Mike Clark (drummer)

Technopedia Center

Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science
S1 Informatics S1 Information Systems S1 Information Technology S1 Computer Engineering S1 Electrical Engineering S1 Civil Engineering

faculty of Economics and Business
S1 Management S1 Accountancy

Faculty of Letters and Educational Sciences
S1 English literature S1 English language education S1 Mathematics education S1 Sports Education

Mike Clark (drummer) - Wikipedia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Mike Clark (jazz musician))

This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous.
Find sources: "Mike Clark" drummer – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Mike Clark

Background information
Birth name	Michael Jeffrey Clark
Born	(1946-10-03) October 3, 1946 (age 78) Sacramento, California, U.S.
Genres	Jazz
Occupation	Musician
Instrument	Drums
Years active	1970s–present
Labels	Ropeadope Records, Talking House Records, Sony, Random Acts, P-Vine, Owl Studios

Website	www.drummermikeclark.com

Michael Jeffrey Clark (born October 3, 1946) is an American drummer. He gained worldwide recognition as one of America's foremost jazz and funk drummers while playing with Herbie Hancock in the early 1970s. His incisive playing on Hancock's song "Actual Proof" off of the 1974 album Thrust garnered him an international cult following and influenced generations of drummers throughout the world.^[1]^[2]

Upbringing

Clark was born in Sacramento, California, United States. He traveled around the country with his father, a drummer himself and a union man for the railroad.^[2] His dad had a great appreciation for jazz and blues music, and Mike absorbed the music of America while riding the rails. He credits this exposure as forming the foundation for his ability to synthesize many different regional styles. From age 4, he was a prodigy, sitting in – and getting "house"- with bands in Texas and New Orleans. By the time he reached his early twenties he was known as one of the founders of the distinctive East Bay Sound coming out of Oakland, California.^[3]

Career

Mike has performed with such well-known jazz greats as Herbie Hancock,^[4]^[5]^[6] Christian McBride, Chet Baker, John Scofield, Nicholas Payton, Tony Bennett, Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, Eddie Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Vince Guaraldi, Woody Shaw, Donald Harrison, Albert King, Larry Coryell, Michael Wolff, Wallace Roney, Billy Childs, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Chris Potter, Bobby McFerrin, Nat Adderley, Oscar Brown Jr., and Gil Evans and his orchestra.^[5]

His album Blueprints of Jazz, Vol. 1 (Talking House Records, 2008) was widely praised by critics and in 2010 was named by DownBeat magazine as one of the best albums of the decade.^[7] The album is part of the Blueprints of Jazz series conceived, produced and recorded by Talking House Productions^[8] with an aim to expose the histories and current work of important but often lesser-known jazz players who had contributed to the sounds of jazz legends from the 50's, 60's, and 70's. Production and recording of the albums was helmed by Talking House producers Marc Weibel and Stephen Smith.^[9]^[10]^[11]^[12]

His latest recordings include "Retro Report" with Delbert Bump on Rope-a-Dope label,^[13] "Life Cycle" with Mark Sherman, Chase Baird, and Felix Pastorius, also on Rope-a-Dope;^[14] Eddie Henderson's "Be Cool" on the Smoke label;^[15] Charnett Moffett's "Music from Our Soul" on Motima;^[16] and "Indigo Blue: Live at the Iridium"^[17] with Christian McBride, Donald Harrison, Rob Dixon, Randy Brecker, and Antonio Farao on Highnote.^[18]

Equipment

Clark endorses Gretsch drums, Istanbul Agop cymbals, Evans drumheads, and Innovative Percussion drumsticks. He has played Remo drumheads, Vic Firth drumsticks, Zildjian cymbals, and Paiste cymbals in the past.

Discography^[19]

