Kenny Clarke

Kenny Clarke
Kenny Clarke in 1971
Background information
Birth name	Kenneth Spearman Clarke
Born	(1914-01-02)January 2, 1914
Origin	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Died	January 26, 1985(1985-01-26) (aged 71) Montreuil, France
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Drummer
Instruments	drums
Associated acts	Modern Jazz Quartet Johnny Griffin Dizzy Gillespie

Kenneth Spearman Clarke (January 2, 1914 – January 26, 1985), nicknamed "Klook" and later known as Liaqat Ali Salaam, was a jazz drummer and bandleader. He was a major innovator of the bebop style of drumming. 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 Be-Bop, which in turn led to modern jazz. While in New York City, he played with the major innovators of the emerging bop style, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Curly Russell and others, as well as musicians of the prior generation, including Sidney Bechet. He spent his later life in Paris.

Clarke was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1914. Coming from a musical family, he studied multiple instruments, including vibes and trombone, as well as music theory and composition, while still in high school. As a teenager, Clarke played in the bands of Leroy Bradley and Roy Eldridge. He toured around the Midwest for several years with the Jeter-Pillars band, which also featured bassist Jimmy Blanton and guitarist Charlie Christian. By 1935, Clarke was more frequently in New York, where he eventually moved. He worked in groups led by Edgar Hayes and Lonnie Smith, and began developing the rhythmic concepts that would later define his contribution to the music.