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“John
Clark has produced a fine array of music for horn ensemble and
horn ensemble with drums. I encourage groups to explore this disc
for music from the Renaissance through straight-ahead jazz. I
especially appreciate the blend and changes of character from
intensity to jocularity throughout the recording. The original
works and adaptation range from 2 horns to 6 horns with drums.
There is some terrific low-register playing in Dark Rhapsody,
which brings about a captivating and mysterious quality. The titles
of the works, themselves, lend a good idea as to what the listener
should expect from each of these works. There is a fine balance
of repertoire here from standard to totally new. There are no
accompanying notes about the music or the players; I assume they
are connected with the Juilliard School in some way, current or
past. It is also not clear whether their works are available in
print yet. For the curious out there, be certain to contact John
Clark at the address given at the top of this column for more
information. These are some very fine additions to the horn ensemble
literature. My favorites are the ones that utilize chords with
added seconds and sixths.”
The Horn Call, October 2003
Mild-mannered
chamber musician by day, fierce jazz improvisor by night, French
hornist John Clark speaks softly and carries a tune beautifully.
He has been playing the French horn for 42 of his 52 years because,
he says, it best expresses his voice. Just how varied that voice
is comes through strikingly on "I Will," Clark's new album for
the Postcards label. In concert with such players as guitarist
Ryo Kawasaki, keyboardist Pete Levin, saxophonist Alex Foster
and Clark's son, Trevor, on sitar, Clark has come up with a mercurial,
exciting set. The CD runs the gamut musically - from the ravishing,
leisurely title track, an exceptional evocation of the Manhattan
streetscape called "India/96th Street Sonata,"(which artfully
marries Coltrane's "India" to three brief Clark improvisations),
to a feisty take on Sonny Rollin's "Airegin" and a deeply soulful
rendition of "My One and Only Love." The voraciousness of Clark's
musical appetite should come as no surprise, considering he launched
his last solo album, the powerful "Il Suono" (CMP, 1993) with
a roiling, rocking improvisation on the Wilson Pickett rhythm
-and-blues chestnut, "Mustang Sally." "I learned how to play from
playing along with records, going to hear live performances and
trying to absorb the music and understand it," says Clark, a Brooklyn
native who grew up near Rochester, took the classical route to
the French horn in high school, and ventured into jazz improvisation
at the New England Conservatory of Music. "I had gotten in there
as a classical horn player," Clark recalls of his convservatory
days, "but I wanted to study with Jaki Byard and George Russell.
There didn't seem to be a slot for me, but I kept hanging around
until finally, Byard said, `Why don't you sit in the trombone
chair and play the trombone part?' That's what I did. If there
was a 'bone part that needed to be played, I would play it. Or
if Byard wrote a new piece, he might write a French horn part."
Clark hasn't had much company in the field. There was Julius Watkins,
the hard bopper who used to play with Monk and Quincy Jones, but
he's been dead 20 years. There's the perennial Willie Ruff. And
now there are younger players like Tom Varner, Mark Taylor (who
plays with Henry Threadgill), Berklee College teacher Marshall
Sealy, and Vince Chancey. But none has Clark's profile. Not only
has Clark performed with such jazz icons as Gil Evans, J.J. Johnson
and McCoy Tyner, he also has worked for pop stars like the Fugees,
Isaac Hayes, Billy Joel, LL Cool J, and Linda Ronstadt. He's released
four solo albums: the Postcards and CMP discs, Faces (a 1981 ECM
album, currently out of print) and Song of Light, on his own imprint
in 1978. Long ago, Clark mastered concertos by Mozart and Strauss.
He continues to practice hard, with a diligence beyond that of
the typical classical or jazz master. A member of the Baha'i faith,
he views his work as a form of worship. "Your worship is what
you do in your daily life," he says. "When I practice or write
music, that's the spirit I want to be in. There's never a point
when I feel, `OK, I can do this now. I can just relax, I don't
have to put that much effort into it anymore.' It's always going
to be worship to me." Recently, Clark has been working with, and
writing for, a woodwind quintet. He also has been teaching. "I
think I could really get next to helping young French horn players
and other classically oriented players who don't know where to
start or feel their instrument has no business in jazz," Clark
says. Joe Lovano, an authoritative saxophonist of notably adventurous
taste himself, loves working with Clark. "He's an amazing musician,"
Lovano says. "You can hear on my Sinatra record how the purity
of his tone is impeccable. Plus, he's an improvisor with an amazing
imagination. He's a real creative musician," Lovano adds. "He's
really involved in the world of music, which stems from being
a French hornist. But he's one of the rare players of that instrument
who's a true improvisor as well."
Carlo Wolf
JAZZIZ September 1997 V1N9
The French Horn is rare in jazz, partly because that tone doesn't
fit many tunes. No problem for John Clark, he's got many voices,
with a facility you hardly expect. He steps in slowly, weaving
strong patterns over clever arrangements (he's played for George
Russell and Carla Bley - maybe something rubbed off). There's
ambition here, though - and oodles of virtuosity. Maybe that title
is a declaration! It takes off with a statement - and a continent.
