Clark Terry

"He's the greatest!" beamed a 12-year-old youngster referring to jazz legend Clark Terry. The great trumpeter had just helped the young drummer discover how to "kick" a big band into the final chorus of "Take the 'A' Train".

Clark, though best known as a headliner at the world's premier jazz events as well as a TV personality featured on such national programs as Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show", is one of jazzdom's finest educators.

As a director of the "Clark Terry International Institute of Jazz Studies" at Teikyo Westmar University, a director of "Clark Terry's 'Big Bad' Summer Jazz Camp", an advisor to the International Association of Jazz Educators and a much sought-after clinician, Clark Terry is often referred to as "America's #1 Jazz Educator". He is also the noted author of Let's Talk Trumpet: From Leait to Jazz. Interpretation of the Jazz Language and Clark Terry's System of Circular Breathing for Woodwind and Brass Instruments.

Clark, one of contemporary music's great innovators, is also justly celebrated for his great technical virtuosity, swinging Lyricism and impeccable good taste. Combining these with the gifts of a great dramatist, Clark Terry is a master storyteller whose spellbinding musical "tales" leave audiences thrilled and always wanting more!

Clark's musical credits, though well known, deserve review. In the 1940's, after serving in the Navy, Clark's musical star rose rapidly with successful stints in the bands of Charlie Barnet, Charlie Ventura, Eddie Vinson and then, in 1948, the great Count Basie. Along the way, Clark, in addition to his outstanding musical contributions to these bands, was exerting a positive influence on younger musicians such as Miles Davis and Quincy Jones, both of whom credit Clark as a formidable influence during the early stages of their careers.

In 1951, Clark was asked to join Duke Ellington's orchestra, where he stayed for eight years as a featured soloist. "The time with Ellington was like college!", Clark recalls warmly. With Ellington, Clark's star burned bright on tour and on record.

Now an international star, Clark was courted by the National Broadcasting Company in New York to join its musical staff. Accepting the challenge of becoming the first Black musician on,the NBC payroll, Clark soon became a television star as one of the spotlighted players in the "Tonight Show" band. It was during this period that Clark scored a smash hit as a singer with his irrepressible "Mumbles".

When the Tonight Show" moved west to Los Angeles, Clark made the decision to remain in New York to pursue a busy schedule as a studio musician and as a jazz star in demand not only in the United States but throughout the world.

Clark's considerable accomplishments as a jazz innovator and educator of the highest rank have earned an impressive array of honors for the multitalented musician. The University of New Hampshire, Berklee College of Music, and Teikyo Westmar University have bestowed Honorary Doctorates on Clark, while Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the national music fraternity, made him the first jazz artist to be honored with its highest award for distinguished service to music. The U.S. State Department selected Clark (and his band) for tours to the Middle East and Africa as American Ambassadors of Goodwill. Clark was also inducted into Kansas City's Jazz Hall of Fame; the formal presentation was made by Johnny Carson on national television during a broadcast of the "Tonight Show".

Along with the honors, recordings and sellout appearances at festivals and concerts, Clark has focused increased attention on his activities as a jazz educator. His dedication to the task of passing the torch of musical improvisation onto the next generation is second to none. Indeed, his great rapport with students is summed up not only in great music but in great smiles as the master, and his students share in creating jazz--the sound of surprise!

- Chuck Berg

University of New Hampshire - Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters,'78

Berklee College of Music - Honorary Doctorate of Music,'88

Teikyo Westmar University - Honorary Doctorate of Musical Arts, '93

National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences - Three GRAMMY Nominations, '64, '65, '78

