He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948–1951), Duke Ellington (1951–1959), Quincy Jones (1960), and Oscar Peterson (1964-1996). He also appeared on record with Louis Armstrong, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Dizzy Gillespie. Over a seven decade career Terry mentored world-class talents such as Quincy Jones, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Dianne Reeves, Terri Lyne Carrington, Arturo Sandoval and Justin Kauflin. He considered one of the most recorded jazz artists of all time, and appears on over 900 recordings.
Contents
Terry was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1920. He attended Vashon High School and began his professional career in the early 1940s, playing in local clubs. He served as a bandsman in the United States Navy during World War II.
Blending the St. Louis tone with contemporary styles, Terry's years with Basie and Ellington in the late 1940s and 1950s established his prominence. During his period with Ellington, he took part in many of the composer's suites and acquired a reputation for his wide range of styles (from swing to hard bop), technical proficiency, and good humor. Terry influenced musicians including Miles Davis and Quincy Jones, both of whom acknowledged Terry's influence during the early stages of their careers. Terry had informally taught Davis while they were still in St Louis.
After leaving Ellington, Clark's international recognition soared when he accepted an offer from the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) to become its first African-American staff musician. He appeared for ten years on The Tonight Show as a member of the Tonight Show Band, first led by Skitch Henderson and later by Doc Severinsen, where his unique "mumbling" scat singing led to a hit with "Mumbles". In the 1980s he was a featured soloist performing in front of the band. In November 1980 he was a headliner along with Anita O'Day, Lionel Hampton and Ramsey Lewis during the opening two-week ceremony performances celebrating the short-lived resurgence of the Blue Note Lounge at the Marriott O'Hare Hotel near Chicago. He was introduced to great acclaim by Chicago jazz disc-jockey Dick Buckley.
Terry continued to play with musicians such as trombonist J. J. Johnson and pianist Oscar Peterson, and led a group with valve-trombobist Bob Brookmeyer that achieved some success in the early 1960s. In February 1965 Brookmeyer and Terry appeared on BBC2's Jazz 625. In the 1970s, Terry concentrated increasingly on the flugelhorn, which he plays with a full, ringing tone. In addition to his studio work and teaching at jazz workshops, Terry toured regularly in the 1980s with small groups (including Peterson's) and performed as the leader of his Big B-A-D Band (formed about 1970). After financial difficulties forced him to break up the Big B-A-D Band, he performed with bands such as the Unifour Jazz Ensemble. His humor and command of jazz trumpet styles are apparent in his "dialogues" with himself, on different instruments or on the same instrument, muted and unmuted. He occasionally performed solos on a trumpet or flugelhorn mouthpiece.
From the 1970s through the 1990s, Terry performed at Carnegie Hall, Town Hall, and Lincoln Center, toured with the Newport Jazz All Stars and Jazz at the Philharmonic, and was featured with Skitch Henderson's New York Pops Orchestra. In 1998, Terry recorded George Gershwin's "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" for the Red Hot Organization's compilation album Red Hot + Rhapsody, a tribute to George Gershwin, which raised money for various charities devoted to increasing AIDS awareness and fighting the disease. In 2001, he again recorded for the Red Hot Organization with artist Amel Larrieux for the compilation album Red Hot + Indigo, a tribute to Ellington.
Prompted early in his career by Dr. Billy Taylor, Clark and Milt Hinton bought instruments for and gave instruction to young hopefuls, which planted the seed that became Jazz Mobile in Harlem. This venture tugged at Terry's greatest love: involving youth in the perpetuation of jazz. From 2000 on, he hosted Clark Terry Jazz Festivals on land and sea, held his own jazz camps, and appeared in more than fifty jazz festivals on six continents. Terry composed more than two hundred jazz songs and performed for seven U.S. Presidents.
He also has several recordings with major groups including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Dutch Metropole Orchestra, and the Chicago Jazz Orchestra, hundreds of high school and college ensembles, his own duos, trios, quartets, quintets, sextets, octets, and two big bands: Clark Terry's Big Bad Band and Clark Terry's Young Titans of Jazz. The Clark Terry Archive at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey, contains instruments, tour posters, awards, original copies of over 70 big band arrangements, recordings and other memorabilia.
Terry was a resident of Bayside, Queens, and Corona, Queens, New York, later moving to Haworth, New Jersey, and then Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
A 2014 documentary Keep on Keepin' On follows Clark Terry over four years to document the mentorship between Terry and 23-year-old blind piano prodigy Justin Kauflin as the young man prepares to compete in an elite, international competition.
