Clark originally hailed from Herminie, east of Pittsburgh, but it was when visiting his aunt in California that he really dove into jazz, joining clarinettist Buddy Defranco on tour for three years. Clark returned to the East Coast accompanying Dinah Washington, and thus began his tenure at Blue Note. He played with many of hard bop’s finest figures as both leader and as Blue Note’s de facto in-house pianist, notably on “Sonny’s Crib” with John Coltrane. Clark died tragically early aged only 31, which led to wide acknowledgment of his influence, including close friend Bill Evans dedicating the song “NYC’s No Lark” to him.
