Kenny Clarke (1914-1985) was an American jazz drummer, one of the founders of bebop drumming. He helped shift timekeeping from the bass drum to the ride cymbal, changing the feel of modern jazz rhythm.

In the Pristine catalogue he appears in Miles Davis’s 1949 Paris recordings with Tadd Dameron, James Moody and other musicians.

Clarke’s drumming was crisp, flexible and conversational, full of accents that opened space rather than merely marking time. He made the drum kit speak in a new grammar.

His influence on modern jazz rhythm is enormous. Clarke did not just keep time; he redesigned the clock.