Sonny Clark -- an interesting article

[Christiern]

Link corrected

Sorry about that—not your browser, just a wrong paste on my part.

[BillF]

Very readable article.

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

Interesting article, Chris. Geez, Lin Halliday. Heard of him....but nothing by him.

[jostber]

A great read, thanks for the link.

[BeBop]

Thanks. I'd no idea of the Lin Halliday connection (no pun intended). All my Halliday recordings are of relatively recent vintage, under his name or that of Cecil Payne. I assume he and Clark never recorded together. About the Jazz Loft book:

"The book is loaded with gorgeous black-and-white photos by Smith, both of musicians playing inside and of street scenes shot through loft windows. There are elaborate descriptions of what ended up on the 1,740 reels of audio tape from the Smith collection—from radio and TV broadcasts to transcriptions of conversations, including a particularly chilling one where saxophonist and Chicago fixture Lin Halliday tries to keep brilliant pianist Sonny Clark upright and awake after they shoot heroin together. " taken from a Chicago Reader review. http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/archives/2010/07/15/the-jazz-loft-project-in-chicago

Edited January 19, 2011 by BeBop

[king ubu]

Very interesting, thanks for sharing, Chris!

[jlhoots]

My good friend, Danny DEEP sent me this link, which is well worth pursuing—if you haven't already done so.

Danny "DEEP" - haven't seen that name in a while.

Interesting article.

The Stephenson Jazz Loft book is excellent (IMHO).

I met him & he signed my copy.

[Christiern]

Interesting article, Chris. Geez, Lin Halliday. Heard of him....but nothing by him.

Love the saintly trumpeter. Gabriel?

[paul secor]

Interesting article, Chris. Geez, Lin Halliday. Heard of him....but nothing by him.

Several good Lin Halliday recordings on Delmark. Airegin is my favorite.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dpopular&field-keywords=lin+halliday+delmark

[Chuck Nessa]

Many thanks Chris.

Knew Lin a bit in Chicago - he said he had a Riverside date (w/Kenny Dorham aboard) that was canceled because everyone was so messed up.

JR Monterose told me a Sonny Clark story. He said the two of them got high and nodded off. When Sonny woke up, and noticed the gallon jug of wine he was holding was now stuck on his thumb and Sonny freaked out. He had some sort of "heart attack" or seizure trying to pull it off.

Can't vouch for either story though I could not see any reason for either of them to fabricate.

[Larry Kart]

My take (posted on Facebook a few minutes ago in response to Cliffford Allen's line there) seems to make me the odd man out here:

'Rather creepy, almost vampire-like-in-tone article IMO. I would hope that Stephenson passes on the material on Clark that he has gathered to someone with a different, less neo-hipster-rides-again sensibility. Also IMO, "The Jazz Loft Project" book fell between two stools. One was the desire to capture the jittery, relatively random texture of the life [W. Eugene] Smith was leading at the time; and this the book did accomplish -- by more or less imitating that texture. But if one were interested in the actual musicians who played at Smith's loft and the actual music they played there -- lots of luck. IIRC, little or no knowledgeable sorting out of the material from that perspective was done.'

[Dan Gould]

My take (posted on Facebook a few minutes ago in response to Cliffford Allen's line there) seems to make me the odd man out here:

'Rather creepy, almost vampire-like-in-tone article IMO. I would hope that Stephenson passes on the material on Clark that he has gathered to someone with a different, less neo-hipster-rides-again sensibility. Also IMO, "The Jazz Loft Project" book fell between two stools. One was the desire to capture the jittery, relatively random texture of the life [W. Eugene] Smith was leading at the time; and this the book did accomplish -- by more or less imitating that texture. But if one were interested in the actual musicians who played at Smith's loft and the actual music they played there -- lots of luck. IIRC, little or no knowledgeable sorting out of the material from that perspective was done.'

