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Kenny Clarke
Born:
Kenny Clarke (born Kenneth Clarke Spearman, later aka, Liaqat Ali Salaam, on January 9, 1914 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-died January 26, 1985 in Paris, France) was a jazz drummer and an early innovator of the bebop style of drumming. As the house drummer at Minton's Playhouse in the early 1940's, he participated in the after hours jams that led to the birth of Be-Bop, which in turn lead to modern jazz.
He is credited with creating the modern role of the ride cymbal as the primary timekeeper. Before, drummers kept time on the high-hat and snare drum ("digging coal", Clarke called it) with heavy support from the bass drum. With Clarke time was played on the cymbal and the bass and snare were used more for punctuation. This led to a much more relaxed style of drumming. From this point more and more rhythms and poly-rhythms are made possible. For this, "every drummer" Ed Thigpen said, "owes him a debt of gratitude." Clarke was nicknamed "Klook" or "Klook-mop" for the style he innovated.
Video: Kenny Clarke Plays 'Black Knight' (1957)
On November 12, 1957, drummer Kenny Clarke was in a recording studio in Paris recording Kenny Clarke Plays Christian Chevallier for French Columbia. His band included composer-arranger Christian Chevallier, Ack van Rooyen (tp), Nat Peck (tb), Hubert Fol and Jean Aldegon (as), Georges Grenu (ts), Armand Migiani (bar), Maurice Vander (p) and Pierre Michelot (b). They ...
Meet Andy Bey
by Chris M. Slawecki
From the 1995-2003 archive: This article first appeared on All About Jazz in February 2000. Listening for the first time to Andy Bey is like stepping into a quiet, still lake. Your foot first parts a surface that's smooth and tranquil, but you can't really tell from that surface how deeply your foot must ...
The Master of Drums: Gene Krupa and the Music He Gave The World
by Richard J Salvucci
The Master of Drums Elizabeth J Rosenthal 320 Pages ISBN: 978-0-8065-4320 Kensington Publishing Company 2025 In the interests of full disclosure, I spent an extended period with Gene Krupa as an adolescent. Relatives were friends of Krupa's. All the nice things Elizabeth J. Rosenthal says about Krupa as a ...
Peter Madsen, Immanuel Wilkins, and the WDR Big Band
by Jerome Wilson
This program contains new music from Peter Madsen, the WDR Big Band and the Steve Allee Big Band. It also features Immanuel Wilkins, Jaki Byard, and Taylor Ho Bynum. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic) 00:00 ...
The History of Jazz Drums: An Archival Treasure Rediscovered
by Hank Hehmsoth
In the vast landscape of jazz history, few archives offer the depth and insight found in The History of Jazz Drums--an extraordinary 8-part radio series recorded in 1989. Featuring compelling conversations between Mel Lewis (1929-1990), a master drummer whose swing propelled The Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra and Loren Schoenberg, senior scholar at the National Jazz Museum ...
Jazz Continuum Latin Edition
by David Brown
This week, we're featuring the Jazz Continuum Latin Edition. Let's dive into some Latin sounds from NYC, starting with Pete Rodriguez's “I Like It (I Like It Like That)," followed by the Joe Cuba Sextet and Nuyorican percussionist Ray Barretto. We'll also spotlight two albums from this weekend in history: Kenny Dorham's Afro-Cuban (1955) and McCoy ...
Gravity and Resurgence: The Many Dimensions of Dexter Gordon
by Arthur R George
Long Tall Dexter; swinger, bebopper, saxophone balladeer; acting the dissipated genius expatriate who was not unlike himself in the movie Round Midnight; his dressed-up persona “Society Red;" the laconic elder statesman of his later years. Dexter Gordon is all those things, but more than a kaleidoscope of caricatures. Those who trace their lineages through ...
Max Roach: Deeds, Not Words
by Richard J Salvucci
Sometimes, someone listens to a recording mostly for one track. This is such a recording. Quite naturally, it involves drummer Max Roach. If he had to stake his reputation on one extended solo, some might say Roach on “Conversation" is the one. Not all drummers, suffice it to say, are melodic. But a first-time listener can ...
Tania Grubbs: The Sound of Love
by John Chacona
Meet a person from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and you are likely to get a Chamber of Commerce-worthy commendation of their city's greatness. When it comes to jazz, the civic pride is more than warranted; the Steel City was home to immortals such as Earl Hines, Mary Lou Williams, Art Blakey and Kenny Clarke. Vocalist Tania Grubbs grew ...
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