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2007-04-05
7:30PM
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“He’s a great jazz drummer—and he hasn’t lost any of the stuff that he brought from Oakland. So now he’s totally free to do both, and he does. The solo he played on the album Thrust, on the song “Actual Proof,” is one of the best drum solos on any of my albums. So many people have remarked about that solo, saying, ‘Incredible.’”
-Herbie Hancock |
[ Complete Show Schedule... ] |
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| Mike Clark of The Headhunters w/ Fred Wesley + Robert Walter |
FEATURING:
Mike Clark (The Headhunters) - drums
Fred Wesley (James Brown/George Clinton) - trombone
Robert Walter (Greyboy Allstars) - Hammond B3 |
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 the major jazz venues and festivals.
Featured in Downbeat, Musician, International Musician & Recording World, Modern Drummer, Jazz Times, Guitar Player, Jazz Is and numerous jazz history and method books, Mike is a former faculty member of Drummers Collective, and is a popular and busy clinician around the country. His book Funk Drumming: Innovative Grooves & Advanced Concepts was published last year by Hal Leonard and is a best seller.
Called “the most sampled drummer in hip hop” Mike’s beats have been used on tracks by musicians as diverse as NWA, Grandmaster Flash, Britney Spears, Prince and many others.
His numerous recording credits include albums with Herbie Hancock, the Headhunters, Brand X, Eddie Henderson, Jack Wilkins, Mark Puricelli, Mike Wolff, and Alien Army, a group led by guitar great Jack Wilkins. As a bandleader, his release Give The Drummer Some was very enthusiastically received, earning a rare four and a half stars in Downbeat, as was The Funk Stops Here, a joint effort with Hancock alumni Paul Jackson. In 2001, his solo CD, Actual Proof met with critical acclaim, as did the 2003 acoustic jazz release, Summertime, featuring Chris Potter and Billy Childs, which spent many weeks in the top ten charts.
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FRED WESLEY
Best known for his work with James Brown and the JBs, FRED WESLEY has built his career in funk and jazz. From 1968 through 1975, Wesley was music director, arranger, trombonist and a primary composer for Brown's band, helping to create a brand of funk that he helped take to a new level upon joining forces with George Clinton and Bootsy Collins in 1975.
Wesley became a force in jazz in 1978 when he joined the Count Basie Orchestra. He released his first jazz CD as a leader, To Someone, in 1988. It was followed by New Friends in 1990, Comme Ci Comme Ca in 1991, and his latest two releases as a leader, the live CD, Swing and Be Funky and Amalgamation in 1994.
FRED WESLEY's 35-year career includes playing with and arranging for a wide variety of other artist such as Ray Charles, Ike and Tina Turner, Usher, Lionel Hampton, Randy Crawford, Vanessa Williams, The SOS Band, Cameo and rappers De La Soul, to name a few. Scores of other artists have sampled his work.
Wesley toured with his colleagues from the James Brown Band, Pee Wee Ellis and Maceo Parker as the JB Horns in the early nineties. With the departure of Ellis the band became The Maceo Parker Band. Wesley was featured trombonist with Maceo until 1996 when he formed his own band.
www.fredwesley.com
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ROBERT WALTER
ROBERT WALTER is the definitive soul-jazz organist of his generation. His latest project, Super Heavy Organ, was recorded in his new hometown of New Orleans. One cannot help but wonder why he waited until recently to relocate from his native West Coast to the Crescent City, with its musical history rich in both classic jazz and dirty loose limbed funk. "I had been performing in New Orleans for years. As a kid I was obsessed with the music coming out of this city. I made a decision to come here and experience it first hand. It's the best move I have ever made. I have been lucky enough to record an album with some of my favorite musicians, people who have influenced me," remarks Walter. The new release is a collaboration with some of the city's most respected musicians, including drummers Stanton Moore and Johnny Vidacovich, bassist James Singleton, tenor saxophonist Tim Green and guest vocalist Anthony Farrell. They recorded live in the studio with a decidedly rough edged sound to capture the raw spontaneity of the performances. The interactions between the young leader and his veteran band mates are mutually inspired. "My concept was not to imitate New Orleans music of the past, but to infuse the tradition with my own ideas," he describes. The resulting music is both exploratory and modern while maintaining its ties to the heritage of jazz. It is unquestionably innovative and funky at the same time.
www.robertwalter.com |