National Endowment for the Arts - American Jazz Master Award, '90

United States State Department - American Ambassador of Goodwill

Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame - Honorary Member, '90

International Assoc. of Jazz Educators - Hall of Fame, '84

New Jersey Jazz Society - Jazz Hall of Fame, '90

International Jazz Hall of Fame - William J.(Count) Basie Award, '85

Tri-C Jazzfest - Hall of Fame, '89

Lionel Hampton / Chevron Jazz Festival - Lionel Hampton Hall of Fame,'93

The 52nd Street Americana Festival - Duke Ellington Memorial Award,'92

Charlin Jazz Society - "The Satchmo" Award, '91

Search for Truth. Inc. - Thelonius Monk Memorial Award, '82

The Greater Gary American Jazz Assoc. - The Louis Armstrong Award, '90

International Art of Jazz. Inc. - Honorary Chairman

Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz - Founder's Award, '91

Voice of America - Appreciation Award, '92

The Count Basie Jazz Society - Recognition Award, '86

New School for Social Research - Beacons in Jazz Award, '91

BMI - Jazz All-Star Award, '90

Southwest Missouri State University - Honorary Band Director, '90

Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia - American Man of Music Award, '85

American Federation of Musicians - Arts and Music Award

Kappa Kappa Psi (band fraternity) - Honorary Member, '72

Spirit of St. Louis Drum & Bugle Corps - Recognition Award, '87

Naval Training Center - Recognition Award, '89

"My favorite trumpeter" -Louis Armstrong

"He became my idol on the instrument. Clark Terry was the one who really opened up the St. Louis jazz scene for me, taking me with him when he would go sit in. I learned a lot from listening to him play the trumpet." -Miles Davis

"The greatest trumpet player in the world" -Charlie Barnet

"Pitying like I play, you have to have perfect time because you have to let the air out at exactly the right time. I don't just pick up my horn and spit out notes. Clark Terry can do that. He can take two horns and spit out notes into each one on a different beat. I can't. I'd never be able to do that because my chops have to get set." -Dizzy Gillespie

"Although I don't think he has had the recognition he deserves, there is one area I know where he is very much appreciated. He is a busy man, but he always finds time to help the college bands around the country, and I am sure many a youngster has been inspired by him both as a man and as a musician." -Duke Ellington

"One of the best jazz clinicians out there" -Louis Bellson

"He was my teacher, although teaching is a funny word, because part of the-teaching process is sitting there every show and watching Clark play. I used to bug him to death when he'd try to relax and party -- I was always just trying to get him to talk about the trumpet, talk about music, talk about the East Coast, talk about how you play and stuff; I was a stone CB." -Quincy Jones

"He's a true jazz artist and also one of the best teachers I've ever seen. He knows how to work with young people, and he's very unselfish about sharing what he knows. It's a learning experience for me whenever I'm around him." -Milt Hinton

"Clark Terry is one of those singular players who combines extraordinary musicianship with a charming stage presence. The consequent pleasure principle at one of Terry's performances is considerable, full of distinctive trumpet and fluegelhorn phrasing plus the gentle good humor with which he bubbles." NEW YORK NEWSDAY - Stuart Troupe

"A multiple influence playing trumpet, fluegelhorn (with its fuller, richer sound), singing (often to comedic effect) and teaching at colleges, Terry like Gillespie has blended musical and entertainment values...His impact has been fortified by innumerable recordings as leader and with Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Bob Brookmeyer, et al." LOS ANGELES TIMES ("Top 12 All-Star Trumpeters of All Time") Leonard Feather

"Everything he played exuded characteristic elegance, from the purity of his tone and the accuracy of his pitch to the stylishness of his phrasing and the gentle humor that graces much of his work...The fleetness of Terry's technique, the unpredictability and rhythmic volatility of his improvisations, even the puckishness of his between-song banter epitomized the youthfulness of Terry's approach to music and to life." CHICAGO TRIBUNE (Concert Review) - Howard Relch

"This jazz man for all seasons is the master of the rippling trumpet and fluegelhorn. Terry's sense of showmanship and his strong chops and crisp notes have made him a master improviser and musical humorist." JAZZTIMES (Cover Story) - Ken Franckilng

"Clark Terry has been a giant of Jazz for decades. His tone is recognizable after two notes, and he remains both a flexible virtuoso and a highly accessible educator, always willing to share what he has learned during his more than fifty years in music. On the fluegelhorn he has long had the happiest sound in Jazz, and his mumbles vocals add a humorous touch." CALIFORNIA JAZZ NOW (Cover Story) - Scott Yanow