Blue Note Revisits Sonny Clark’s ‘Leapin’ And Lopin’’
The 1961 quintet recording features Tommy Turrentine, Charlie Rouse, Butch Warren, and Billy Higgins.
Sonny Clark’s Leapin’ And Lopin’ is set for a single-LP reissue in Blue Note’s Classic Vinyl Reissue Series. The edition presents the pianist’s final album, recorded in 1961, in stereo with all-analog mastering from the original master tapes.
Clark made his Blue Note debut in 1957, beginning a brief recording career with the label during the hard bop era. Leapin’ And Lopin’ captures him leading a quintet four years later, providing a final chapter in that period of his work.
The ensemble features Tommy Turrentine on trumpet, Charlie Rouse on tenor saxophone, Butch Warren on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. With two horns joining Clark’s piano, bass, and drums, the recording places his playing within a five-piece group.
Kevin Gray masters the reissue, which is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Optimal. Curated by Don Was and Cem Kurosman, the Classic Vinyl Reissue Series explores Blue Note’s catalog through themed selections spanning different eras and styles, including hard bop, soul jazz, post-bop, and avant-garde recordings.
