimulus. In 1955 he resided in San Francisco, and by that time his phrasing had completely broken away from Hawes's, establishing his own style. He returned to L.A. and was active as a member of Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars until the end of 1956. This work captures his figure at that moment. After 1957 he moved to New York and made recordings for Blue Note with great momentum as a hard bopper. 

On the other hand, Hampton Hawes was born and raised in L.A., and since the 1940s he was a promising existence as a prodigy of bebop. His crisp style was already established since his first recording in 1947, and during the 20 years until he adopted modal techniques in the late 60s, he maintained this crisp and elegant style. Despite being black, he showed no heavy or muddy parts; his bright and cheerful style fit perfectly with the ideals of the Kenton musicians. As a result, his recordings from the first half of the 1950s were concentrated mainly on white bands.

The recordings included in this album are from when both were in top form before being drafted, and one can sense a performance full of energy. After this, Clark served in the army and remained in Japan along with bassist Nobby Totah, leaving a great influence on the jazz world of our country, but unfortunately he was repatriated due to drug problems. What he recorded after leaving prison is Contemporary's masterpiece, "The Trio Vol. 1".

In 1957, when Clark said goodbye to L.A., Hampton Hawes also decided to go on an Eastern tour. However, because he had run out of travel money, his fees were depleted and his physical condition was a disaster. With his body battered, he took refuge at Sonny Clark's house, but it is said that when he recovered his spirits, he spent his days begging for money from other musicians along with Clark. Charles Mingus, feeling sorry, hired them to record the album "Mingus Three" on Jubilee, and of course, Clark also stuck to that studio. Even the fearsome Mingus, in the middle of a solo and possibly due to the effects of drugs, stood up to go to the bathroom. During that time, it is said that Clark sat on the piano stool in his place. It is said that what Clark played were the "last 2 chords" of "I Can't Get Started," but from what I have been able to deduce, I imagine it was not just 2 chords. In any case, for Clark, who once had an identical style, it must have been easy to pass himself off as Hawes on the record. 

Highlights of this album:

Among the many recordings left by the Lighthouse All-Stars, these two sessions are among the best in terms of intensity and sense of swing. The liveliness and perfect control that Hawes shows in "Cherokee" surpass any performance after his discharge from the army. And there is no doubt that fans will crack a smile at the citation of "Body and Soul" in the piano solo of "Dickie's Dream," a piece from the Basie band's repertoire.

In the 1956 session on Side 2, it is also worth listening to Clark masterfully accompanying June Christy on tracks like "Now You Say Me Down To Dream" with arrangements by Bill Holman and the refreshing "Mambo Las Vegas," showing a facet that hard bop fans could not imagine. 

*Keisuke Okada (from the japanese liner notes)*

Side 1

1 - Cherokee

(Ray Noble)

2 - Dickie's Dream

(Count Basie, Lester Young)

3 - Solitude

(Duke Ellington, Eddie DeLange, Irving Mills)

4 - Body And Soul

(Johnny Green, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour)

Side 2

5 - Now I Lay Me Down To Dream

(Ted Fiorito, Eddy Howard)

6 - That's All

(Alan Brandt, Bob Haymes)

7 - Isn't This A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening

(Jimmy McHugh, Harold Adamson)

8 - 'Round Midnight

(Thelonious Monk)

9 - Mambo Las Vegas

(Bill Holman)

10 - When Sonny Gets Blue

(Bob Cooper)

Side 1:

Shorty Rogers (trumpet); Bob Cooper, Jimmy Giuffre (tenor saxes);

Milt Bernhart (trombone); Hampton Hawes (piano);

Howard Rumsey (bass); Shelly Manne (drums).

Recorded live at The Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach, California, August 31, 1952

Side 2:

Bob Cooper (tenor sax, oboe [#6, #7]), Frank Rosolino (trombone), Sonny Clark (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Stan Levey (drums), June Christy (vocals [#7, #8]).

Recorded live at The Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach, California, September 3, 1956