Clarence Bekker

Clarence Bekker is a Surinamese-Dutch vocalist and bandleader whose career runs from CB Milton and Playing for Change to a Barcelona soul band.

VocalsSongwritingBandleader10 current shows

Photo source · Photo: Ben Houdijk; attribution required, via Wikimedia Commons

Career Overview

About Clarence Bekker

Playing for Change traces Bekker from Suriname to Amsterdam, early singing with Swinging Soul Machine, and three 1990s albums under the name CB Milton. Its biography then connects his Barcelona years to the global Playing for Change project, including the widely circulated Stand by Me and Don't Worry performances.[1]

Bekker's official site presents the Clarence Bekker Band as a separate soul ensemble and links its video and listening accounts. Jazz Activist documents the band's five-year Jamboree residency and 2023 live recording, while Playing for Change's Old Soul page preserves Bekker's 2012 solo album and its vintage-soul repertoire.[2][4][3]

Ensembles and Career Threads

Bands & Projects

Vocalist and recording artist

CB Milton

Playing for Change identifies CB Milton as Bekker's 1990s dance-music identity and records a three-album run under that name.[1]

Featured vocalist and touring member

Playing for Change Band

Bekker's artist profile recounts his discovery during the Barcelona filming of Don't Worry and Stand by Me and his subsequent international touring with the project.[1]

Leader and vocalist

Clarence Bekker Band

The official site and live-album notes document Bekker's Barcelona band, its Jamboree residency, original songs, and soul repertoire.[2][4]

Selected, Not Exhaustive

Recordings to Know

2012 · Playing for Change / Concord Music Group

Old Soul

Leader and vocalist

The authorized album page streams Bekker's eleven-track solo set and documents its Santa Monica soul-session production.[3]

Release details

2020

Changes

Clarence Bekker Band leader and vocalist

The band's canonical streaming catalog identifies Changes as its 2020 studio album.[2][5]

Release details

2024 · Jazz Activist

Live at Jamboree Barcelona

Clarence Bekker Band leader and vocalist

The label page documents the full Barcelona band and the live recording made at Jamboree on June 29, 2023.[4]

Release details

Artist-Authorized Destinations

Start Listening

Old Soul

Stream Bekker's complete 2012 solo album through Playing for Change's authorized listening page.

Official Clarence Bekker Band videos

Watch the Barcelona band's live performances and Playing for Change appearances on Bekker's artist site.

Jamboree · Barcelona

Show details

Sources

Career copy is original synthesis from the artist, label, and project sources below. Current dates come from Jazz DateBook event inventory.

[1] Artist biography, CB Milton identity, and global project history
Playing for Change
[2] Official band, video, album, and account guide
Clarence Bekker Band
[3] Old Soul biography, audio, and track list
Playing for Change
[4] Live at Jamboree release and personnel
Jazz Activist
[5] Clarence Bekker Band streaming catalog
Apple Music