Kenny Clarke

Kenny Clarke was an American jazz drummer and bandleader born in Pittsburgh in 1914. He was a pioneer of the bebop drumming style, introducing the use of the ride cymbal to keep time and the hi-hat for accents. Clarke played with the Minton’s Playhouse house band and was a founding member of the Modern Jazz Quartet. He spent much of his later career in Europe, working extensively in Paris and recording with many leading European and American jazz musicians. Clarke’s crisp, inventive style influenced generations of drummers and helped define the sound of modern jazz.