The Art Of The Trio (Tone Poet Vinyl Series)

Celebrated pianist Sonny Clark was one of the great voices of the hard bop era. The Art Of The Trio brings together three of his finest trio sessions, recorded in 1957 and 1958 at Rudy Van Gelder's legendary studio in Hackensack, New Jersey. Joined by bass greats Paul Chambers and Jymie Merritt and drummers Philly Joe Jones and Wes Landers, Clark brings his effortless swing, bluesy touch and graceful melodic sense to timeless standards. Highlights include "Can't We Be Friends," "I Cover The Waterfront," "Blues In The Night" and "All Of You." Many of these recordings were long available only on hard-to-find Japanese releases, and this is the first time they've been gathered in a single vinyl package.

As part of Blue Note's acclaimed Tone Poet Vinyl Series, this set gets the full audiophile treatment. It was produced by Joe Harley and mastered all-analog by Kevin Gray, directly from the original master tapes. The two 180-gram LPs were pressed at RTI and come in a deluxe tip-on gatefold jacket with a booklet. The booklet has new liner notes by Syd Schwartz, the original notes by Ben Sidran and Bob Porter, and never-before-seen photos by Francis Wolff. It's an essential addition for jazz collectors and audiophiles, and a beautiful introduction for anyone discovering one of Blue Note's most beloved pianists. Pour a drink, drop the needle and enjoy.