New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Owl Studios) - Over the past two weeks, enthusiastic coverage has greeted the release of legendary drummer Mike Clark's CD 'Carnival of Soul' - from JAZZIZ to
Modern Drummer to The Indianapolis Star and more, Clark's propulsive, joyful jazz/funk collection has been praised as 'a jazz party with a kaleidoscopic array of players,' and as a 'fun, thoughtful, sometimes virtuosic set.
On the new album, which was released June 8th on Owl Studios, Clark pays homage to a beloved genre, the B3 Organ Trio. The CD has already jumped to No 19 on the JazzWeek Chart. Read recent reviews, interviews and first-person articles, below.
JAZZIZ.COM PREVIEW: https://www.jazziz.com/news/2010/06/10/mike-clark's-carnival-of-soul/
Mike Clark's latest release, Carnival of Soul, pays tribute to a jazz genre close to the drummer's heart: B3 organ trios. 'In my early 20s, I had my own organ trio gig in a jazz club for half a dozen years,' Clark recalls. 'I always loved playing the music because the B3 is such a strong instrument with a big sound; it frees the drums to just play all out. I also did a lot of organ gigs when I first came to New York in the '80s. It's not the setting where I've done most of my jazz playing but I wanted to record an homage to this unique genre that I love so much. I got together some truly fantastic musicians-most of us go way back-and we just had a whole lot of fun.' Clark signed to Al Hall's Owl Studios late last year, and Carnival of Soul, a collection of jazz/funk tracks released on June 10, marks his debut outing for the label. In addition to Clark on drums, the album features Jerry Z, Delbert Bump and Jeff Pittson on organ, Steve Homan and Rez Abbasi on guitar, Delbert McClinton on vocals, Tim Ouimette on trumpet, Lenny White on drums, Kevin McKendree on piano, Owl Studios artist Rob Dixon on tenor sax and others. Clark regularly tours the United States, Europe and Asia, heading up his organ trio or performing as a sideman. An initial round of U.S. dates in support of Carnival of Soul have been confirmed for June. In addition to his straightahead performances, Clark is known for making regular appearances at band camps, colleges and drum shops as a clinician and jazz musician/expert.
Modern Drummer - FIRST PERSON ESSAY/BLOG - 6/10
https://www.moderndrummer.com/modern-drummer-blogs/Mike%20Clark/
A big shout-out to my MD fans, and thanks for stopping by. Last year's Blueprints Of Jazz, Vol. I (Talking House Records) was honored by Downbeat as one of the best CDs of the decade. While that put a big smile on my face-it was a fantastic project, and the music was killing-I am now looking forward to my new release, Carnival Of Soul, on the Owl Studios label.
This is predominately an organ record. I've wanted to make a recording in this genre for a while, because the Hammond B3 was a major part of my learning experience. I logged in years of bandstand time on organ trio gigs-in fact, for three years while I was in my early twenties, I had my own organ trio in a club in California, playing four nights a week plus Sunday afternoons. Once word got out that I had a natural flair for playing on organ gigs, I got calls from most of the California organists or their cohorts. Since then I've been fortunate to play with many of the top organ legends in the world. The B3 is a powerful instrument with a big sound that offers the musicians the opportunity to play hard-as far as the groove and improvisation goes, no holds barred. I decided to document my way of dealing with this type of playing on Carnival.
I am very particular when it comes to music. I'm not political and I don't care what circles you run in or who you have played with-but you gotta swing, get real funky, and know the different blues styles to be in my band. Swinging and getting funky are prerequisites, otherwise I can't play with you. I don't care for the light, intellectual, or straight-time thing. To me, if you can't play the blues convincingly, you can't play jazz-it's not about chops, that's for sure!
The musicians I chose for this endeavor all fit the criteria. I used three different organists: Jerry Z, Delbert Bump, and Jeff Pittson. I have a long history with each of these artists, so musically there is a certain understanding going on. I also chose a truly great tenor player, Rob Dixon, who has deep roots in every period of jazz, blues, and heavy funk. Rob has studied all the masters, but he has a voice all his own and great listening skills, which is so important. My music-actually, all great music-should be totally conversational, so we have a great back-and-forth as we share this knowledge, and there are no constraints due to a lack of vocabulary.