A sitar drones softly, drums patter in, and 11 musicians slowly
assemble. It's Coltrane's "India," with a chart like Africa/Brass
- a nice touch. Clark has a slow burr, a trombone sound as he
steps lightly. Now he's a small tuba, high notes of purest gravity.
Alex Foster has presence; his raspy surge suggests Trane but never
copies him. It ends in a puddle of sound; we are exhausted and
thrilled. After such turbulence, we get - an adorable "Only Love,"
with buttery tone like Willie Ruff. The bass is delicious, like
Pete Levin's piano. All is calm, and we all hope for a "Love"
as pure as this. "Bad Attitude" starts free, and slowly comes
the disconsolate theme. Foster is the sardonic soprano, and Clark
the weary 'bone - with - Nanton wah-wah! Lots of ordered cynicism,
as you find in Mingus; a tad busy but quite enjoyable. "Airegin"
plays it deep: as Bob Stewart blows bass, Clark rasps strong,
and whoops it up a bit. (It's the only time he does this, so characteristic
of a French horn.) Stewart has a fantastic turn, and leaves before
you can thank them. "I Will" brings back the large group, and
the sadness blooms on this great ballad. Foster talks tough on
a most peculiar background (flute and bass trombone - THAT'S different)!
The effect is classical, and it sounds much bigger than 10 pieces.
Foster keeps it going: a wonderful wail, impassioned and worthy
of the setting. Clark goes soft, atop echoed guitars and a whispering
keyboard. He's good, but the chart is better: the high point,
for certain. But that isn't all: the Ruff tone returns on "Sister
E.M.C.," just him and a soft electric piano. A thought more than
a song, you hear the sounds cuddle, and the fireside seems warm
indeed. A world of sounds, and many you don't expect from a horn.
(There's even a part that sounds like a mute!) All of it is challenging,
and most of it is good, so if you want something different, expect
John Clark to deliver. He will.
*JAZZ IMPROV* Vol.2, #2 John Clark - I Will - Postcards 1016 -
review by John Barrett, Jr.
The newest set from progressive jazzman John Clark reaffirms his
distinctive and engaging talent - and not just in his somewhat
- narrow field of jazz French horn players. Highlights include
Clark's immersion in the soul - deep modalities of Coltrane gem
"India" (attended by a herd of horn players and yawning sitar
tones), a languidly sensual version of "My One and Only Love,"
and an offbeat take on Sonny Rollins' "Airegin," accompanied only
by Bruce Ditmas' drums and Bob Stewart's tuba. Clark's compositions
can lean toward the free, like his swingingly awkward "Bad Attitude"
or "King Bert," which pits Clark in a visceral, Mingus-like tangle
with tenorman Alex Foster. Or he can turn harmonious, as on the
moving title track or his gentle duet with Pete Levin's keyboards
on "Sister E.M.C."
*BILLBOARD* June 7, 1997 John Clark - I Will - Postcards 1016
- Producer:Ralph Simon
French-horn players rarely step up front in jazz, but there is
often a call for them in the background. John Clark has heeded
many calls from the likes of Gil Evans, Carla Bley, McCoy Tyner,
and George Russell,but now he steps front and center with I Will,
a gem that won't soon be forgotten. Clark's compositions dominate
the program. They range from "Bad Attitude," an intricate chamber
piece where the instruments engage in a tantalizing dispute, to
the mellow and richly textured title tune, where Alex Foster's
pleading tenor saxophone and the leader's smooth horn have something
mighty pretty to say. Then there are the more familiar tunes like
"My One and Only Love," in a beautiful rendition that spotlights
Clark's silken horn, and Sonny Rollins' "Airegin," which has Bob
Stewart proving just how lithe a tuba can be. An album of shifting
moods, I Will is an aural kaleidoscope that dazzles the ears.
- Chris Albertson June, 1997
* STEREO REVIEW * November, 1997 JAZZ - John Clark - I Will Postcards
1016 (54 min.)* * * * * (five stars)
The French horn has made its way in jazz largely on the strength
of Gil Evans' understanding of its potential in coloring his masterful
soundscapes. John Clark, who has maintained his chair in both
jazz and classical circles for many years, shows here his mastery
of the horn in settings inventive and varied. Noteworthy co-conspirators
among the dozen players contributing to the rich sounds here include
the rhythm section of drummer Bruce Ditmas, Mike Richmond on bass,
and Pete Levin on keyboards: Alex Foster on tenor and soprano
saxes is in particularly fine form. Coltrane's "India" comes out
of the gate hard, with the full complement giving the sound tangible
heft; the selections sometimes pare the ensemble down to a duet
- particularly delightful is the trio setting of Rollins' "Airegin,"
setting Clark over Ditmas and Dave Taylor's bass trombone*. The
high luster on these recordings is far more than just an illusion
of depth. * (This is actually Bob Stewart on Tuba)
*Jazz Times* John Clark - I Will- Postcards POST1016 (54:15)
7-6mmusic.com
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