Charles E. Clark (March 11, 1945, Chicago – April 15, 1969, Chicago) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

double-bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

ist. Before embarking on a professional career in 1963, Clark studied bass with

Wilbur Ware Wilbur Bernard Ware (September 8, 1923 – September 9, 1979) was an American jazz double bassist.Feather, Leonard & Gitler, Ira (2007) ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'', p. 674. Oxford University Press He was a regular bassist for t ...

. He played with

Muhal Richard Abrams Muhal Richard Abrams (born Richard Lewis Abrams; September 19, 1930 – October 29, 2017) was an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the free jazz medium. He recorded and toured the Uni ...

in the latter's Experimental Band between 1966 and 1968, recording with the ensemble on the album '' Levels and Degrees of Light''. He was also one of the founders of the

Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1965 in Chicago by pianist Muhal Richard Abrams, pianist Jodie Christian, drummer Steve McCall, and composer Phil Cohran. The AACM is devot ...

. Clark played live with

Joseph Jarman Joseph Jarman (September 14, 1937 – January 9, 2019) was an American jazz musician, composer, poet, and Shinshu Buddhist priest. He was one of the first members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and a member of the ...

in the late 1960s, sometimes employing percussion,

koto Koto may refer to: * Koto (band), an Italian synth pop group * Koto (instrument), a Japanese musical instrument * Koto (kana), a ligature of two Japanese katakana * Koto (traditional clothing), a traditional dress made by Afro-Surinamese women * K ...

, and

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G ...

as well as bass, and performed on Jarman's

Delmark Records Delmark Records is an American jazz and blues independent record label. It was founded in 1958 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. The label originated in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1953 when then owner, and founder, Bob Koester released a record ...

releases, ''

Song For ''Song For'' is the debut album by American jazz saxophonist Joseph Jarman, recorded in 1966 and released on the Delmark label. Background Jarman's regular quintet with saxophonist Fred Anderson, trumpeter Billy Brimfield, bassist Charles Cla ...

'' (1966) and '' As If It Were the Seasons'' (1968). Jarman later noted that Clark's death, as well as the death of pianist Christopher Gaddy, played a role in his decision to disband his own ensemble and join the

Art Ensemble of Chicago The Art Ensemble of Chicago is an avant-garde jazz group that grew out of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians ( AACM) in the late 1960s. The ensemble integrates many jazz styles and plays many instruments, including "little ...

Discography

With

* '' Levels and Degrees of Light'' (Delmark, 1968) With the

* ''1967/68'' (Nessa, 1993) (compilation) * '' Early Combinations'' (Nessa, 2012) With

* ''

'' (Delmark, 1967) * '' As If It Were the Seasons'' (Delmark, 1968)

References

* Barry Kernfeld. '' The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz''. St. Martin's Press, 1994, p. 217. American jazz double-bassists Male double-bassists Jazz musicians from Chicago 1945 births 1969 deaths 20th-century double-bassists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians {{jazz-stub