Detroit, MI (Top40 Charts/ Owl Studios) - Owl Studios Debut for Mike Clark Keeps Earning Raves, as Legendary Drummer Returns from Headlining Tour of Russia and Hits the Road with The Headhunters. Legendary drummer Mike Clark's Owl Studios debut 'Carnival of Soul' continues to earn notable reviews and fresh coverage.
In their November issue, DOWNBEAT Magazine praised Clark as 'a constant force' presiding over an 'epic jam session.' The Downbeat review comes on the heels of recent raves in JAZZTIMES Magazine, JAZZIZ Magazine and AllAboutJazz-New York. Jazz Inside Magazine featured a full-page interview with Clark in their November issue, and NUVO Weekly, the key Alternative paper in Owl Studios' hometown of Indianapolis, recently featured Clark and Owl President Al Hall in an article about Clark's month-long headlining tour of Russia.
2010 has been a big year for Mike Clark. In addition to the ongoing traction shown by his acclaimed 'Carnival of Soul' and the success of his U.S. State Department-sponsored tour of Russia, Clark recently headlined the Iridium in New York City, for a series of gigs praised by The New York Times, New Yorker, Time Out New York, Don Heckman's International Review of Music, and more. He is currently in the midst of a U.S. tour with the reunited Headhunters, and the group will soon release an exciting, eclectic new CD on the Owl Studios label, which will feature guest appearances by megastars Snoop Dogg, George Clinton and many others. Look for a DOWNBEAT article about the new Headhunters album in the months ahead.
Owl Studios is an award-winning, independent record label, with an artist roster that includes a Grammy-nominated artist, two Independent Music Award winners, an American Pianists Association Jazz Fellowship recipient, and a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Performer Award recipient. In the short time since its inception, Owl Studios has become a well-respected, artist-friendly record label in the genres of Jazz, R&B, Neo Soul, Jazz Fusion and Jam Band. Learn more about Owl Studios, here: https://www.owlstudios.com/
DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE - CD Review
11/10 issue, by James Hale
Variety is the name of the game on Mike Clark's Carnival of Soul. Loosely based on the organ trio model, the album also encompasses appearances by singer Delbert McClinton, guitarist Rez Abbasi, trumpeter Tim Ouimette and - for an outrageous tribute to Big Sid Catlett - drummer Lenny White. With his signature resonant kick drum and mastery of deceptive beats, Clark sounds like he's playing host to an epic jam session: guests come and go, but he's a constant force, channeling the flow and keeping the mood upbeat.
JAZZ INSIDE MAGAZINE
Interview feature
11/10 issue, by Eric Nemeyer
Please click here to see full-page Mike Clark feature, go to page 25:
https://jazzinsidemagazine.com/publications/guide/november-2010/?searchterm=mike%20clark
NUVO WEEKLY - Interview feature
A Siberian jazz odyssey
10/10 by Scott Schoger
https://www.nuvo.net/indianapolis/a-siberian-jazz-odyssey/Content?oid=1752802
Sure, it sounds like a scheme hatched up by Radio Free Europe: organ trio tours Siberia, plays siren call to capitalism with panache and cool, drummer actually CIA spy sending messages via Morse code every night (and you thought it was just a fill).
So it may come as a surprise that the U.S. Department of State is still sending musicians to the Russian hinterlands on missions of cultural outreach. Mike Clark , the Headhunters drummer and current act on the local jazz/jam label Owl Studios , is on a 15-show tour of Russia this month with his Carnival of Soul organ trio. And he got there with funds and logistical help provided by the U.S. embassy in Moscow, with additional support from Exxon Mobil and several Russian businesses.
Clark brought along a couple locals for the trip: Owl Studios A&R man and tenor saxophonist Rob Dixon, and, in a non-performing role, Owl Studios president J. Allan Hall. Rounding out the trio is organist Jerry Z, who improvised a portable B-3 for the trip that can be stored in four separate cases.
Hall was along for the first five days of the tour, which started Sept. 30 in Moscow. He blogged about the events on owlstudios.com , sharing stories of stops in Sochi, Novorossiysk and Krasnodar.
Hall's posts tell of a ride on a Boeing 737 with "seats scrunched so tight you can't bring the tabletop down without it hitting you in the head"; of a concert at a casino turned nightclub in Krasnodar with a giant statue of Buddha built into the wall behind the bandstand; and of a stop in Sochi, which will host the 2014 Winter Olympics despite what Hall describes as its "tropical climate," and where the trio played before a 600-strong crowd in the city's "Stalinesque" central concert hall.
Clark, who answered questions via e-mail from Russia, says that those attending his concerts are "very familiar with my work and know all about me - and my book on drumming." He toured Russia for the first time last year, and remembers fans telling him that they had waited 25 years for him to play live.
Long-playing records are tools of cultural outreach just as much as any tour - according to Clark, Russian fans were familiar with both his work in the Headhunters with bandleader Herbie Hancock and his solo albums.
