Search - Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet :: Voodoo

Horvitz & Zorn subtly update Clark's style

John Methot (jmethot@acm.org) | Seattle, USA | 06/19/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet is led by Wayne Horvitz and includes John Zorn, Bobby Previte and Ray Drummond. On this 1986 release, they cover Clark's material with enthusiasm and sympathy. You know that any project involving Horvitz and Zorn can't be too straight-ahead, but this one is damn close. Listen closely, though, and you'll notice a slightly bent sensibility reminiscent of the Lounge Lizards (a favorite of mine). This CD is a very enjoyable listen."

Zorn & co. go hardbop.

Michael Stack | North Chelmsford, MA USA | 07/05/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Pianist Sonny Clark's work is pretty much unknown in the collective consciousness-- I have to admit that before learning of this record, I was only vaguely familiar with him. But this record is a tribute to him, theoretically led by pianist Wayne Horvitz. Featured on alto sax is John Zorn, and like any other recording he plays on, his voice tends to be the dominant one. The two are joined by bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Bobby Previte. The recording isn't quite what you'd expect from this ensemble, indeed, they stay pretty inside, keeping roughly to the hard bop vein in which Clark expressed himself.



Mind you, Zorn does cut loose a bit here and there-- check his soloing on "Minor Meeting" and then trading fours with Previte later in that song for some examples of fierce Zorn soloing, but largely things stay inside. Zorn's sound in fact is odd, a bit tinny and thin, not at all like much of the playing he's done. The performance on this disc is superb and these guys clearly have been playing together for a while by this point-- its quite interesting to hear them so far out of their usual context (which is to say, playing straight).



Its kind of an oddity of a recording, but certainly for fans of Zorn, its well worth checking out. Recommended."

Sonny Clark -- polished and retooled.

J. Lowrie | State College, PA United States | 01/16/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Tastefully chosen renditions of some of sonny's well known stuff (Cool Struttin', Minor Meeting, and Sonny's Crib) along with some lesser known tunes (title track -- Voodoo)plus others that are not even in print elsewhere any more (Sonia, Nicely).You can tell that these guys really love Sonny's music."