While I agree with your take on the Jazz Loft book, I don't remotely understand where you find a creepy, vampire-like tone in the article. You may be right that this author doesn't have the jazz knowledge to do a Sonny Clark bio justice (at least as rabid fans like us think it should be done) but then again there's no one else out there even conceiving of one, is there?

I think we should just be hopeful that his research sees some sort of release and we learn more about Sonny Clark.

[Larry Kart]

My take (posted on Facebook a few minutes ago in response to Cliffford Allen's line there) seems to make me the odd man out here:

'Rather creepy, almost vampire-like-in-tone article IMO. I would hope that Stephenson passes on the material on Clark that he has gathered to someone with a different, less neo-hipster-rides-again sensibility. Also IMO, "The Jazz Loft Project" book fell between two stools. One was the desire to capture the jittery, relatively random texture of the life [W. Eugene] Smith was leading at the time; and this the book did accomplish -- by more or less imitating that texture. But if one were interested in the actual musicians who played at Smith's loft and the actual music they played there -- lots of luck. IIRC, little or no knowledgeable sorting out of the material from that perspective was done.'

While I agree with your take on the Jazz Loft book, I don't remotely understand where you find a creepy, vampire-like tone in the article. You may be right that this author doesn't have the jazz knowledge to do a Sonny Clark bio justice (at least as rabid fans like us think it should be done) but then again there's no one else out there even conceiving of one, is there?

I think we should just be hopeful that his research sees some sort of release and we learn more about Sonny Clark.

The creepy tone I refer to stems from several things. First, the focus on whether the body that was buried as Sonny Clark's actually was his. Either it was or it wasn't, and if it wasn't it may well be a sign of social-racial indifference or worse on the part of the relevant authorities, but this is a primary piece of info about Sonny Clark?

Second, the fact that Stephenson says he may write a biography of Clark. I know -- not creepy in itself perhaps, but given the junky-life associations he understandably leans on, I sense, as I said in my previous post, a neo-hipster orientation in Stephenson, which IIRC was also present in "The Jazz Loft Project," and I almost always find that creepy, though YMMV. I'm thinking he'll give us, if he gets around to it, something along the lines of James Gavin's Chet Baker bio, "Deep In A Dream."

Finally, there's something about Stephenson's account here that doesn't quite track; and if so, that gives me a queasy feeling. He says that he heard Clark's music for the first time by chance in a Raleigh, N.C., coffee shop in 1999, but he also says that at this time he had been working on what seems to be what eventually would become "The Jazz Loft Project." Then, some unspecified but apparently short time later, Stephenson discovers that the Sonny Clark whose music he had heard and been moved by in North Carolina not only was a habitue of Smith's jazz loft but was also at the center of one of the more bizarre episodes that Smith captured on tape -- almost dying from an overdose in the company of Lin Halliday.

Maybe I'm pushing this too hard, but that seems to leave us with two options: 1) Stephenson not only had never heard Clark's music until he just happened to encounter it in that N.C. coffee shop in 1999, but he also at that point had never heard of him at all; or 2) he was already aware of Clark's name from his work on the Smith material but hadn't yet bothered to check out his music. Option 1) is not impossible -- it doesn't violate the physical laws of the universe -- but unless I've misunderstood what Stephenson says, it seems like a whopping big coincidence to me that he would be entranced by Sonny Clark's music out of the blue and then discover that Clark not only was a habitue of the place he'd been researching but also was at the center of one of the more sadly dramatic events that took place there and that W. Eugene Smith would capture on tape. Option 2) seems a tad more likely and also seems to me to fit the rather loose way the music and the musicians are treated in "The Jazz Loft Project" IMO, but I don't like that sort of looseness; it feels exploitive to me. And if option 2) is the case, what does that do to the N.C. coffee bar story?