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Mike Clark" drummer – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Year	Artist	Title	Label
1973	Vince Guaraldi	A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving: Original Soundtrack Recording	Lee Mendelson Film Productions
1974	Herbie Hancock	Thrust	Columbia
1974	Herbie Hancock	Death Wish	Columbia
1974	Betty Davis	They Say I'm Different	Just Sunshine
1975	Herbie Hancock	Man-Child	Columbia
1975	Herbie Hancock	Flood	CBS/Sony [Japan]
1975	The Headhunters	Survival of the Fittest	Arista
1976	Eddie Henderson	Heritage	Blue Note
1976	Alphonso Johnson	Yesterday's Dreams	Epic
1977	The Headhunters	Straight From the Gate	Arista
1979	Brand X	Product	Passport
1980	Brand X	Do They Hurt?	Passport
1981	Jack Walrath Group (with Ricky Ford)	Revenge of the Fat People	Stash
1983	Jack Walrath Quintet	Jack Walrath Quintet at Umbria Jazz Festival, Vol. 1	Red Records
1983	Jack Walrath Quintet	Jack Walrath Quintet at Umbria Jazz Festival, Vol. 2	Red Records
1984	Percy Jones Ensemble	Propeller Music	Hot Wire [Germany]
1989	Mike Clark Sextet (with Ricky Ford, Jack Walrath)	Give the Drummer Some	Stash
1989	Jack Wilkins Trio	Call Him Reckless	MusicMasters/BMG
1991	Jack Wilkins	Alien Army	MusicMasters/BMG
1992	Mike Clark & Paul Jackson (with Kenny Garrett)	The Funk Stops Here	Tiptoe/Enja
1992	Suzanne Pittson	Blues and the Abstract Truth	Vineland
1993	Mike Clark Group	Jim Payne's New York Funk! Vol. 1	Gramavision
1994	Marc Puricelli	Melting Point	MusicMasters/BMG
1995	Mike Clark	The Headhunter: Master Drummers, Volume Three	Ubiquity
1995	Marc Puricelli	Shade	MusicMasters/BMG
1996	Dave Ellis	Raven	Monarch
1997	Henry "The Skipper" Franklin (with Phil Vieux, Marc Seales)	The Hunter	Resurgent Music
1998	The Headhunters	Return of the Headhunters!	Hancock/Verve Forecast
1999	John Tank Quartet	Canadian Sunset	TCB Records
1999	Mike Clark (with Billy Childs, Chris Potter)	Summertime	JazzKey Music
2000	Mike Clark	Actual Proof	Platform
2001	Mike Clark / Paul Jackson / Marc Wagnon	Conjunction	Buckyball
2003	The Headhunters	Evolution Revolution	Basin Street
2003	The Mackrosoft	1st Mack to the Moon	Mackrosoft
2003	The Mackrosoft	Life Imitates Clouds	Mackrosoft
2003	George Pajon, Jr.	Fried Plantains	Kufala Recordings
2004	Michael Wolff & Impure Thoughts	Dangerous Vision	Artemis
2004	Reuben Wilson	Fun House	Savant
2005	Rebecca Barry and the Headunters	Rebecca Barry and the Headunters	Rebecca Barry Productions
2005	The Mackrosoft	Antonio's Giraffe	Mackrosoft
2008	Mike Clark	Blueprints of Jazz, Vol. 1	Talking House Records
2006	Michael Wolff	Love and Destruction	Wrong Records
2007	Tony Adamo	Straight Up Deal	UrbanZone
2007	Jerry Stucker	It's All a Groove	UrbanZone
2008	The Headhunters	On Top: Live in Europe	BHM Productions
2009	Mike Clark's Prescription Renewal (with Fred Wesley, Skerik, Robert Walter, Charlie Hunter)	Live at the Fox Theatre	P-Vine [Japan]
2010	Mike Clark	Carnival of Soul	Owl Studios
2011	The Headhunters	Platinum	Owl Studios
2013	Michael Wolff / Mike Clark	Wolff & Clark Expedition	Random Act
2013	Jeff Berlin	Low Standards	Random Act
2013	Tony Adamo	Miles of Blu	Random Act
2013	Chester "CT" Thompson	Mixology	Doodlin' Records
2015	Michael Wolff / Mike Clark	Wolff & Clark Expedition 2	Random Act
2015	Mike Clark / Gaetano Letizia / Wilbur Krebs	Froggy & the Toads	Letizia Music
2015	Tony Adamo & the New York Crew	Tony Adamo & the New York Crew	UrbanZone
2015	Jerry Weldon	On the Move!	Doodlin' Records
2016	Dylan Taylor (with Larry Coryell)	One in Mind	Blujazz Productions
2017	Charnett Moffett	Music From Our Soul	Motéma Music
2017	Mike Clark & Delbert Bump (with Elias Lucero)	Retro Report	Ropeadope
2018	Eddie Henderson (with Donald Harrison, Kenny Barron)	Be Cool	Smoke Sessions
2018	Venture (Mike Clark, Mark Sherman, Chase Baird, Felix Pastorius)	Life Cycle	Ropeadope
2018	Tony Adamo	Was Out Jazz Zone Mad	Ropeadope
2018	Rob Dixon Trio (with Charlie Hunter)	Coast to Crossroads	Rob Dixon Productions
2019	Rinsse with Mike Clark	Rinsse with Mike Clark	Khyron Label
2019	Mike Clark (with Christian McBride, Donald Harrison, Randy Brecker)	Indigo Blue: Live at the Iridium	Ropeadope
2019	DSC (Leon Lee Dorsey, Greg Skaff, Mike Clark)	Monk Time	Jazz Avenue 1
2020	Eddie Henderson (with Donald Harrison, Kenny Barron)	Shuffle and Deal	Smoke Sessions
2020	Wolff / Clark / Dorsey (Michael Wolff, Mike Clark, Leon Lee Dorsey)	Play Sgt. Pepper	Jazz Avenue 1
2021	Michael Wolff (with Mark Isham, Mike Clark, John B. Williams)	Live @ Vitellos	Sunnyside
2021	Leon Lee Dorsey (with Harold Mabern, Mike Clark)	Thank You Mr. Mabern	Jazz Avenue 1
2021	Mike Clark & Michael Zilber	Mike Drop	Sunnyside
2021	Leon Lee Dorsey (with Manuel Valera, Mike Clark)	Freedom Jazz Dance	Jazz Avenue 1
2022	Mike Clark & Leon Lee Dorsey (with Mike LeDonne)	Blues on Top	Jazz Avenue 1
2022	The Headhunters	Speakers in the House	Ropeadope
2023	Leon Lee Dorsey (with Russell Malone, Mike Clark)	Cantaloupe Island	Jazz Avenue 1
2023	Mike Clark (with Jon Davis, Leon Lee Dorsey)	Plays Herbie Hancock	Sunnyside
2023	Mike Clark (with Eddie Henderson, Skerik, Wayne Horvitz, Henry Franklin, Bill Summers)	Kosen Rufu	Wide Hive
2024	Wolff / Clark / Dorsey (Michael Wolff, Mike Clark, Leon Lee Dorsey)	A Letter to Bill Evans	Jazz Avenue 1

