Clarence Lacquese Penn (born March 2, 1968) is an American
jazz 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
Betty Carter (born Lillie Mae Jones; May 16, 1929 – September 26, 1998) was an American jazz singer known for her improvisational technique, scatting and other complex musical abilities that demonstrated her vocal talent and imaginative inter ...
'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
Locksley Wellington Hampton (April 21, 1932 – November 18, 2021) was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. As his nickname implies, Hampton's main instrument was slide trombone, but he also occasionally played tuba and flugelho ...
,
Jimmy Scott,
Greg Hatza
Greg Hatza is an American jazz organist born in 1948 in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Music
Hatza started on piano at age five, and switched to organ at age fifteen. He played professionally from age sixteen, working for four years at Lenny Moore's cl ...
,
Stanley Clarke,
Tim Warfield,
Bob Berg,
Diana Krall,
Cyrus Chestnut, and
Stephen Scott.
In 1997, he recorded his debut album, ''Penn's Landing'', for
Criss Cross Jazz.
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, 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