Kim Clarke

Acoustic and electric bass guitarist, bandleader, composer, publisher, clinician. Kim is the president of the LADY GOT CHOPS Women's History Month Music and Arts Festival Inc. a 501c charitable dedicated to the celebration of Women's History Month thru the free promotion of women artists. The festival celebrated its 18th year but was cut short due to Covid 19 pandemic in March 2020. She is a native of Queens NY and student of Barry Harris and Jazzmobile Workshops. She has a BA in Communication and Music. Her first tour experience was with the National Black Theatre to Guyana. Soon thereafter, Kim joined the Yusef Lateef Quartet for a two-month tour of the West Coast. She later became the house bassist for the Jazz Cultural Theater's "Art Blakey Breakfast Jam", performing with Jazz legends such as Art Blakey, Philly Joe Jones, Eddie Harris, Tommy Flanagan, C Sharpe, Joe Jones Jr., Charlie Rouse and Walter Davis. She also was house bassist at the The Blue Note with Ted Curson, Pumpkins with Junior Cooke and Local 802 with Zeke Mullins. Kim has toured extensively in Western Europe and Canada primarily with Joseph Bowie's Defunkt (1981-2019) and has recorded over 20 CD's with this unit. She has also performed in Japan, Russia, China, South Korea and Pakistan. Kim later returned to the West Coast with MAGNETS!, an ensemble which she co-led with Rob Scheps. This group has produced one CD : MAGNETS!LIVE @ THE EARSHOT JAZZ FESTIVAL Her local performances include The Wiz , Really Rosie, Eubie! and Guys and Dolls (off broadway), Carnegie Recital Hall, Birdland, UJC Women In Jazz Festivals. She has accompanied or toured with Joe Henderson, Bertha Hope, George Gruntz, Kit McClure, Rachel Z, Evelyn Blakey,Oliver Lake, Ursula Dudziak ,Michael Urbaniak, Teri Thornton, Robert Palmer,Lester Bowie,James Blood Ulmer, Marylou Williams, Lionel Hampton, Joanne Brackeen, Kenny Barron, Walter Davis, Makanda Ken McIntyre, Jack Mac Duff, George Braith, Junior Cooke, Olu Dara, Rasheed Ali, Jimmy Heath, Clifford Jordan, Harold Ousley, Charles McGee, Louis and Gerald Hayes, Steve Coleman, Vincent Herring, Candido, Patato, Ted Curson, Screamin Jay Hawkins, Mikey Davidson, Patti Bown, Nona Hendryx,Charlie Byrd Big Band, George Gee Big Band, Ray Abrahms Big Band, and the Jaki Byard Big Band. As an educator she has had private students and worked for the Jazz Foundation Of America and other organizations to bring the History of Jazz and Dance to the children of NY.