References

^ "Mike Clark Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 2022-05-11.
^ ^a ^b "Mike Clark: The Double-Edged Sword Called Funk – JazzTimes". Archived from the original on 2018-08-26. Retrieved 2018-03-10.
^ "Mike Clark finally back in Bay Area for series of shows". Mercurynews.com. 2 February 2017. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
^ Harrington, Richard (2 March 2001). "Mike Clark Actual Proof". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Bio". Drummermikeclark.info. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
^ Soergel, Brian. "Mike Clark: Actual Proof". JazzTimes. Retrieved 2022-05-11.
^ "DownBeat | Digital Edition | January 2010". www.downbeat.com. Retrieved 2022-08-10.
^ "Talking House Productions | Inspired Music Creation and Development". 2009-02-06. Archived from the original on 2009-02-06. Retrieved 2022-08-10.
^ Mike Clark – Blueprints of Jazz, Vol. 1 Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 2022-08-10
^ "Mike Clark, Billy Harper, Donald Bailey: Blueprints of Jazz". 2008-12-20. Archived from the original on 2008-12-20. Retrieved 2022-08-10.
^ Milkowski, Bill. "Mike Clark: Blueprints of Jazz, Vol. 1". JazzTimes. Retrieved 2022-08-10.
^ "www.jazzweekly.com | Reviews". 2009-08-31. Archived from the original on 2009-08-31. Retrieved 2022-08-10.
^ "Mike Clark & Delbert Bump — ropeadope". Archived from the original on 2018-03-10. Retrieved 2018-03-10.
^ "Venture: Life Cycle". Ropeadope. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
^ "Trumpeter Eddie Henderson to Release New Album "Be Cool" on May 4th, 2018". News.theUrbanMusicScene.com. 20 February 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
^ "Charnett Moffett – Music From Our Soul (2017, CD)". Discogs.com. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
^ Mike Clark, Indigo Blue (Live at Iridium). Review by Alex Henderson, NYCJR, October 2019, Issue 210, page 35 – retrieved 2 October 2019.
^ "Drummer Mike Clark to Record Live Album – JazzTimes". Archived from the original on 2018-03-10. Retrieved 2018-03-10.
^ "Discography". drummermikeclark. Retrieved 2024-10-29.

External links

v t e Brand X
John Goodsall Percy Jones Kenwood Dennard Chris Clark Scott Weinberger Robin Lumley Phil Collins Morris Pert J. Peter Robinson Chuck Burgi John Giblin Mike Clark Pierre Moerlen
Studio albums	Unorthodox Behaviour Moroccan Roll Masques Product Do They Hurt? Is There Anything About? X-Communication Manifest Destiny
Live albums	Livestock

Authority control databases
International	ISNI VIAF WorldCat
National	Germany United States France BnF data Czech Republic Netherlands Norway
Artists	MusicBrainz
Other	IdRef