[Joe]

My take (posted on Facebook a few minutes ago in response to Cliffford Allen's line there) seems to make me the odd man out here:

'Rather creepy, almost vampire-like-in-tone article IMO. I would hope that Stephenson passes on the material on Clark that he has gathered to someone with a different, less neo-hipster-rides-again sensibility. Also IMO, "The Jazz Loft Project" book fell between two stools. One was the desire to capture the jittery, relatively random texture of the life [W. Eugene] Smith was leading at the time; and this the book did accomplish -- by more or less imitating that texture. But if one were interested in the actual musicians who played at Smith's loft and the actual music they played there -- lots of luck. IIRC, little or no knowledgeable sorting out of the material from that perspective was done.'

While I agree with your take on the Jazz Loft book, I don't remotely understand where you find a creepy, vampire-like tone in the article. You may be right that this author doesn't have the jazz knowledge to do a Sonny Clark bio justice (at least as rabid fans like us think it should be done) but then again there's no one else out there even conceiving of one, is there?

I think we should just be hopeful that his research sees some sort of release and we learn more about Sonny Clark.

The creepy tone I refer to stems from several things. First, the focus on whether the body that was buried as Sonny Clark's actually was his. Either it was or it wasn't, and if it wasn't it may well be a sign of social-racial indifference or worse on the part of the relevant authorities, but this is a primary piece of info about Sonny Clark?

Second, the fact that Stephenson says he may write a biography of Clark. I know -- not creepy in itself perhaps, but given the junky-life associations he understandably leans on, I sense, as I said in my previous post, a neo-hipster orientation in Stephenson, which IIRC was also present in "The Jazz Loft Project," and I almost always find that creepy, though YMMV. I'm thinking he'll give us, if he gets around to it, something along the lines of James Gavin's Chet Baker bio, "Deep In A Dream."

Finally, there's something about Stephenson's account here that doesn't quite track; and if so, that gives me a queasy feeling. He says that he heard Clark's music for the first time by chance in a Raleigh, N.C., coffee shop in 1999, but he also says that at this time he had been working on what seems to be what eventually would become "The Jazz Loft Project." Then, some unspecified but apparently short time later, Stephenson discovers that the Sonny Clark whose music he had heard and been moved by in North Carolina not only was a habitue of Smith's jazz loft but was also at the center of one of the more bizarre episodes that Smith captured on tape -- almost dying from an overdose in the company of Lin Halliday.

Maybe I'm pushing this too hard, but that seems to leave us with two options: 1) Stephenson not only had never heard Clark's music until he just happened to encounter it in that N.C. coffee shop in 1999, but he also at that point had never heard of him at all; or 2) he was already aware of Clark's name from his work on the Smith material but hadn't yet bothered to check out his music. Option 1) is not impossible -- it doesn't violate the physical laws of the universe -- but unless I've misunderstood what Stephenson says, it seems like a whopping big coincidence to me that he would be entranced by Sonny Clark's music out of the blue and then discover that Clark not only was a habitue of the place he'd been researching but also was at the center of one of the more sadly dramatic events that took place there and that W. Eugene Smith would capture on tape. Option 2) seems a tad more likely and also seems to me to fit the rather loose way the music and the musicians are treated in "The Jazz Loft Project" IMO, but I don't like that sort of looseness; it feels exploitive to me. And if option 2) is the case, what does that do to the N.C. coffee bar story?

The opening to Stephenson's piece is pretty run-of-the-mill NEW YORKER-school "portrait" writing, but no less creepy / junkie-prurient for partaking of those cliches.

A sincere question: has a really good, honest account of heroin's role and function in the world of modern jazz been written?

Edited January 20, 2011 by Joe

[Dan Gould]

The creepy tone I refer to stems from several things. First, the focus on whether the body that was buried as Sonny Clark's actually was his. Either it was or it wasn't, and if it wasn't it may well be a sign of social-racial indifference or worse on the part of the relevant authorities, but this is a primary piece of info about Sonny Clark?

It is a primary piece of info when no one else has ever bothered to talk to his relatives and friends in his hometown, or at least none of them ever volunteered their suspicion/fear. And yes, it is a sort of short-hand for how society treated a certain segment of society then. I think its also affecting, for fans like ourselves to consider that not only did Sonny piss away his life and music on dope but that in the end, its possible or even likely that he's not buried in the grave for which Nica graciously paid.

