Kenny Clarke (born Kenneth Clarke Spearman, later aka, Liaqat Ali Salaam, o… Read Full Bio ↴Kenny Clarke (born Kenneth Clarke Spearman, later aka, Liaqat Ali Salaam, on January 9, 1914 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-died January 26, 1985 in Paris, France) was a jazz drummer and an early innovator of the bebop style of drumming. As the house drummer at Minton's Playhouse in the early 1940's, he participated in the after hours jams that led to the birth of modern jazz. He is credited with creating the modern role of the ride cymbal as the primary timekeeper. Before, drummers kept time on the snare drum ("digging coal", Clarke called it) with heavy support from the bass drum. With Clarke time was played on the cymbal and the bass and snare were used more for punctuation. For this, "every drummer" Ed Thigpen said, "owes him a debt of gratitude." Clarke was nicknamed "Klook" or "Klook-mop" for the style he innovated.

Clarke was a founder member of the Modern Jazz Quartet (as the Milt Jackson Quartet) in 1951 and also participated in many recording sessions as house drummer for Savoy Records. Connie Kay took his place in the MJQ in 1955 and from 1956 Clarke was resident in France where he regularly worked with visiting American musicians in Paris, in particular forming a working trio, known as "The Bosses", with Bud Powell and Pierre Michelot.

Later in 1961, with Belgian pianist Francy Boland he formed a regular big band featuring leading European and ex-patriate American musicians, including among many others, Johnny Griffin and Ronnie Scott on tenor saxes. The big band, which had been the idea of Italian producer Gigi Campi, lasted for eleven years.

The Man I Love
Kenny Clarke Lyrics

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Someday he'll come along
The man I love
And he'll be big and strong
The man I love
And when he comes my way
I'll do my best to make him stay

He'll look at me and smile

I'll understand
Then in a little while
He'll take my hand
And though it seems absurd
I know we both won't say a word

Maybe I shall meet him Sunday
Maybe Monday, maybe not
Still I'm sure to meet him one day
Maybe Tuesday will be my good news day
He'll build a little home
That's meant for two
From which I'll never roam
Who would, would you

And so all else above
I'm dreaming of the man I love

Overall Meaning

In Kenny Clarke's song "The Man I Love," the lyrics describe the singer's longing for the perfect partner. The lyrics begin with the singer expressing a hope that one day, "he'll come along." She envisions this man as "big and strong," and makes a promise to herself that she will do everything in her power to keep him. The singer continues to describe a scene where the man takes her hand and she finds herself "smiling" and understanding "without a word being spoken." This moment is unspoken but significant because of the intimacy it implies.

The next stanza describes the singer's anticipation of finally meeting the man she loves. She imagines the potential for their meeting as happening any day of the week but is sure that it will happen sooner or later. The final stanza describes the hope for a simple life with the man she loves. She imagines building a home meant for two that she will never want to leave. The song describes love as bringing stability and contentment to one’s life.

The Man I LoveKenny Clarke Lyrics

The Man I Love
Kenny Clarke Lyrics