Clark claims that this visit by the Carnival of Soul band marks the first time that an organ trio has toured Russia, qualifying that, while Jimmy Smith once brought an organ trio to Moscow, no trio has ever crossed the metropolitan Moscow lines. He notes that an average of 600 people are attending each show.
And yes, the band is playing as far north as Siberia. "I love playing in Siberia, as they seem to need the music and love it," Clark explains. "But then it seems like that all over Russia."
Hall notes that his love of travel was partially behind his decision to accompany the trio for the beginning of the tour. But it was an opportunity for him to travel for business as much as pleasure.
"I had hoped to make some contacts in Russia so that we could have a distribution network within the country," Hall explained via e-mail. "I was partially successful at doing this although I was advised to be cautious as piracy is rampant. I also made some good contacts for future jazz festivals in both Southern Russia and the Ukraine. We met with the organizers of those festivals and may work out some sort of exchange whereby Russian jazz groups come to Indianapolis (Indy Jazz Fest) and Owl Studios artists attend festivals there."
Asked if Russia could be a future market for Owl Studios, Hall says that the label is already selling "a lot" of downloads on the international market - to Russia as well as other countries in Europe, Africa and Asia.
"Russians are very musically oriented," Hall explains apropos of opportunities in the Russian market. "They are used to their own folk music and are well versed in the classical music forms. Jazz is a very intriguing new form of music that is gaining in popularity the more it is exposed. It can only grow and we would like to be a part of that growth."
A sampling of recent coverage for Clark's Headlining gig at Iridium in New York:
THE NEW YORK TIMES:
WEEKEND ARTS Preview, by Nate Chinen:
Mike Clark's Indigo Blue - Best known as the funk-oriented drummer behind some of Herbie Hancock's 1970s fusion albums, Mr. Clark has a jazzman's vision of group interplay; he indulges it here with a sharp band that includes the alto saxophonist Donald Harrison and the bassist Christian McBride. At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., Iridium Jazz Club
TIME OUT NY - preview listing:
Headhunters stickman Mike Clark, a drummer equally comfortable with supple swing and hard funk, presides over a well-stocked ensemble of jazz VIPs.
NEW YORKER MAGAZINE
GOINGS ON ABOUT TOWN preview listing:
The drummer Mike Clark, a funk stalwart who came to prominence with Herbie Hancock's Headhunters, has pulled together an impressive mainstream outfit featuring the bassist Christian McBride and two New Orleans-informed horn soloists: the trumpeter Nicholas Payton and the saxophonist Donald Harrison.
PICK OF THE WEEK via veteran critic Don Heckman's INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF MUSIC: https://irom.wordpress.com/
Clark's drumming was one of the driving forces in Herbie Hancock's Headhunters, and his funk drumming beats have been sampled by everyone from Prince to Janet Jackson. But he's been stepping out on his own lately, as he does here with the stellar ensemble of trumpet Nicholas Payton, alto saxophonist Donald Harrison and bassist Christian McBride.
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.
See additional recent coverage of Mike Clark's acclaimed 'Carnival of Soul', below:
JAZZTIMES MAGAZINE
By Bill Milkowski 10/10 issue
https://jazztimes.com/articles/26504-carnival-of-soul-mike-clark
The drumming great's debut for Owl Studios is a paean to the B3 organ trio, a format he played in for half a dozen years during his early 20s. But rather than being just a greasy throwdown-which he does with requisite grit on 'T's Boogaloo,' alongside organist Delbert Bump and guitarist Steve Homan-this is a versatile outing that showcases the organ in all of its manifestations.
A rendition of 'Monk's Dream' (with organist Jerry Z and tenor saxophonist Rob Dixon) finds the drummer traversing the kit in loosely syncopated fashion, providing the array of unexpected accents required of Monk's music. 'Water on the Moon' (with Dixon on tenor and Z on organ) is a modernist take on the B3 trio reminiscent of Larry Young's work with Joe Henderson and Elvin Jones. Clark creates an easygoing vibe with brushes on an alluring rendition of 'Angel Eyes' that underscores Bump's velvety organ tones and Homan's Grant Green-like guitar work, then turns around with the same trio and burns a blue streak on Bump's boppish workout 'Bookin.' (Clark's astonishing solo on the track should straight-up frighten drum students.)
Clark deals in N'Awlins-flavored funk on Jeff Pittson's 'Zoyd,' featuring Rez Abbasi on guitar, Rob Dixon on tenor sax and Pittson on B3. That same crew conjures up another modernist Larry Young-meets-Elvin swing feel on the surging 'Run Straight Down.' And Clark joins his longtime friend and drumming colleague Lenny White for the funky two-drum showcase 'Catlett Outta the Bag,' a '70s Herbie Hancock-styled jam featuring Pittson on clavinet, Dixon wailing on robust tenor and Tim Ouimette on muted trumpet. A special treat on this very satisfying outing is an emotionally charged reading of the torch song 'Cry Me a River,' with Clark on brushes and pain-etched vocals by Delbert McClinton.