On February 13, 2015, it was announced that Terry had entered hospice care to manage his advanced diabetes. On February 21, 2015, Clark Terry died surrounded by his family, students and friends.
His wife Gwen wrote: "Our beloved Clark Terry has joined the big band in heaven where he'll be singing and playing with the angels. He left us peacefully, surrounded by his family, students and friends ... Clark will live in our hearts forever."
Writing in The New York Times, Peter Keepnews said Terry "was acclaimed for his impeccable musicianship, loved for his playful spirit and respected for his adaptability. Although his sound on both trumpet and the rounder-toned flugelhorn (which he helped popularize as a jazz instrument) was highly personal and easily identifiable, he managed to fit it snugly into a wide range of musical contexts."
Writing in UK's The Daily Telegraph, Martin Chilton said, "Terry was a music educator and had a deep and lasting influence on the course of jazz. Terry became a mentor to generations of jazz players, including Miles Davis, Wynton Marsalis and composer-arranger Quincy Jones."
Interviewing Terry in 2005, fellow jazz trumpeter Scotty Barnhart said he was "..one of the most incredibly versatile musician to ever live... a jazz trumpet master that played with the greatest names in the history of the music..."
Awards and honors
Over 250 awards, medals and honors, including:
Inducted into the Jazz at Lincoln Center Nesuhi Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame (2013)[14]
The 2010 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, two Grammy certificates, three Grammy nominations
The National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Award (1991)
Sixteen honorary doctorates
Keys to several cities
Jazz Ambassador for U.S. State Department tours in the Middle East and Africa
A knighthood in Germany[citation needed]
Charles E. Lutton Man of Music Award, presented by Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity in (1985). Terry was awarded honorary membership in the Fraternity by the Beta Zeta Chapter at the College of Emporia (1968). He was also made an honorary member of the Iota Phi chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi, National Honorary Band Fraternity (2011).
The French Order of Arts and Letters (2000)
A life-sized wax figure for the Black World History Museum in St. Louis
Inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame (1996)
NARAS Present's Merit Award (2005)
Trumpeter of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association (2005)
As You Desire Me
Clark Terry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let's find a cozy spot
To cuddle and coo
Just us, just we
I've missed an awful lot
My trouble is you
What are your charms for?
What are my arms for?
Use your imagination!
Just you, just me
I'll tie a lover's knot
'Round wonderful you!
In the song "As You Desire Me" by Clark Terry, the lyrics express a longing for intimacy and connection between two people. The opening lines "Just you, just me" are an invitation to get closer and find a "cozy spot" to be together. The singer admits to having missed the person they are addressing and declares that their "trouble" is that person. The lyrics then pose a question, "What are your charms for?" which seems to suggest that the singer is curious about the qualities that make the other person attractive. The following line, "What are my arms for?" suggests that the singer wants to embrace the other person and explore their physical connection. The final lines of the song promise to "tie a lover's knot 'round wonderful you" indicating a desire to commit to a romantic relationship.
The lyrics are expressive and romantic, painting a picture of two people who are deeply drawn to each other. The images of a "cozy spot" and "lovers' knot" evoke a warm and intimate atmosphere. The repetition of "just you, just me" emphasizes the exclusivity of the relationship and the singer's desire to be close to one particular person. The playful tone of the question "What are your charms for?" adds a touch of flirtatiousness to the lyrics, while the promise to tie a knot around the other person highlights a sense of commitment and devotion.
Line by Line Meaning
Just you, just me
Only the two of us are present, there is no need for anyone else.
Let's find a cozy spot
Let's search for a warm and comfortable place to relax and spend time together.
To cuddle and coo
To embrace each other affectionately and express love in a soft and soothing manner.
Just us, just we
Only the two of us matter, and no one else is involved.
I've missed an awful lot
I have missed a great deal in my life, and I want to make up for it now.
My trouble is you
You are the reason for my problems, and also the solution to them.
Oh, gee!
An expression of surprise, bewilderment or exasperation.
What are your charms for?
What is it about you that captivates me and draws me towards you?
What are my arms for?
What is the point of my limbs if they are not around you?
Use your imagination!
It is up to you to come up with creative ways to enhance our relationship and make it more magical.
I'll tie a lover's knot
Loyally dedicating myself to you for a lifetime by creating an unbreakable bond of commitment.
'Round wonderful you!
Around and encasing you, who is marvelous, delightful, and deserving of all my love.
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JEFFREY DAVID STEVENS, MARV GREEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind