Ken Clark Organ Trio

Not to be confused with country/bluegrass artist Ken Clark or the late bebop drummer Kenny Clarke, the Ken Clark profiled in this bio is a jazz-oriented organist who is also comfortable playing R&B, funk, and blues. The Boston resident (who plays electric keyboards and acoustic piano as secondary instruments) isn't the type of organist who is content to emulate Jimmy Smith's seminal '50s and '60s recordings -- Smith is an influence on Clark, but so are Larry Young, John Medeski (of Medeski, Martin & Wood fame), and Charles Earland. Clark's playing sometimes brings to mind German organist Barbara Dennerlein, although she isn't necessarily an influence -- rather, it's probably a case of Dennerlein and Clark having mutual influences.

Clark isn't a native Bostonian; he was born in New York City in the late '60s and grew up in the Big Apple. But in the mid-'80s, he moved to Boston to study jazz with pianist Charlie Banacos and guitarist Garrison Fewell and attend the prestigious Berklee School of Music. Instead of returning to New York after studying with those artists and attending Berklee, Clark opted to remain in Boston and became a fixture on the city's music scene. In 1992, he formed the Ken Clark Organ Trio, employing Mike Mele (whom he knew from Berklee) on guitar -- and 11 years later, the group was still together. Clark's group has used different drummers over the years; in 2003, Steve Chaggaris (another Berklee alumni) was playing drums for Clark's trio. As a sideman, Clark has backed various female vocalists, including Fatwall Jack and swing/jump blues artist Michelle Willson. Clark's albums as a leader include The Ken Clark Organ Trio on Aspire Records and Eternal Funk, which the Severn label released in 2003. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi