Alexander Claffy’s “Rip Force” feat. Nicole Glover and Mike Clark

Seatings times: 7:00PM & 8:30PM

Black Cat JAZZ@theEDGE!! Presents:

Alexander Claffy’s “Rip Force” feat. Nicole Glover and Mike Clark

Alexander Claffy- Double Bass

Nicole Glover- Tenor Saxophone

Mike Clark- Drums & Cymbals

Javier Santiago- Piano

From birth, Alexander Claffy was raised in a musical household (his father is a pianist, his mother, a vocalist), and had many of his earliest lessons on bandstands in the heart of Philadelphia. As a teenager, Claffy was fortunate enough to find a mentor in many Philly natives, and has continued his study of the double bass with some of the world’s finest musicians, including Ron Carter, Dwayne Burno and Orin O’Brien. Since moving to New York City in 2011, he has had the honor of working with many of his living heroes, including Jimmy Cobb, Louis Hayes, Harold Mabern, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Christian Scott, Joey Alexander, Wallace Roney and many more.  In the past 3 years he has recorded for the Verve, HighNote, Positone, RopeADope and LaReserve record labels.

Nicole Glover is a saxophonist, bandleader, composer, and educator currently based in New York City. Growing up in Oregon, she was introduced to the music through her father’s record collection, and studied in programs dedicated to learning jazz music and priming students for touring and performing, such as the award winning American Music Program and Next Generation Jazz Orchestra. She moved to the East Coast to attend William Paterson University, where she studied with Mulgrew Miller, Harold Mabern, and Rich Perry, and assumed permanent residence in NYC in 2015. She established herself as a rising saxophonist and indemand sideperson, performing throughout North and South America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, and working with esteemed artists such as with Christian McBride, Al Foster, Victor Lewis, George Cables, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Billy Hart, Esperanza Spalding, Renee Rosnes, Kenny Washington, Reggie Workman, Gene Perla, George Colligan, Ben Wolfe, Ulysses Owens, Mike Clark, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Joe Farnsworth, Allison Miller, Joel Ross, Geoffrey Keezer, David Weiss, Luis Perdomo, Aaron Diehl, Jason Brown, Rodney Green, and Bill Goodwin. Additionally, she joined Latin Grammy winning artist Buika for her 2019 world tour, and was invited to join Blue Note supergroup ARTEMIS beginning in 2020.

Mike Clark gained worldwide recognition as one of America’s foremost jazz and funk drummers while playing with Herbie Hancock in the early seventies. His incisive playing on Hancock’s “Actual Proof” garnered him an international cult following and influenced generations of drummers. While Mike digs the funk, he consider jazz his first love, and playing that music is what he says feeds his soul.

Besides Herbie Hancock, Mike has performed and recorded with such well-known jazz greats as Christian McBride, Chet Baker, John Scofield, Nicholas Payton, Tony Bennett, Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, Donald Harrison, Eddie Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Vince Guaraldi, Woody Shaw, Albert King, Larry Coryell, Mike Wolff, Wallace Roney, Billy Childs, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Chris Potter, Bobby McFerrin, Nat Adderly, Oscar Brown Jr., and Gil Evans and his Orchestra.