Cool Struttin’ Review byThom Jurek

Recorded in 1958, this legendary date with the still-undersung Sonny Clark in the leader’s chair also featured a youngJackie McLeanon alto (playing with a smoother tone than he had before or ever did again), trumpeterArt Farmer, and the legendary rhythm section of bassistPaul Chambersand drummerPhilly Joe Jones, both from theMiles Davisband. The set begins with one of the preeminent “swinging medium blues” pieces in jazz history: the title track with its leveraged fours and eights shoved smoothly up against the walking bass ofChambersand the backbeat shuffle ofJones. Clark’s solo, with its grouped fifths and sevenths, is a wonder of both understatement and groove, whileChambers’ arco solo turns the blues in on itself. While there isn’t a weak note on this record, there are some other tracks that stand out, most notablyMiles’ “Sippin’ at Bells,” with its loping Latin rhythm. WhenMcLeantakes his solo against a handful of Clark’s shaded minor chords, he sounds as if he may blow it — he comes out a little quick — but he recovers nicely and reaches for a handful of Broadway show tunes to counter the minor mood of the piece. He shifts to bothBen WebsterandLester Youngbefore moving throughBird, and finally toMcLeanhimself, riding the margin of the changes to slip just outside enough to add some depth in the middle register. The LP closes withHendersonandValle’s “Deep Night,” the only number in the batch not rooted in the blues. It’s a classic hard bop jamming tune and features wonderful solos byFarmer, who plays weird flatted notes all over the horn against the changes, andMcLean, who thinks he’s playing a kind of snake charmer blues in swing tune. This set deserves its reputation for its soul appeal alone.

ORIGIN : Japan
LABEL : Blue Note Records
CONDITION OF COVER & INSERT : EX
CONDITION OF RECORD : EX+

RECORD GRADING DEFINITIONS

MINT: Never opened, still in original shrink wrap.

NM: Opened, appears unplayed.

EX: A few very light surface hair-line marks with no major deterioration to the sound quality.

VG: A few light scratches and/or scuffs creating audible background noise. There is no skipping or jumping on this record unless indicated in the condition description.

A plus or minus (+ or -) denotes slightly better or slightly less than a grade, eg. VG+.

Each record has been cleaned and played to ensure the accuracy of the following grading.