[Larry Kart]

The creepy tone I refer to stems from several things. First, the focus on whether the body that was buried as Sonny Clark's actually was his. Either it was or it wasn't, and if it wasn't it may well be a sign of social-racial indifference or worse on the part of the relevant authorities, but this is a primary piece of info about Sonny Clark?

It is a primary piece of info when no one else has ever bothered to talk to his relatives and friends in his hometown, or at least none of them ever volunteered their suspicion/fear. And yes, it is a sort of short-hand for how society treated a certain segment of society then. I think its also affecting, for fans like ourselves to consider that not only did Sonny piss away his life and music on dope but that in the end, its possible or even likely that he's not buried in the grave for which Nica graciously paid.

OK -- If and when Stephenson comes out with a Sonnny Clark biography, we shall see, according to our own tastes, of course.

But until shown otherwise, I'll stick by intuition that Stephenson is a somewhat exploitive neo-hipster type. For one thing, can you imagine a not particularly jazz-oriented freelance writer setting out to write, with any hope of getting it published by a major firm like his current publisher Farrar Straus Giroux, a book on Sonny Clark unless it were focused on Clark as an exemplary hardbop junkie? It's the "romance" that's thought to sell, especially the dark, tragic romance (as in the Clark-Halliday episode that W. Eugene Smith captured on tape). That someone also was a brilliant musician is just icing on the cake.

[Christiern]

Larry, you make some good points. When Clint Eastwood made the mistake of using that awful Chan woman as his consultant, the result was Bird with a disproportionate focus on drugs, when Susanne DePasse based her script on what Louis McKay told her, the story was also derailed—both "consultants" were opportunists who had used the subject to advance their own agenda.

Unfortunately, the tabloid approach sells books. I wrestled with all that as I wrote Bessie, but concluded (perhaps justified in my own mind) that telling it like it was is paramount, as is including the good with the bad.Billie and Bird were done a disservice.

I am also reminded of the 1972 Warner Brothers readers report on Bessie, written by someone who—having read the galley proofs prior to publication—concluded that this was not recommended film material, because “Bessie Smith was not on drugs, and this is not the five-handkerchief stuff that ‘Lady Sings the Blues’ is made of.”

We saw the same wrongful approach in Ken Burns' outrageously misdirected TV series, Jazz, and I'm afraid the mindset that creates these wrongly focused tales is not going to go away soon.

That said, I think the Sonny Clark piece is interesting, but I also see why you look upon it as a bad sign of things to come from Stephenson.

[Larry Kart]

Chris -- As you've no doubt been told many times, your "Bessie" is a model of how things should be done.

[jlhoots]

I only met / heard Stephenson speak once.

He didn't come across to me as a poseur / exploiter.

[Larry Kart]

I only met / heard Stephenson speak once.

He didn't come across to me as a poseur / exploiter.

I'm going on the basis of the book (as I recall it) and aspects of the article that match my recollections of the book. I'll get my hands on the book again and try to cite chapter and verse, if indeed I can do so.

[Niko]

Maybe I'm pushing this too hard, but that seems to leave us with two options: 1) Stephenson not only had never heard Clark's music until he just happened to encounter it in that N.C. coffee shop in 1999, but he also at that point had never heard of him at all; or 2) he was already aware of Clark's name from his work on the Smith material but hadn't yet bothered to check out his music. Option 1) is not impossible -- it doesn't violate the physical laws of the universe -- but unless I've misunderstood what Stephenson says, it seems like a whopping big coincidence to me that he would be entranced by Sonny Clark's music out of the blue and then discover that Clark not only was a habitue of the place he'd been researching but also was at the center of one of the more sadly dramatic events that took place there and that W. Eugene Smith would capture on tape. Option 2) seems a tad more likely and also seems to me to fit the rather loose way the music and the musicians are treated in "The Jazz Loft Project" IMO, but I don't like that sort of looseness; it feels exploitive to me. And if option 2) is the case, what does that do to the N.C. coffee bar story?

