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Kenny Clarke

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Wikimp3 information about the music of Kenny Clarke. On our website we have 70 albums and 68 collections of artist Kenny Clarke. You can find useful information and download songs of this artist. We also know that Kenny Clarke represents Jazz genres.

Biography

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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.

Title: Christmas Cat

Artist: Kenny Clarke

Genre: Jazz

Title: The Hottest Ever

Artist: Kenny Clarke

Genre: Jazz

Title: Nightlife Evergreen

Artist: Kenny Clarke

Genre: Jazz

Title: Klook's Clique

Artist: Kenny Clarke

Genre: Jazz

Title: Mega Tree

Artist: Kenny Clarke

Genre: Jazz

Title: Angry Man

Artist: Kenny Clarke

Genre: Jazz

Title: Sax No End

Artist: Kenny Clarke, Francy Boland

Genre: Jazz

Title: Great Hits

Artist: Kenny Clarke

Genre: Jazz

Title: Love Me or Leave Me

Artist: Kenny Clarke

Genre: Jazz

Title: Sunday Car

Artist: Kenny Clarke

Genre: Jazz

Title: Apothegm

Artist: Kenny Clarke

Genre: Jazz

Title: Men World

Artist: Kenny Clarke

Genre: Jazz

Title: 1948-1950

Artist: Kenny Clarke

Genre: Jazz, Bop

Title: Members Club, Vol. 1

Artist: Kenny Clarke

Genre: Jazz

Title: Klook's Time

Artist: Kenny Clarke

Genre: Jazz

Title: Simply The Best

Artist: Kenny Clarke

Genre: Jazz

Collections

Title: Jazz Story 2

Genre: Jazz

Title: Bebop Romps

Genre: Jazz

Title: The Street Beats

Genre: Jazz

Title: Rare Bebop Jazz

Genre: Jazz

Title: Essential Bebop

Genre: Jazz

Title: Jazz Essentials

Genre: Jazz

Title: Know Your Jazz

Genre: Jazz

Featuring albums

Title: Greatest Hits

Artist: Dizzy Gillespie

Genre: Jazz, Latin, Bop

Title: Anniversary

Artist: Flavio Ambrosetti

Genre: Jazz

Title: Lost Tapes

Artist: Oscar Pettiford

Genre: Jazz

Genres