Drummer Mike Clark presents another tour-de-force recording featuring music by the legendary Herbie Hancock.
His latest CD titled ‘Mike Clark Plays Herbie Hancock’ also features Jon Davis on Piano and Leon Lee Dorsey on Bass.
When Mike envisioned this project he sought out long-time collaborators Davis and Dorsey who can easily adapt to any stylistic challenges while always swinging.
All eight tracks feature Mike’s unmistakable ride cymbal sound. This includes: ‘Toys’ – ‘Dual Force’ – ‘Chan’s Song’ – ‘Sorcerer’ and –‘Empty Pockets’. The Latin flavored ‘Speak Like a Child’ and the delicate brushwork on ‘Dolphin Dance’ feature aural delicacy. ‘Actual Proof’ presents a compare and contrast drum lesson with the 1974 original.
The trio began recording in June of 2022 at Manhattan Sky Studios in New York City. Most of the tunes were recorded in one or two takes. In honoring his former boss, Mike wanted to focus on Herbie Hancock’s Blue Note period rather than the later funky stuff that Mike Clark is best known for.
To this day, Mike remains indebted to Hancock for his introduction to the New York Jazz Scene in the early 1970’s. Before that, he was a fixture in the San Francisco Bay Area with bassist Paul Jackson.
“My roots were in bebop and post bop - not in funk. I played a lot of funk and blues to make a living. But the bulk of my drumming was straight-ahead jazz, so that informed the funk thing that I did with Herbie. I would comment on the things he was saying, but he was the main speaker. I was in the conversation as well, with both feet!”
--Mike Clark
When Herbie Hancock initially formed the ‘Headhunters’ it was Jackson who recommended Mike Clark for the group. Soon afterwards, the album ‘Thrust’ was recorded which forever cemented Clark’s notoriety in New York City.
“Herbie Hancock heard everything that you did. It was like being tracked by some kind of radar mechanism. He heard every breath that you took while you were playing, he felt all of the vibes. You were forced to really focus, and really tune in.” -- Mike Clark
Like last years’ ‘MIKE DROP’ recording - Mike’s new CD is another ‘Must Have’. Every track is listening pleasure. Available on Sunnyside Records SSC1692 2023-05-26
Track List
Toys - 7:19
Speak Like A Child - 7:12
Dual Force - 4:03
Dolphin Dance - 7:26
Sorcerer - 5:24
Chan's Song Never Said - 5:33
Empty Pockets - 5:58
Actual Proof - 3:35
Musicians:
Mike Clark – Drums
Jon Davis - Piano
Leon Lee Dorsey – Bass
Sunnyside Records
https://soundcloud.com/sunnysiderecords/mike-clark-sorcerer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x3QtLCAPp8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItXjq0KJBns
Mike Clark uses DW Jazz Series drums - 18” by 14” bass drum, 8” by 12” mounted tom, 14” by 14” floor tom, and a 5 -1/2 inch snare. His primary ride cymbal is an Istanbul 22" Epoch. On the left side is a 20' Istanbul Agop, a 19" Epoch crash cymbal, and 13” inch Istanbul Turkish Hi - Hats. His sticks are Innovative Percussion 5A Vintage Series. He uses Evans white J1 heads on everything.