Clarence Lacquese Penn (born March 2, 1968) is 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 ...
drummer and composer.
Early life
Penn was born in Detroit on March 2, 1968.
[Kennedy, Gary W]
"Clarence Penn"
''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'' (2nd edition). Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved September 8, 2017. He started playing the drums aged around eight.
In 1986, while still at high school, he attended the Interlochen Arts Academy.
He started studying at the University of Miami in Florida in 1986, but transferred to Virginia Commonwealth University.
Later life and career
At Virginia Commonwealth, he studied with
Ellis Marsalis, and played in the pianist's trio from 1987 to 1991, including for a tour of Japan in 1990.
Penn graduated in classical percussion in 1991.
He was part of vocalist
Betty Carter's trio from around 1990 to 1993.
Penn later worked with
David Sanchez
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
,
Jimmy Smith,
Slide Hampton,
Jimmy Scott
James Victor Scott (July 17, 1925 – June 12, 2014), known professionally as Little Jimmy Scott or Jimmy Scott, was an American jazz vocalist known for his high natural contralto voice and his sensitivity on ballads and love songs.
After ...
,
Greg Hatza,
Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke (born June 30, 1951) is an American bassist, film composer and founding member of Return to Forever, one of the first jazz fusion bands. Clarke gave the bass guitar a prominence it lacked in jazz-related music. He is the first ja ...
,
Tim Warfield
Timothy Reginald Warfield Jr. (born July 2, 1965, in York, Pennsylvania) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist.
Early life
Warfield picked up alto saxophone when he was nine years old, and switched to tenor when he was a teenager at William Penn ...
,
Bob Berg
Robert Berg (April 7, 1951 – December 5, 2002) was an American jazz saxophonist.
Biography
Berg was born in Brooklyn, New York, United States.
Berg started his musical education at the age of six when he began studying classical piano. He beg ...
,
Diana Krall
Diana Jean Krall (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, including over six million in the US. On December 11, 2009, ''Billboard'' maga ...
,
Cyrus Chestnut
Cyrus Chestnut (born January 17, 1963) is an American jazz pianist, composer and producer. In 2006, Josh Tyrangiel, music critic for '' Time'', wrote: "What makes Chestnut the best jazz pianist of his generation is a willingness to abandon note ...
, and
Stephen Scott.
In 1997, he recorded his debut album, ''Penn's Landing'', for
Criss Cross Jazz
Criss Cross Jazz is a Dutch record company and label specializing in jazz.
Criss Cross was established in 1980 by Gerry Teekens, a drummer and German professor. .
Some of the tracks were composed by Penn.
His second album as leader, ''Play-Penn'', was recorded four years later.
Discography
As leader
*''Penn's Landing'' (
Criss Cross Jazz
Criss Cross Jazz is a Dutch record company and label specializing in jazz.
Criss Cross was established in 1980 by Gerry Teekens, a drummer and German professor. , 1997)
*''Play-Penn'' (Criss Cross Jazz, 2001)
*''Saomaye'' (Universal, 2002)
*''Dali in Cobble Hill'' (Criss Cross Jazz, 2012)
*''Kind of Trio'' (Forced Exposure)
*''Monk: The Lost Files'' (Origin)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Penn, Clarence
American jazz drummers
Musicians from Detroit
1968 births
Living people
Jazz musicians from Michigan
Criss Cross Jazz artists
Origin Records artists