too lazy to read again, but when i read the passage i also had thoughts along these lines, and then decided that probably he knew a bit about Clark, had maybe heard an album or two, but did not really get him until he heard the Green/Clark CD at the coffee house - which i find not so unlikely; with many of those hard bop heros (Green, Clark, Mobley...), people seem to need time until suddenly they discover their greatness (their music doesn't hurt anyone, but it's easy to miss the point... for instance, i'm still waiting for Mobley to really hit me, Clark didn't happen to me until a few months ago, with Green i still remember those moments a few years ago vivdly; and i've known all those names for many years and have read quite a bit)

[Christiern]

Chris -- As you've no doubt been told many times, your "Bessie" is a model of how things should be done.

Thank you, Larry.

[Niko]

could well be that i found or posted this link somewhere here earlier (Stephenson's text about bass player Jimmy Stevenson) but i like it a lot (including the discussion at the bottom, and there's also some more Sonny Clark in there)

[Larry Kart]

OK -- I've read through "The Jazz Loft Project" again, and one of the first things I noticed was this (p. 5): "From [W. Eugene Smith's] photos and tapes and from interviews with participants, we can document 589 people ... who passed through the dank stairwell of this building in the 1950s and 1960s.... From all walks of life all over the map, only a dozen or so of those people went to college."

This struck me as an extremely odd assertion, but how to check it myself, as author Sam Stephenson surely must have done, otherwise why say such a thing? I wasn't going to write down every name in the book as I went along -- that way lies madness (although some might think I'm halfway there already) -- but then at the back of the book I saw there was a list of those 589 people, many of whom I had heard of. So with the aid of Google and the like, I began to check and discovered that (conservatively) -- because many of these people I didn't know of, and there was a limit to my patience -- at least 61 one of those 589 people had gone to college.

I'll print their names below, but first, why would someone take the trouble to say "only a dozen or so" when they either hadn't checked or had checked in such a way that their answer was so wide of the mark? Makes me wonder.

Those sometime habitues of the Smith's jazz loft who went to college:

Toshiko Akiyoshi

Mose Allison

David Amram

David Baker

Warren Bernhardt

Donald Byrd

Teddy Charles

Harold Danko

Dennis Russell Davies

Miles Davis

Richard Davis

Bob Dorough

Don Ellis

Bill Evans

Don Friedman

Lee Friedlander

Dave Frishberg

Jimmy Giuffre

John Glasel

Eddie Gomez

Gigi Gryce

Jim Hall

Don Heckman

Nat Hentoff

Joe Hunt

Chuck Israels

David Izenson

Lincoln Kirstein

Nathan Kline

Joel Krosnick

Yusef Lateef

Barbara Lea

Mark Levine

Mark Longo

John Lewis

Alex Leiberman

Teo Macero

Norman Mailer

Ron McClure

Mike Nock

Bob Northern

Hank O'Neal

Hall Overton

Ray Parker

Paul Plummer

Steve Reich

Perry Robinson

Robert Rossen

Roswell Rudd

George Russell

Lalo Schifrin

Gunther Schuller

Peter Serkin

Dick Sudhalter

Steve Swallow

Billy Taylor

Francis Thorne

Mal Waldron

Martin Williams

Phil Woods

Denny Zeitlin

I'll probably have more to say later on, though I'm willing to be told to just shut up on this subject. I'm getting tired of it myself.

P.S. Not every name on the list is a jazz person, obviously. Some are just people who went by the place.

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

Chris -- As you've no doubt been told many times, your "Bessie" is a model of how things should be done.

Thank you, Larry.

Hmmmm.

Note to self: must text eldest daughter this afternoon and ask her why her teacher is still perusing my copy of 'Bessie' a full year after she brought it to school? Have her politely ask for it back and counsel her against going off the rails........for the time being, anyway.