CB Sessions: Sharón Clark
There are certain names in DC jazz that are inescapable: If you've spent a little while in and around our scene, I guarantee you'll be familiar with them, even if you've never seen their face.
Sharón Clark is one of those names. Years before I even checked her out on YouTube, I had heard her name many times, always spoken with great respect — and even sometimes a degree of reverence, especially when the person speaking was themselves a jazz vocalist.
From the first word of the first song I heard Clark perform, it all made sense. She isn't chasing new frontiers, like many of the artists we feature at CapitalBop; instead, she's dedicated her career to being a steward for the classic sound that still draws in so many new listeners to this day.
Anyone, jazz listener or not, can recognize the sound. But people who study the music know it's not just a genre: It's a genuine modern Black American tradition, carried forward from Bessie Smith to Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughn, and even into the present with new luminaries like Samara Joy.
In fact, Clark was effusive about Samara Joy during our interview: "She's like a breath of fresh air!" I agree that Joy is an incredible artist, but I want to make sure to pay respect to the artists who have carried the torch that she's now picked up. Sharón Clark is beloved in DC — and in Russia, interestingly enough; watch the video to learn more — but this CB Sessions is a humble push to share her masterful command over her instrument and her repertoire with a wider audience. // Jamie Sandel, CapitalBop
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CB SESSIONS presents: Sharón Clark
recorded March 7, 2026 at Laporta's Restaurant, Alexandria, VA
Sharón Clark - voice
Eric Glaser - bass
Harry Appleman - piano
Produced by: Jamie Sandel / All Power Media, Alex Hamburger
Post-production support: Giovanni Russonello
Video + audio by Jamie Sandel
Audio recording support from Fred Ferris
Special thanks to Ralph Laporta, Fred Ferris, and the staff of Laporta's Restaurant
The production of this video was supported by a grant from HumanitiesDC as part of the Humanities Grant Program, an initiative funded by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.