John Hicks' fourth CD in a series honoring pianists and composers who were from the greater Pittsburgh area salutes
Sonny Clark, whose contributions have been somewhat overlooked since his premature death in 1963. Joined by bassist
Dwayne Burno and drummer
Cecil Brooks III,
Hicks adds several originals -- which complement but don't attempt to mimic
Clark's style -- in addition to his interpretations of
Clark's compositions. He adds a lovely introductory original solo piano prelude to precede the easygoing waltz treatment of
Clark's "My Conception," while his take of "Cable Car" gives it a Latin flavor.
Hicks slows the tempo of
Clark's "Minor Meeting" considerably and also winds the piece much tighter, giving it a much darker, bluesy sound than the composer's recordings for Time and Blue Note.
Hicks' solo version of "Sonny's Mood" is lush and reflective, while the hard swinging "Sonny's Crib" reveals its roots in gospel music.
Hicks, who hung out with
Clark, dedicates "Angel With a Briefcase" to the late pianist because of his habit of always carrying one stuffed with manuscripts in progress; this warm solo portrait is followed by
Hicks' whimsically titled "Clark Bar Blues," which hard bop fans will no doubt discover to be very tasty. Overall, the desired effect of such a brilliant release is to make one want to obtain earlier CDs by
John Hicks and also to look for the original versions by
Sonny Clark, if they aren't already in the listener's possession. ~ Ken Dryden