Babe Clark

Arthur "Babe" Clark picked up his nickname from being the youngest member of the Clark family of Birmingham, AL. He studied music at the Fess Whatley school in that city, but no doubt picked up even more of his knowledge from his family, most of whom were also musicians. Babe Clark left his home as a young man, spending time in various centers of jazz activity such as Chicago and New York. One of his most famous associations was with the brilliant alto and soprano saxophonist Johnny Hodges, who was on a solo career hiatus from his long gig with Duke Ellington and toying with various expansive lineups utilizing small horn sections. Such a context is, typically, where Clark is found barking up the reed family tree, from bonsai clarinet to solid oak baritone sax. Clark has also been recorded on tenor saxophone, flute, and bass clarinet. The jazz scene of the '50s, '60s, and early '70s was this artist's turf, especially the stylistic engagements with popular trends such as bossa nova, funk, soul, and fusion. Perhaps this was a result of leaders interested in dabbling in such material being granted larger budgets -- meaning they get to hire musicians, meaning Clark's phone would ring when the decision was made to put together a horn section. The popularity of soulful or funky jazz, on the rise again generations after it was first introduced to the public, is often based around instruments such as organ and guitar or particular rhythm section lineups. Horn sections -- sometimes as buttery as movie theater popcorn ought to be, sometimes arriving with the blast force of a marching band -- are also a large part of the sound of large-band projects by artists such as Jimmy Smith, Roy Ayers, and Houston Person which Clark participated in. Much of his work as a session man went...