Funktober: A Cat In Clark's Shoes

Mike Clark's Prescription Renewal - Watermelon Man

I'm plunged back into the terrifying no-sleep disorder again, after two weeks thinking I'd beaten it, but I am undeterred in the commencement of October here... in fact, I've got three posts all ready to go already!

We'll start off the 3-6-9 triple play with the 3rd of the month and the 78th trip around the sun for one of the world's most influential drummers that will ever be.

To say that his grooves and techniques have been adopted across almost all spectra of music would be another of those undramatic, understated facts I like to kick on here.

It's really no exaggeration to say that Mike Clark could be considered the funkiest drummer of all times.

He first took the skinthusiasts by storm when he replaced Harvey Mason in Herbie Hancock's seminal Headhunters band.

He laid down parts so deep with Herbie, and the group became so successful crossing over out of Jazz into Rock, that he branched off the Headhunters for awhile without Herbie and made beloved and stomping Funk records with them.

The most imitated of the things he did with The Headhunters was a track entitled Actual Proof, in which The One is everywhere and in one place all at the same time.

If you had a dime for every drummer that's tried to copy that groove, you'd be able to start your own March Of Dimes charity.

He's been an active player ever since those heady Seventies, leading multiple bands and recording sessions and occasionally reuniting with both Headhunters and Herbie.

Whatever he does, you can bet your last dollar it's funky.

He's also a great follow on Facebook, always calling out the promoters and other deadbeats who fail to pay him for gigs.

Speaking of gigs, here's a gigabyte and change comprising 3 hours of one of his bumpingest bands, in full flight at the start of this century.

Mike Clark's Prescription Renewal

Bowery Ballroom

New York City, NY USA

3.2.2001

01 Four String Drive

02 Stingers/band introductions

03 Watermelon Man

04 Bacon Phat

05 Power House

06 Loft Funk

07 Butterfly/band introductions

08 Viper

09 Loft Funk/Al Green

10 Is There a Jackson In the House?

11 Chameleon/band introductions

Total time: 3:13:20

disc breaks go after Tracks 04 & 08

Mike Clark - drums

Charlie Hunter - 7-string & 8-string guitars

Robert Walter - keyboards

Skerik - tenor saxophone

DJ Logic - turntables

Alexander Flamer - tenor saxophone on Track 08

4-microphone+soundboard matrix DAT of the complete performance

Tracks 09-11 are bonus tracks from Park West, Chicago IL 3.10.2001

these are also from a matrix DAT, but with 2 instead of 4 mics + the sbd feed

slightly edited, retracked and somewhat remastered by EN, September 2024
1.1 GB FLAC/direct link

This is quite the all-star aggregation, with guitar whiz Charlie Hunter and keysmith Robert Walter on hand for the proceedings.

I'll return on Sunday morning with the proper funeral arrangements for a beloved superstar that just died, but in the meantime you better get yo Funk on with the badass birthday basher Mr. Mike Clark here.--J.