Q&A with Mike Clark
Drum City Clinic, September 2009

Mike Clark’s roots (biographical and musical) may be in San Francisco’s East Bay, but his energy is all East Coast to be sure. His drumming and his words are frenetic and infectious, and he’s clearly not going to wait for a walk signal to cross the street. Mike answered some questions for us from his home in New York.

Hollywood Drum: What brings you through L.A. the weekend of your clinic at Drum City, Mike? Will we get an opportunity to hear you practice what you preach? Or perhaps it’s preach what you practice? Either way, will you be you playing in town?

Mike Clark: I will be playing in the Bay Area at Bach Jazz Society and at J.B’s jazz club in Sacto. Also the Jazz School in Berkeley and a concert in Lodi. I won’t be playing any live gigs in LA but need to visit Istanbul warehouse and help with some family business in LA. To hear what I am going to cover I have a new CD out: “Blueprints of Jazz” with Christian McBride, Donald Harrison, Patrice Rushen, Christian Scott and Jed Levy it’s all on there and the CD did real good. Five star reviews in most jazz mags plus they are submitting it for a Grammy.

HD: Do you attempt to put on clinics regularly as part of your time playing on the road? Has it become an important part of what you do these days? Do you still also have an active role with Drummer’s Collective in N.Y? Please tell us a bit about the educational side of your career as a musician and what it means for you.

Mike: I do about 30 clinics or so per year. I had many conversations with jazz great Lenny White about what is happening in jazz music today. I feel it is important not to let the tradition get lost and not loose sight of the people who brought us this gift. I seem to be able to create value and generate interest in jazz music and the language and most important how to perpetuate swinging and what to do when you are actually playing this music. I also address funk if someone asks as with the success of Thrust with Herbie people still ask about that from time to time. I approach the style I play from a historical perspective. I think the more history one has under his hands and feet so to speak the more musicians he can communicate with, thus you don’t have to play with people who play your favorite style to sound good, hence, more work for you and more friends etc. It’s good for everybody. When the hallmark of great drumming became how fast you can play I said I think I need to do some clinics as I have the experience to pass it on. It’s about the music and playing with a band for me that’s what I’m about. Some of my students can roll with their feet and can’t swing on note or get funky so here I am. I haven’t taught at the Collective for many years but sometimes do a big band masterclass or a clinic there.

HD: What is the central message or philosophy of your clinics currently?

Mike: To be original, to make yourself an important part of the band by playing for the group but still playing your style. To swing hard, to get funky to be able to play many styles within the jazz tradition and still have your own voice. Blues and funk and how to deal with that if asked. If you can’t play the blues you can’t swing but this doesn’t mean not to have any chops. I also demonstrate grooves and drumming from the roots up and still remain totally creative. My clinics are also a hang and are usually lot’s of fun so it’s not a mental exercise for sure.

HD: As one of the of the definitive and most influential voices of the East Bay style of funk drumming, what do you attribute—beyond fate—to its evolution? What were you hearing (or intaking) in Oakland during the late 60s and early 70s that everyone else wasn’t?

Mike: I think what made my style different as far as the Herbie Hancock experience was I came from a background of be bop, post bop and hard bop. I also had a rich background in playing the blues and funk to make money. I was interested in jazz and only played funk to make money when I couldn’t get jazz gigs when I was young. Paying the rent was and still is a big one. I played with Albert King, Albert Collins, Jimmy Reed, Sam and Dave, Joe Tex and hundreds of blues and soul stars back in the day. On the jazz side were Joe Henderson, Woody Shaw, Chet Baker, Bobby Hutcherson, Wayne Shorter, Herbie to name a few. I think my jazz sensibility along with blues experience shaped what happened with the Headhunters. It was an experiment at the time, no ground rules, there wasn’t anyone to copy in that genre yet so I did my own thing.

HD: Even though you were largely introduced to the world through The Headhunters as a funk drummer, there is clearly a solid straight-ahead mind-set in much of that music. You’re a killing bop player. Is it all the same flow for you?