The same goes for Jeff Pittson, who is a great jazz pianist and organist. He played on my CD with Paul Jackson, The Funk Stops Here, featuring Kenny Garrett. His knowledge of harmony and history allows him to write interesting and challenging music. As far as playing, he is one of the best there is. And he has great chops!
Delbert Bump and I actually went to high school together and made our bones in many California organ lounges as kids. He can get real funky and makes the organ shout and holler in the traditional style, but he also has his eye on the future. He is unpredictable-which I really dig-and can play anything he hears. He's truly an original.
Jerry Z has been playing in my bands for years, as well as with the Head Hunters, and is also a wonderful writer. He's one of my all-time favorites, and I personally think he's one of the finest organ players in New York, which is saying something, trust me. His bass lines are so developed and modern, and there is never a delay in the time. He can even play Paul Jackson's bass lines, while comping or soloing-I don't know anyone else who can do that!
I was fortunate to get both Steve Homan and Rez Abbasi to play guitar. Steve is a hard-swinging, naturally gifted guitarist who's played for many years with Jimmy Smith-so he knows what goes when it come to organ trios. A fantastic player and one of the most in-demand guitar players I know, Steve can play anything and does.
Rez Abbasi is a very popular guitarist in New York; his fluid lines and spirited search for coming up with new ways of looking at things is refreshing and a prerequisite to making a mark in today's music. Another total original! Rez always swings hard and explores new possibilities that capture my attention and intrigue. He is also a boxing fanatic, as I am, so we talk about the fights all the time, which is as much fun as playing.
Speaking of blues, I added Delbert McClinton to the mix. I played in his band for about a half a year when I was seventeen, and he always brings it on the real side. He sings a deep blues-soaked rendition of 'Cry Me A River' that makes you want to cry a river-he is and has been one of the greats for a long time, and once again he outdoes himself. This is one of my favorite tracks on the CD.
Last, but never least, Lenny White appears on a tune we both wrote called 'Catlett Outta The Bag,' our tribute to Big Sid Catlett. Lenny opens with mop mop, which was Sid's lick that Max Roach made famous, and we take it from there. Lenny made history big time with Chick Corea during the same period that I was with Herbie Hancock, and we have been friends for many years. He is one of my all-time heroes and one of the greatest musicians I know, and that includes Herbie, Tony, and many other great jazz musicians that I have spent time with.
I hope you enjoy my music on this outing, where I played some of the styles that appeal to me and that I have a real connection with. Once again, thanks for dropping by. For more on Mike Clark, go to www.mikeclarkmusic.com . Carnival Of Soul is available for purchase at www.owlstudios.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/64?osCsid=0ff489f00abf965254f2d7f3814fbe4a, as well as at other outlets, including iTunes and Amazon.com .
NUVO WEEKLY REVIEW and EDITOR'S PICK
https://www.nuvo.net/MusicBlog/archives/2010/06/15/mike-clarks-carnival-of-soul
Add an 's' to the end of the title of Mike Clark's new album and you've got yourself a low-budget 1962 horror film shot featuring a prominent and creepy organ score - and an undead church organist in the lead role. It's a fantastic (and intentionally allusive) title for an album showcasing the Hammond B-3 in several guises, including traditional B-3 trio settings and more kinetic funk and bebop. Clark, the drummer for Herbie Hancock's Headhunters in the '70s, might just have become the most widely recognizable artist in the Owl Studios stable when he was signed earlier this year. Carnival of Soul, his first release on the label as a solo artist, precedes a release by the Headhunters (sans Hancock in their current incarnation) slated for release on Owl this fall. Carnival of Soul - which features contributions by three organists, with Clark behind the set throughout - is a fun, thoughtful, sometimes virtuosic set that sees Clark in the foreground when appropriate (uptempo numbers like 'Bookin'' and 'Run Straight Down') and an unassuming ensemble member when not (the slightly florid ballad 'Cry Me a River,' featuring expressive vocals by Delbert McClinton). There's also a nice balance between danceable, groovy numbers that hearken back to an era when a 7-inch by an jazz group could actually chart ('T's Boogaloo,' 'Angel Eyes') and more cerebral tunes (the ever-modern 'Monk's Dream,' with Clark imitating Monk's percussive style in the absence of a piano; 'Water on the Moon,' with its tricky time signatures but constant pulse; 'Bookin,'' with its invigorating morse code riff and, finally, its extended solo for Clark). The closing number, 'Catlett Outta the Bag,' is a darker, funkier and heavier piece that acknowledges Clark's fusion work, and that may foreshadow what he's working up with the Headhunters. Rob Dixon contributes two excellent solos on the album, hitting a bebop riff hard on 'Turok: Son of Stone' just when the record drags for minute.
