Kenny Clarke
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 /TiVo
Discography
19 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Ensadinado
Fats Sadi, Francy Boland, Jimmy Woode, Kenny Clarke
Jazz - Released by MPS on Sep 11, 2006
24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
Live in Essen, Grugahalle, 1960 (Live)
Bud Powell, Kenny Clarke, Coleman Hawkins
Jazz - Released by Jazzline on Nov 26, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Songs & Songs
Jazz - Released by Beat Machine Records on Oct 17, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
American Swinging In Paris
Jazz - Released by Parlophone (France) on Jan 1, 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pieces Of Time
Andrew Cyrille, Don Moye, Kenny Clarke, Milford Graves
Jazz - Released by Soul Note on Jan 1, 1984
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Zoot Sims - Lost Tapes
Jazz - Released by Jazzhaus on Oct 1, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Love And Breaks
Jazz - Released by Beat Machine Records on Oct 23, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Kenny Clarke
Jazz - Released by LRC Ltd. - Groove Merchant Records on Mar 19, 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Following Back To You
Jazz - Released by Following Back To You Records on Jun 19, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dizzy’n Blue Moon
Jazz - Released by Dizzy’n Blue TM on Aug 6, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Super Tunes
Jazz - Released by Beat Machine Records on Oct 17, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Walking into the Paradigm
Electronic - Released by Kenny Clarke on Jun 2, 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo