About Clarence
“Clarence is the kind of musician who leaves his judgments of music and musicians aside to provide the best support and complement. He really cares that everyone on stage sound as good as they can. That explains why the results are so great with the extraordinary musicians he brings into his projects. Fireworks!”—Dave Douglas
“Clarence is a charismatic player, with great dynamic range and drama and musicality. He’s an intricate and heady drummer who thinks compositionally, but uses his gut and instincts towards the end result of making something exciting, that feels alive, and is full of energy and passion. He doesn’t have a limited conception of what the drummer is. Of course, he drives the band and pushes the time, but he also knows how to stop and allow things to happen—to be a colorist.”—Maria Schneider
“I think Clarence is a natural leader. He listens like a producer. He has clarity and vision. He hears everything —the bass, the high voices, the middle. He understands harmony. He understands lyrics. He has the will to solve problems and figure them out. He doesn’t stay traditional but makes the music free and colorful. He understands that music is play. I’d play with him every day if I could.”—Luciana Souza
Clarence Penn is one of the busiest jazz drummers in the world, a leader of multiple bands, a composer, a prolific producer, and an educator. Since 1991, when he arrived in New York City, Penn has placed his unique blend of mega-chops, keen intellect, and heady musicianship at the service of a staggering array of A-list artists—a chronological short-list includes Ellis and Wynton Marsalis, Betty Carter, Stanley Clarke, Steps Ahead, Makoto Ozone, Michael Brecker, Dave Douglas, Maria Schneider, Luciana Souza, Richard Galliano, and Fourplay.
Penn’s impressive discography includes several hundred studio albums (including the Grammy-winning recordings 34th and Lex by Randy Brecker and Concert in the Garden and Sky Blue by Maria Schneider) representing a 360-spectrum of jazz expression, and he’s toured extensively throughout the United States, the Americas, Europe, Japan, and Southeast Asia. He’s composed music for films and commercials, and produced tracks for numerous singers in the pop and alternative arenas. He earned a “Ten Best of 1997” accolade from the New York Times for his first leader recording, Penn’s Landing.
A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, where he was a protégé of Ellis Marsalis, Penn is active as an educator and drum clinician. From 2004 to 2012, he taught on the faculty of the Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music. He’s also served on faculty at the Stanford Jazz Workshop, the Saint Louis College of Music in Rome, Italy, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Intensive Jazz Institute.
Penn currently leads several ensembles. His most recent recording is Monk the Lost Files, on which a quartet comprising saxophonist Chad Leftkowitz-Brown, pianist Donald Vega, and bassist Yasushi Nakamura. performs rhythmically intoxicating arrangements of the music of Thelonious Monk. Near completion is a “world music” studio project of songs and instrumentals that melds background voices—including his own—with a world-class band.
Whether Penn is leading his own band or performing as a sideman, he brings to the table unfailing versatility and professionalism, an ability to find creative ways to interpret a global array of styles and idioms, and a stated intention “to play music that’s warm and organic for the people and for myself.” His motto: “When people hear my name, I want them to think, ‘I don’t know what band he’s playing with tonight or what he’ll be doing, but it’s going to be good, it’s going to be musical.’”
Notable Working Relationships: Ellis Marsalis, Betty Carter, Cyrus Chestnut, Stanley Clarke, Steps Ahead, Dianne Reeves, Randy Brecker, Michael Brecker, Dave Douglas, Fourplay, Maria Schneider, and Christian Sands
Clarence on PolyNome
PolyNome is, in my opinion, the most comprehensive Metronome on the market. The fact that you can program ideas wherever and whenever is invaluable. Being an educator as well, I use it in my lessons and encourage the students to write and share their ideas in a group setting, they really enjoy the challenge. There is also a part of my curriculum where I teach Indian rhythms, with PolyNome I can teach the rhythms with the correct syllables attached to the rhythm. When the students hear it they get a better idea of how it's supposed to sound. It’s brilliant!