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR PREVIEW 6/10: https://blogs.indystar.com/upstage/2010/06/headhunters_eng.html
Headhunters' engine drives 'Carnival'
Mike Clark is among the few nationally known artists signed to Indianapolis' Owl Studios label. The former Headhunters drummer (sideman of Herbie Hancock) just issued his debut recording, 'Carnival of Soul.' It's kind of a jazz party with a kaleidoscopic array of players, including Indianapolis tenor saxophonist Rob Dixon.
Best of all is the last of 10 tracks, 'Catlett Outta the Bag,' in which Dixon and Clark are joined by Lenny White on a second drum set, trumpeter Tim Ouimette and keyboardist Jeff Pittson. The expansive original pays punning tribute to Big Sid Catlett, a drummer whose relaxed but insistent drive fueled so many mainstream and tradition-minded ensembles in the first half of the 20th century. The heart of this album's sound is the electronic organ, with duties split among Pittson, Jerry Z and Delbert Bump. Also on hand are guitarists Steve Homan and Rez Abbasi. Delbert McClinton handles vocals in 'Cry Me a River,' an oddly detached performance of this evergreen torch song.
MELODIC INTERVIEW: https://www.melodic.net/interviewsOne.asp?interviewId=316
Mike Clark, legendary drummer releasing his latest album today, June 10. Check out what he had to say about it as well as other things.
1. Hi and welcome to Melodic.net. How are you doing?
Mike: I feel great thanks and I am very excited about my new CD Carnival of Soul coming out.
2. For those of us out there that don't know too much about you, can you tell us a bit about yourself? Mike: I was well known for my work with Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters, I was on some of his recordings that sold quite a bit one which went gold and we were credited for caming up with a new style of playing. I also played for years with Vince Guaraldi and was on several of his Charlie Brown Christmas Special soundtracks. I have also worked with Woody Shaw, Bobby Hutcherson, Gil Evans, Sonny Stitt, Nat Adderley, Chet Baker and Tony Bennett to name a few of the jazz stars. I also worked with Brand X a jazz fusion group from England. I recorded with them and toured when Phil Collins was to busy to make it. I have made quite a few cd's as a leader as well one in particular,Blue Prints of Jazz which was picked at one of the best of the decade by Downbeat Magazine. I am also a co-leader of the legendary band The Head Hunters. I am well known for playing jazz, funk and blues. I have a method book out featuring my original funk beats that are very popular and a video as well. I am one of the most sampled drummers in hip hop music from a tune I co-wrote along with Paul Jackson entitled God Make Me Funky!
3. How would you describe your own music?
Mike: Blues soaked, hard swinging and funky! Conversational, loose and open, yet traditional.
4. What can you tell us about your new album "Carnival of Soul"?
Mike: That I have history with each musician that I picked for the date. I have played many years with all of these artists except for Rez Abbasi who is a new friend and he loves boxing as I do so that makes it really great! They were almost all first takes and it went down very naturally. I think the CD is funky and swings hard getting to the roots of the organ jazz thing but looking toward the future. Drum great Lenny White put the finishing touches on the CD for me with his brilliace on Catlett Outta the Bag. I also love what Delbert McClinton did with his treatment of Cry Me a River, it doesn't get any deeper than that. Personally I think it's fun to listen to. Check it out!!
