Kenny Clarke
Kenneth Clarke Spearman (January 9, 1914 – January 26, 1985), known professionally as Kenny Clarke and nicknamed Klook, was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. A major innovator of the bebop style of drumming, he pioneered the use of the ride cymbal to keep time rather than the hi-hat, along with the use of the bass drum for irregular accents ("dropping bombs").
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he was orphaned about age five and began playing drums when he was eight or nine at the urging of a teacher at his orphanage. He turned professional in 1931 at age 17; four years later, he moved to New York City where he began to establish his drumming style and reputation. As the house drummer at Minton's Playhouse in the early 1940s, he participated in the after-hours jams that led to the birth of bebop.
After serving in the military in the US and Europe from 1943 to 1946, he returned to New York but was mostly based in Paris between 1948 and 1951. He stayed in New York for the next five years, performing with the Modern Jazz Quartet and playing on early Miles Davis recordings. Clarke then moved permanently to Paris, where he performed and recorded with European and visiting American musicians and co-led the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band between 1961 and 1972. He continued to perform and record until shortly before his death of a heart attack in January 1985.
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Jeru - Kenny Clarke Plays the Arrangements of André Hodeir, Pierre Michelot, Christian Chevallier & Francy Boland -
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On a Riff - Kenny Clarke Plays the Arrangements of André Hodeir, Pierre Michelot, Christian Chevallier & Francy Boland -
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Swing Spring - Kenny Clarke Plays the Arrangements of André Hodeir, Pierre Michelot, Christian Chevallier & Francy Boland -
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Eronel - Kenny Clarke Plays the Arrangements of André Hodeir, Pierre Michelot, Christian Chevallier & Francy Boland -
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The Squirrel - Kenny Clarke Plays the Arrangements of André Hodeir, Pierre Michelot, Christian Chevallier & Francy Boland -
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Blue Serge - Kenny Clarke Plays the Arrangements of André Hodeir, Pierre Michelot, Christian Chevallier & Francy Boland -
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The Squirrel - Kenny Clarke Plays the Arrangements of André Hodeir, Pierre Michelot, Christian Chevallier & Francy Boland -
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Eronel - Kenny Clarke Plays the Arrangements of André Hodeir, Pierre Michelot, Christian Chevallier & Francy Boland -
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'Round Midnight - Kenny Clarke Plays the Arrangements of André Hodeir, Pierre Michelot, Christian Chevallier & Francy Boland -
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When Lights Are Low - Kenny Clarke Plays the Arrangements of André Hodeir, Pierre Michelot, Christian Chevallier & Francy Boland -
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Cadenze - Kenny Clarke Plays the Arrangements of André Hodeir, Pierre Michelot, Christian Chevallier & Francy Boland -
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Tahiti - Kenny Clarke Plays the Arrangements of André Hodeir, Pierre Michelot, Christian Chevallier & Francy Boland -
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Love Me or Leave Me - Kenny Clarke Plays the Arrangements of André Hodeir, Pierre Michelot, Christian Chevallier & Francy Boland -
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Fun for Four - Kenny Clarke Plays the Arrangements of André Hodeir, Pierre Michelot, Christian Chevallier & Francy Boland -
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Fantasy for Bass - Kenny Clarke Plays the Arrangements of André Hodeir, Pierre Michelot, Christian Chevallier & Francy Boland -
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Jackie, My Little Cat - Kenny Clarke Plays the Arrangements of André Hodeir, Pierre Michelot, Christian Chevallier & Francy Boland -
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Dream Time - Kenny Clarke Plays the Arrangements of André Hodeir, Pierre Michelot, Christian Chevallier & Francy Boland -
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Gold Fish - Kenny Clarke Plays the Arrangements of André Hodeir, Pierre Michelot, Christian Chevallier & Francy Boland -
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Black Knight - Kenny Clarke Plays the Arrangements of André Hodeir, Pierre Michelot, Christian Chevallier & Francy Boland -
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Jean-Paul - Kenny Clarke Plays the Arrangements of André Hodeir, Pierre Michelot, Christian Chevallier & Francy Boland -
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Bell Hop - Kenny Clarke Plays the Arrangements of André Hodeir, Pierre Michelot, Christian Chevallier & Francy Boland -
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More Than You Know - Kenny Clarke Plays the Arrangements of André Hodeir, Pierre Michelot, Christian Chevallier & Francy Boland -
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Tampico - Kenny Clarke Plays the Arrangements of André Hodeir, Pierre Michelot, Christian Chevallier & Francy Boland -
Kenny Clarke
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