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Kenny Clarke

Kenneth Clarke Spearman (January 9, 1914 – January 26, 1985), 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 at the age of about five and began playing the drums when he was eight or nine on the urging of a teacher at his orphanage. Turning professional in 1931 at the age of seventeen, he moved to New York City in 1935 when 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 military service in the US and Europe between 1943 and 1946, he returned to New York, but from 1948 to 1951 he was mostly based in Paris. He stayed in New York between 1951 and 1956, performing with the Modern Jazz Quartet and playing on early Miles Davis recordings. He 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 the month before he died of a heart attack in January 1985.

Birth and Death Data: Born January 9, 1914 (Pittsburgh), Died January 26, 1985 (Montreuil)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1937 - 1956

Roles Represented in DAHR: drums, vibraphone, leader, composer

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 51-75 of 87 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca 73497 4/9/1946 Baby, I don't cry over you Billie Holiday instrumentalist, drums  
Decca 73498 4/9/1946 I'll look around Billie Holiday instrumentalist, drums  
Decca 73987 7/1/1947 This train Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, drums  
Decca 73988 7/1/1947 Oh, when I come to the end of my journey Mary (Marie) Knight ; Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, drums  
Decca 73989 7/1/1947 Didn't it rain Mary (Marie) Knight ; Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, drums  
Decca 73990 7/1/1947 Stretch out Mary (Marie) Knight ; Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, drums  
Decca 74006 7/16/1947 Another woman's man Monette Moore instrumentalist, drums  
Decca 74007 7/16/1947 Please Mr. Blues Monette Moore instrumentalist, drums  
Decca 74008 7/16/1947 Bad luck blues Cousin Joe instrumentalist, drums  
Decca 74009 7/16/1947 Box car shorty Cousin Joe instrumentalist, drums  
Decca 84368 4/29/1953 Owl eyes-1 Mat Mathews Quintet instrumentalist, drums  
Decca 84369 4/29/1953 Study in purple-1 Mat Mathews Quintet instrumentalist, drums  
Decca 84370 4/29/1953 There's a small hotel Mat Mathews Quintet instrumentalist, drums  
Decca 84371 4/29/1953 Laura-1 Mat Mathews Quintet instrumentalist, drums  
Decca 84813 7/6/1953 Maya Mat Mathews Quintet instrumentalist, drums  
Decca 84814 7/3/1953 Night and day Mat Mathews Quintet instrumentalist, drums  
Decca 84815 7/6/1953 The nearness of you Mat Mathews Quintet instrumentalist, drums  
Decca 84816 7/6/1953 Bags' groove Mat Mathews Quintet instrumentalist, drums  
Decca 84885 7/20/1953 My kinda love Jackie Paris ; Tony Scott Orchestra instrumentalist, drums  
Decca 84886 7/20/1953 Time to go Tony Scott Orchestra instrumentalist, drums  
Decca 84887 7/20/1953 Opus one Jackie Paris ; Tony Scott Orchestra instrumentalist, drums  
Decca 84888 7/20/1953 The blues have got me Tony Scott Orchestra instrumentalist, drums  
Decca 85766 1/25/1954 Lullaby of the leaves-1 Mat Mathews Quintet instrumentalist, drums  
Decca 88140 6/14/1955 Just one of those things Carmen McRae instrumentalist, drums  
Decca 88141 6/14/1955 Sometimes I'm happy Carmen McRae instrumentalist, drums  
(Results 51-75 of 87 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Clarke, Kenny," accessed November 6, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103158.

Clarke, Kenny. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 6, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103158.

"Clarke, Kenny." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 6 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103158

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