Mike: Yes at this point it is all the same flow but knowing how to address the history from each of these styles allows me to move around freely in the music and get a good groove.

HD: Some drummers may not realize that you played with Vince Guaraldi in the late 60s, even swinging some of the classic Peanuts recordings. Nor may some know that you recorded with Texas country-bluesman Delbert McClinton. Including these, perhaps, hip us to three recordings from your distinctive discography that you may be lesser-known for, and which you particularly dig.

Mike: I did a few of my own dates like “Summertime,” “Give the Drummer Some” and one called “Actual Proof” that I dig. I have one out called “Live at the Fox” with Fred Wesley and some cats that sound pretty phat. I am on an organ record with Rueben Wilson that’s funky. A jazz date called “Call Him Reckless” with Jack Wilkins as well as “Alien Army” with Wilkins that has some great writing on it. An organist named Delbert Bump has one coming out that swings real hard with some original material that is quite different.

HD: What’s going on musically with you now? Update us on your current endeavors.

Mike: I do about 240 dates a year, clinics and CDs. I share the leadership with Tim Ouimette, Mike Clark Big Band. We have some very modern charts, great musicians and have been getting more and more dates. I go to Italy to play with jazz pianist Antonio Farao and still am co leader with Bill Summers in the Headhunters. I have my own organ trio and we do quite a few jazz dates. I just did a two drum track on Lenny White’s new CD and we called it Cat Let Out of the Bag dedicated to Big Sid Catlett.

HD: You’re originally from California, but you’re now a long-standing New Yorker. One of my favorite quotes from the interview we did recently with Peter Erskine was: “I love the music from New York. I love playing it in L.A.” The effect environment can have on art is often fascinating. What effect would you say N.Y. has had on your drumming sensibilities?

Mike: Jazz music in New York swings real hard. You can get right to your ideas right away and everybody knows what you’re talking about. Once again people really know the history so you don’t have to be married to one time period to play with cats even if they are all in the same band and come from different places musically it still will really get off hard. Bass player don’t play behind if they do they find themselves in a cab so you don’t have to worry about the time thing and everybody can get right to what it is they want to say without having to baby sit the groove. Everybody here has that understanding so that’s why we stay here as we know that thing is going to happen it’s dependable. No brown rice concepts or soggy grooves. Nobody will tell you not to play too loud or too much after surviving a day here that’s for sure. I never hear words like too busy or any of that kind of talk in the apple. I also heard and hung with all of my heroes as most of them live here, it sounds different live, up close and personal than on the records. Getting to know those cats gave me some insights to why they did what they did.

HD: This one is a personal indulgence: I saw you play with your trio in Dallas, TX (The Gypsy Tea Room) on September 12th, 2001. For obvious reasons, there was barely anyone there. The handful of us who tore ourselves away from the news that evening hung out close to the stage, in intimate communion with the band. It was a profound night for music, and I personally want to thank you for playing that show—especially as you are a New Yorker. What are your memories of that show?

Mike: Thanks for the props I’m glad you dug it. I remember thinking where is everybody as we had sold out the Filmore not too long before that by adding Fred Wesley and some cats LOL I once walked into a club Buddy Rich was playing and there were about 10 people and he told us I don’t care I’m going to play my ass off no matter whose here!!! LOL

HD: It’s become a bit of a tradition at HollywoodDrum.com to end our Q&As with a free-form solo. Hit us with whatever’s on your mind: new music or players you’re digging, other current inspirations, a remarkable story, commentary, rants…improvise. And as always, feel free to simply tacit.

Mike: Well I love great drummers and all I can say is what I like to do is go to a club where a really great band is playing and sit in the front row, have a glass of real good red wine, close my eyes and let the whole experience take me right where I love to go.

Hang with Mike Clark at Chad Sexton’s Drum City on Saturday, September 19th at 2pm.