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Kenny Clarke was a highly influential if subtle drummer who helped to define bebop drumming. He was the first to shift the time-keeping rhythm from the bass drum to the ride cymbal, an innovation that has been copied and utilized by a countless number of drummers since the early '40s.
Clarke played vibes, piano and trombone in addition to drums while in school. After stints with Roy Eldridge (1935) and the Jeter-Pillars band, Clarke joined Edgar Hayes' Big Band (1937-38). He made his recording debut with Hayes (which is available on a Classics CD) and showed that he was one of the most swinging drummers of the era. A European tour with Hayes gave Clarke an opportunity to lead his own session, but doubling on vibes was a definite mistake! Stints with the orchestras of Claude Hopkins (1939) and Teddy Hill (1940-41) followed and then Clarke led the house band at Minton's Playhouse (which also included Thelonious Monk). The legendary after-hours sessions led to the formation of bop and it was during this time that Clarke modernized his style and received the nickname "Klook-Mop" (later shortened to "Klook") due to the irregular "bombs" he would play behind soloists. A flexible drummer, Clarke was still able to uplift the more traditional orchestras of Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald (1941) and the combos of Benny Carter (1941-42), Red Allen and Coleman Hawkins; he also recorded with Sidney Bechet. However after spending time in the military, Clarke stayed in the bop field, working with Dizzy Gillespie's big band and leading his own modern sessions; he co-wrote "Epistrophy" with Monk and "Salt Peanuts" with Gillespie. Clarke spent the late '40s in Europe, was with Billy Eckstine in the U.S. in 1951 and became an original member of the Modern Jazz Quartet (1951-55). However he felt confined by the music and quit the MJQ to freelance, performing on an enormous amount of records during 1955-56.
In 1956 Clarke moved to France where he did studio work, was hired by touring American all-stars and played with Bud Powell and Oscar Pettiford in a trio called the Three Bosses (1959-60). Clarke was co-leader with Francy Boland of a legendary all-star big band (1961-72), one that had Kenny Clarke playing second drums! Other than a few short visits home, Kenny Clarke worked in France for the remainder of his life and was a major figure on the European jazz scene. — Scott Yanow
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Source: AMG
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KENNY CLARKE:
Though the founder of modern drumming had an extensive recording career both stateside and abroad, it's a shame that just not that many of his recordings are available. He can be heard with Charlie Parker on half the tracks on "Swedish Schnapps" (1952: Verve label) and on the legendary Charlie Christian sides recorded at Minton's by Jerry Newman in 1941 (out on any number of labels).
"Swiss Radio Days" finds Clarke in the company of Coleman Hawkins in 1949 (TCB Records label), with Dizzy Gillespie's big band on "Cubana Be, Cubana Bop" (1947: RCA label), and with the original version of the Modern Jazz Quartet on "La Ronde" (1952: Prestige label). Clarke made a number of great small group sides for the Savoy label in the mid-1950s, including "Bohemia After Dark," "Klook's Clique" and "The Trio," but those items are tough to obtain.
Thankfully being issued recently is Clarke's wonderful, latter-day work as co-leader of the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland big band, available on "Jazz is Universal" (1962: Collectables label).
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Kenny Clarke and Kenny Clare
| ...about Kenny Clarke: |
Kenny Clarke virtually invented modern jazz drumming, as the first player to use the ride cymbal for timekeeping and the left hand and right foot for accents, as early as 1937 when he was with the Teddy Hill band.
One of the top figures in be-bop's development, he is responsible in some way, shape and form for the way every percussionist plays today.
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Dr. Bruce H. Klauber
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| performed with:
Miles Davis
Dizzy Gillespie
Modern Jazz Quartet
Cannonball Adderley Nat Adderley
Horace Silver
Paul Chambers
Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Sextet
Milt Jackson
John Lewis
Milford Graves
Famoudou Don Moye
Pepper Adams
Tommy Flanagan
Kenny Burrell
Percy Heath
Milt Jackson
John Lewis
Hank Jones
Bud Powell
J.J. Johnson
Art Blakey
Thelonious Monk
Charlie Parker
Oscar Pettiford
Rudy Van Gelder
Paul Chambers
Sonny Rollins
Pierre Michelot
Curly Russell
Ray Brown
...and many more
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Classic Drum Solos and Drum Battles
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This DVD presents fifteen of the true “legends of jazz drumming” in astounding extended solos and in rare, never-before-seen drum duels filmed over the last five decades. Among the highlights are uncut solos from big band legends Sonny Payne, Rufus Jones, Buddy Rich, Sam Woodyard and Louie Bellson; and small group giants Art Blakey and Joe Morello. Rare drum battles include meetings between Gene Krupa and Cozy Cole, Buddy Rich and Ed Shaughnessy, Chico Hamilton, Gene Krupa and Lionel Hampton; Elvin Jones, Sunny Murray and Art Blakey; and a once-in-a-lifetime battle between Buddy Rich and Jerry Lewis! Bonus track is the original theatrical trailer for “The Gene Krupa Story,” never seen outside movie theaters, where it was shown in 1958.
Running Time:
60 minutes
$29.95 plus shipping
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Classic Drum Solos and Drum Battles Vol. 2
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Fifteen thunderous, drum solos from legends like Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson, Lionel Hampton, Gene Krupa, "Papa" Jo Jones,
Art Blakey, Shelly Manne, Sonny Payne, Sam Woodyard, Rufus "Speedy" Jones and others, spanning the years 1947 to 1989, many never before released on home video or DVD. Bonus clips include Bobby Troup's "history of the jazz drum set," from 1958 and a great segment featuring the Gene Krupa Jazz Trio impersonating Russian musicians from 1946!
Special DVD Features: A photo gallery, notes on each clip, and a short bio of each drummer are available using the web link function!
Running Time: 73 minutes
$29.95 plus shipping
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Classic Jazz Drummers - Swing and Beyond
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Highlights include films of the legendary Sid Catlett with Louis Armstrong, Ray Bauduc with Jack Teagarden, Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich with their own orchestras, Gus Johnson with the rarely-heard Count Basie small group, Joe Harris with the pioneering Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra, Panama Francis with Cab Calloway, Lionel Hampton, never-before-seen solo footage of Philly Joe Jones, Stan Levey with a small group, the groundbreaking bop of Kenny Clarke and many others.
A certifiable find: The only existing film of that influential New Orleans pioneer, the one and only Warren “Baby” Dodds.
Classic Jazz Drummers presents six decades of legendary drummers soloing and battling.
Special DVD Features: Four bonus clips featuring Sonny Payne, Shelly Manne, Lionel Hampton and Philly Joe Jones as well as an exclusive photo gallery of these early jazz drummers.
Running Time: 70 minutes
$29.95 plus shipping
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