Mike Clark Quartet
Smalls183 West 10th Street, New York 10014
Mike Clark brings a quartet to Smalls for two sets, with Clark on drums, Craig Handy on tenor saxophone, Mike LeDonne on piano and Jeff Carney on bass. It is a compact working-band lineup: drums, tenor, piano and bass, playing in the close quarters of the club’s basement room. The evening is also scheduled to stream live, extending the performance beyond the room.
California-based drummer Clark is closely associated with Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters, and Jazz Journal calls him “immortalised as the drummer on Herbie Hancock’s 1974 album Thrust.” His wider list of collaborators includes John Scofield, Chet Baker, Nat Adderley, Tony Bennett and the Gil Evans Orchestra. Reviewers have singled out Clark’s “energy and drive,” “funky rhythms and sizzling drumming”; Jazz Journal characterizes his work as “no-nonsense, straightahead jazz” that remains “youthful, fresh.” On Standard Deviations, a separate Clark-led quartet recording, All About Jazz found the results “swinging” and said the group’s “success ratio … is high.”
Smalls is a basement jazz club where the music feels immediate and unfiltered, with the stage just a few feet from the audience. The room is compact, with simple seating that encourages close listening, and a bar that serves drinks but no full kitchen, so the focus stays on the performances. Shows typically feature multiple sets, often extending late into the night with jam sessions that invite spontaneous creativity. The club’s walls are adorned with photos and memorabilia that reflect its deep roots in New York’s jazz scene. The audience is there to listen intently, creating a shared experience where every note can be savored. Expect an evening where the energy of live jazz is palpable and the musicians’ passion fills the intimate space.