Another chapter in our ongoing series of conversations, quotes, commentary, and updates with jazz/funk drumming legend Mike Clark… Mike’s keen observations provide numerous insights into ‘All Things Music’. -- Mike just tells it like it is.
Herbie Hancock taught me when I was young to follow my own light - not to get caught up in the latest thing, fad or person. If a person is getting success it is tempting if you know them to follow them, their style etc. I know a guy that talks like the main guy that he follows. I can almost predict what is going to happen next by what sells and is commercial and how it will soon show up in jazz. Nothing wrong with that but for me I keep following me and what I am interested in. I have lost a lot of work and opportunity because of that and have also got a lot of work and doors have opened because of that. At the end of the day I feel pretty good as I am 100 % myself so I can live with whatever price I paid for being who I already am. I started playing professionally quite young so I was fairly formed at age twenty. I kept altering it to fit in but now I just play my stuff. Its cool.
All the musicians that I made my bones with operated at the street level. Nobody cared how well you could read, what music school you went to or how fast you played. Woody Shaw, Bobby Hutcherson, Eddie Henderson, Joe Henderson, Guraldi, Chet, Bill Summers, Paul Jackson, Jack Walrath, Jack Wilkins and today Donald Harrison to name a few, it was all about instinct. The intellectual part was about how much grease or "soul" you had or how funky you could swing and lay a phrase in the cracks. Also Elvin ruled so there was that. You were expected to have that understanding or you couldn't get on these particular gigs. You don't get this from music school. As this was coming from Black Culture in America but then we sort of morphed together for a while and that became a counter culture saying F*&K separation, strange vibes and not understanding each others backgrounds. It was like we had our own America for a minute anyway and the music reflected that. For drummers your ride beat had to have some meat on it, cats would say Man you gotta make that shit Shang! Same with bass players. I learned all this from those cats and Herbie doubled down on it! They shaped what I am doing now and who I am or helped shape! It was the most exciting time of my life.
Am I the only one who goes through this? Because as musicians a lot of work goes down by phone! You can’t just agree to the bread and hang up we need to discuss the music and travel etc! Because we use slang and it’s social and fun many think we are on the phone just BS-ing’ - like in high school! This is part of being a working musician! When I explain this I get the yeah sure look!
photo by Cole Paramore