5. Who is the best artist you have ever shared a stage with?
Mike: Not sure as after they arrive at a certain level they are all different but there is no best.
6. Who would be a dream artist to share a stage with? Mike: John Coltrane or Miles Davis but that's not going to happen.
7. During your long career, what is the most important change the music industry has gone through, and how has it affected you as an artist?
Mike: I think that sampling is a big change anyway and by not getting paid by the artist who sampled my beats even though I wrote the tunes has made it so I have to play until I die unless I hit lotto. I say if you use someone's art ...pay them. I would play until I die anyway but this way I won't own a yaht in the Carribean
8. Name one album that everyone should own?
Mike: A Love Supreme (John Coltrane, editor's note)
9. What does the future hold for you?
Mike: Touring, writing, creating, recording and sharing my gift with the world. Also being well known allows me to introduce new artists that I feel deserve attention due to their talent.
10. Thanks for answering the questions, do you have any final words for our readers? Mike: Thank you for dropping by and hearing my point of view and for all the years of support, I sincerely appreciate it.
Mike Clark signed to Al Hall's Owl Studios late last year, and 'Carnival of Soul' marks his debut release on the label. Hall noted: "Owl Studios is very pleased to add a drummer of such legendary status to our roster. Mike's career has been unbelievable and we look forward to watching that career continue with his new 2010 release." In addition to Clark on drums, the album features Jerry Z, Delbert Bump and Jeff Pittson on Organ, Steve Homan and Rez Abbasi on Guitar, Delbert McClinton on vocals, Tim Ouimette on Trumpet, Lenny White on Drums, Kevin McKendree on Piano, Owl Studios artist Rob Dixon on Tenor Sax and others.
Clark regularly tours the U.S., Europe and Asia, heading up his organ trio, and/or performing as a sideman. In addition to his straight-ahead performances, Clark is known for making regular appearances at band camps, colleges and drum shops as a clinician and jazz musician/expert.
Upcoming dates include: Jazz Camp West from June 26th until July 3rd; July 6th through 9th - online TV show, the Drum Channel. Oct 28th at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York - headlining gig featuring Christian McBride, Antonio Farao, Donald Harrison, Nicholas Peyton and Clark. Coming soon - details and Fall/Winter tour dates for Clark's upcoming project with THE HEADHUNTERS! Visit https://www.mikeclarkmusic.com/events.html for an up-to-date itinerary.
More about Mike Clark:
Mike Clark gained worldwide recognition as one of America's foremost jazz and funk drummers while playing with Herbie Hancock's group in the early 1970's. Mike became known as a major innovator through his incisive playing on Hancock's 'Thrust' album, which garnered him an international cult following. Mike has performed with jazz greats such as Herbie Hancock, Chet Baker, Tony Bennett, Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Woody Shaw, Larry Coryell, Jack Wilkins, Wallace Roney, Geri Allen, Billy Childs, James Genus, Bob Hurst, Chris Potter, Onaje Allan Gumbs, Bobby McFerrin, Al Jarreau, Dave Liebman, Nat Adderly, Oscar Brown Jr., Bill Doggett, Mose Allison, Maxine Brown, Gil Evans and his orchestra, and did a stint with Brand X, the acclaimed British fusion band, founded by Phil Collins. He has performed throughout the world at all of the major jazz venues and festivals.
Owl Studios is an independent record label based in Indianapolis, Indiana and dedicated to a financial and artistic partnership with highly creative, talented musicians. In the short time since its inception, Owl Studios has become a well-respected, artist-friendly, independent record label in the genres of Jazz, R&B, Neo Soul, Jazz Fusion and Jam Band.
Here is Owl Studio's official press release on the 12/09 signing of Mike Clark: https://www.owlstudios.com/artists/articles/Mike%20Clark/MikeClarkPR.htm
Here is Owl Studio's Blog Q&A with Mike Clark:
https://blog.owlstudios.com/blog/owl-studios-blog/0/0/owl-artist-questionnaire-9
Visit https://www.owlstudios.com/
Visit https://www.mikeclarkmusic.com/
