Sonny Clark

Cool Struttin'

First released1958

Cool Struttin' was recorded on September 15, 1958, at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Hackensack, New Jersey, one of the premier jazz recording facilities of the era. The album was produced by Alfred Lion for Blue Note Records, with Rudy Van Gelder engineering the session. The recording featured Sonny Clark's trio format with bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Art Taylor, capturing the pianist's hard bop style during a particularly prolific period for Blue Note. Van Gelder's meticulous recording techniques, including his innovative use of microphone placement and tape technology, were instrumental in capturing the clarity and warmth characteristic of the album's sound. The session resulted in material that became essential hard bop recordings, with tracks like "Cool Struttin'" and "Deep Night" showcasing Clark's sophisticated compositional and improvisational abilities during the height of the hard bop movement.