Mike Clark & His Post Boptet

Legendary drummer Mike Clark brings together some of New York’s most distinguished voices in post-bop and hard bop jazz, saxophonist Craig Handy, trumpeter Eddie Henderson, pianist Dave Kikoski and bassist Essiet Okon Essiet, for a set rooted in deep tradition and spontaneous fire.

Clark’s legend was forged with Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, where his innovative rhythmic concepts on the landmark album Thrust earned him recognition as the father of linear drumming. Along with fellow Headhunter Clyde Stubblefield, Clark’s beats are among the most sampled in hip-hop history, appearing on hundreds of recordings across four decades. He remains one of jazz’s most active and prolific drummers, with forward-looking, hard-swinging jazz in the tradition of masters like Art Blakey and Elvin Jones. His recent releases include Mike Clark Plays Herbie Hancock, which reached No. 5 on the Jazz Weekly charts and ranked among the top 100 releases of 2023, and Kosen Rufu featuring Eddie Henderson, Skerik and Wayne Horvitz. He also co-leads the current incarnation of the Headhunters with Bill Summers, whose latest release The Stunt Man has the band touring the US, Europe and Japan.

This band has been playing together for two years, but carries a deep history in the music. Oakland-born Craig Handy, a veteran of Roy Haynes’ band and the original Headhunters, shares deep roots with Clark. Eddie Henderson, who received his first trumpet lesson from Louis Armstrong, has played alongside Clark since the late 1960s. Kikoski, a Grammy Award winner with the Mingus Big Band, brings virtuosic energy and adventurous solos. Essiet Okon Essiet served as Art Blakey’s last bassist and remains one of Clark’s favorite collaborators. Together they represent a collective century of jazz mastery from the hard bop crucible of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers to the funk revolution of the Headhunters and beyond.