JAZZIZ MAGAZINE
Fall 2010 review by Ed Kopp
Mike Clark has been pigeonholed as a jazz-funk drummer because of his important role in Herbie Hancock's Headhunters. However, fellow musicians know him as one of the most versatile drummers in jazz. A bebop skinsman long before he hooked up with Hancock, Clark once again displays his wide-ranging skills on this tribute recording to one of his favorite formats, the B3 combo.
Carnival of Soul makes a fine follow-up to Clark's 2008 studio release Blueprints of Jazz, Vol. 1 (Talking House), a hard-bop tour de force. And while the drummer's approach to organ-based jazz encompasses more than just funk, this album includes plenty. His masterful drum work should advance Clark's reputation as all-around rhythm ace.
The leader employs a rotating cast of 12 musicians that includes organists Delbert Bump, Jerry Z and Jeff Pittson, as well as roadhouse-blues singer Delbert McClinton and fellow drummer Lenny White. Besides funk, they undertake a few post-bop numbers, a greasy boogaloo, one Monk cover, a classic ballad and even some Miles-like fusion. Like every great drummer, Clark carries on a musical conversation in every tune. 'T's Boogaloo' is a danceable groover with soulful interchanges among the leader, Bump and guitarist Steve Homan. McClinton's vocal performance on 'Cry Me a River' is surprisingly reserved, but trumpeter Tim Ouimette shines. The Pittson composition 'Run Straight Down' bops hard, while guitarist Rez Abbasi and tenor saxman Rob Dixon embellish the modern funk piece 'Zoyd.'
The capper is a nasty funk-fusion collaboration with Lenny White called 'Catlett Outta the Bag.' A nod to influential swing and bop drummer Big Sid Catlett, the piece featured kinetic exchanges between the drummers, as well as among Pittson (on electric keyboard), Dixon and Ouimette. It's the climax of a well-crafted collection. Appears on page 88 of this digital link:
https://www.jazziz.com/pageflip/Fall2010EsperanzaSpalding/pageflip.html
AllAboutJazz-New York
Mike Clark (Owl Studios)
10/10 issue, by Elliott Simon
Drummer Mike Clark's paean to the Hammond B3 starts out with 'T's Boogaloo', a soulful and exceedingly juicy tune that is right at the center of this genre's delectably greasy ethos. Organist Delbert Bump showcases the B3's unmistakable sound, guitarist Steve Homan plays it funky and Clark matches the B3 with his up-in-the-mix drumming. But, this is the Mike Clark who drummed with the Headhunters and thus no common B3 trio session, with things moving out in a lot of different directions from initial B3 middle ground. Rob Dixon has a lot of blues in his tenor saxophone and he, Clark and funky organist Jerry Z take 'Monk's Dream' to a place where both genres intertwine to freshen up this familiar tune. Likewise, vocalist Delbert McClinton, trumpeter Tim Ouimette and pianist Kevin McKendree join Z and Clark for an achingly soulful version of the nugget 'Cry Me A River'. McClinton's raspy tearful voice and bluesy delivery is exquisitely soothed by Ouimette's buttery horn. Clark then goes decidedly 21st century with two swinging originals, the rhythmically interesting postbop of 'Water on the Moon' and harder bop of 'Turok Son of Stone'. Both these cuts have Dixon's sax wailing while the latter introduces the soulful B3 of Jeff Pittson and Rez Abbasi's clean fleet guitar lines. 'Bookin' has Clark drummin' up a storm with quick complex rhythms that both Homan and Bump use to full advantage in creating a full-on burner. Session-ender 'Catlett Outta the Bag' is something altogether different and wonderful. It features the double drumming of Clark and Bitches Brew/Return to Forever alum Lenny White with Pittson's funky keyboards, Ouimette's eerie Milesinfluenced horn and Dixon's groovin' sax for an incredible 'feels just like funky 1970' experience. Carnival of Soul is a fantastic trip through what a powerfully inventive drummer like Clark and a forceful instrument like the B3 can cook up when they invite over a bunch of friends. For more information, visit owlstudios.com. Clark is at Iridium Oct. 28th-31st.
ALL MUSIC - CD Review
7/10 BY MICHAEL G. NASTOS CARNIVAL OF SOUL (OWL)
https://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:jjfixzysldfe~T1
WILDY'S WORLD - CD review
Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5) 7/17/10 Owl Studios
https://wildysworld.blogspot.com/2010/07/mike-clark-carnival-of-soul.html
JAZZIZ.COM CD PREVIEW: https://www.jazziz.com/news/2010/06/10/mike-clark's-carnival-of-soul/
Modern Drummer -
FIRST PERSON ESSAY/BLOG - 6/10
https://www.moderndrummer.com/modern-drummer-blogs/Mike%20Clark/
NUVO WEEKLY REVIEW and EDITOR'S PICK
https://www.nuvo.net/MusicBlog/archives/2010/06/15/mike-clarks-carnival-of-soul
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR PREVIEW 6/10: https://blogs.indystar.com/upstage/2010/06/headhunters_eng.html
MELODIC INTERVIEW: https://www.melodic.net/interviewsOne.asp?interviewId=316
Visit https://www.mikeclarkmusic.com/
