Verified Global Musician

Terry Clarke

Terry Clarke is a drummer, bandleader, studio musician, and educator whose career connects Canadian jazz with John Handy, Jim Hall, and major ensembles.

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Photo source · Photo: ataelw, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Career Overview

About Terry Clarke

Blue Music Group and the Canadian Jazz Archive trace Clarke from Vancouver study with Jim Blackley to John Handy’s band in San Francisco and a move to Toronto in 1970. They document a career spanning jazz groups, touring, studio sessions, television, and teaching.[1][2]

Clarke’s recorded history includes John Handy’s Monterey group, extended work with Jim Hall, Oscar Peterson’s quartet, many Toronto ensembles, and his own album It’s About Time. The leader session brings Joe Lovano, Jim Hall, Greg Osby, Don Thompson, Phil Dwyer, and other collaborators into one program.[1][2][3]

Ensembles and Career Threads

Bands & Projects

Drummer

John Handy group

1965–1967

Clarke’s biography documents two and a half years with Handy, including the band’s Monterey Jazz Festival recording.[1][2]

Drummer

Jim Hall and Oscar Peterson groups

The Canadian archive records major touring and recording periods with both Hall and Peterson alongside Clarke’s Toronto work.[2]

Leader and drummer

Terry Clarke leader music

It’s About Time collects Clarke’s own bandleading with multiple small-group configurations and guest soloists.[1][3]

Selected, Not Exhaustive

Recordings to Know

1966 · Columbia Records

Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival

Drummer with John Handy

The festival recording preserves Clarke during his formative two-and-a-half-year tenure in Handy’s group.[1][2]

Release details

Live!

Drummer with Jim Hall

The Jim Hall recording documents Clarke’s responsive small-group work during a major international collaboration.[2]

Release details

2009

It’s About Time

Leader and drummer

Clarke’s leader album assembles several generations of collaborators across changing small-group lineups.[1][3]

Release details

Live Calendar

Upcoming Jazz DateBook Shows

Sat, Sep 19, 5:00 PM

The Tim Hamel Quartet’s “All-Request Power Hour”

Jazz Bistro · Toronto

Show details

Wed, Sep 23, 8:00 PM

Pat LaBarbera /Kirk MacDonald Quintet Celebrating John Coltrane at 100

The Rex · Toronto

Show details

Thu, Sep 24, 8:00 PM

Pat LaBarbera /Kirk MacDonald Quintet Celebrating John Coltrane at 100

The Rex · Toronto

Show details

Fri, Sep 25, 8:00 PM

Pat LaBarbera /Kirk MacDonald Quintet Celebrating John Coltrane at 100

The Rex · Toronto

Show details

Sat, Sep 26, 5:00 PM

The Tim Hamel Quartet’s “All-Request Power Hour”

Jazz Bistro · Toronto

Show details

Sat, Sep 26, 8:00 PM

Pat LaBarbera /Kirk MacDonald Quintet Celebrating John Coltrane at 100

The Rex · Toronto

Show details

Sat, Oct 3, 5:00 PM

The Tim Hamel Quartet’s “All-Request Power Hour”

Jazz Bistro · Toronto

Show details

Sat, Oct 10, 5:00 PM

The Tim Hamel Quartet’s “All-Request Power Hour”

Jazz Bistro · Toronto

Show details

Sat, Oct 17, 5:00 PM

The Tim Hamel Quartet’s “All-Request Power Hour”

Jazz Bistro · Toronto

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. [1] Management biography and leader-album guide

    Blue Music Group

  2. [2] Institutional biography and recording history

    Canadian Jazz Archive

  3. [3] It’s About Time stream and personnel

    Blue Music Group