John Clark

Who is John Clark?

John Clark is the leader of the Wolverine Jazz Band and also plays clarinet.

Clark was born and raised in Natick, Massachusetts. He began playing professionally in the Boston area as a substitute with various Dixieland and big bands, including the Dixieland Strutters, the Legacy Jazz Band, Commonwealth Jazz, the New Black Eagle Jazz Band and the Paramount Jazz Band of Boston, with which he toured England and Wales in June, 1995.

Clark regularly appears with Lucinda Ellert's Happy Feet Dance Orchestra, Dave Whitney and His Orchestra and Robin Verdier's Monte Carlo Jazz Band. He performs with the Mood Elevators and can be heard on their CDs as well. He has also played and recorded with Ross Tucker's Hot Cat Jazz Band of Connecticut and with the Back Bay Ramblers, appearing at numeous Jazz festivals in Canada and the U.S. with each.

Clark received his music degrees from Connecticut College (B.A., class of 90), the University of Maryland and Brandeis University.

He has been a Visiting Assistant Professor at Connecticut College since 2004 working with the jazz band and teaching American Music, the History of Jazz and the History of Western Music, a freshman seminar dealing with jazz on film as well as various music theory and Introduction to Music courses.

An American music historian, he focuses on issues of jazz performance and is currently a CD reviewer for the International Association of Jazz Record Collectors Journal as well as having published articles in American Music, Musicians and Composers of The 20th Century and The Encyclopedia of African-American Music.

He has also given several papers at the New England chapter meetings of the American Musicological Society and currently serves as chairman of the Hall of Fame Commitee for the New England Jazz Alliance, preparing the nominations and election process.

Clark has also been active as a musician in the Boston area - primarily with his own Wolverine Jazz Band and also as a substitute with various groups, including the New Black Eagle Jazz Band and the Paramount Jazz Band of Boston, with which he toured England and Wales in June, 1995. Clark also regularly appears with Henry Francis and the Swing Legacy, Dave Whitney and His Orchestra and Robin Verdier´s Monte Carlo Jazz Band. He has also played and recorded with Ross Tucker´s Hot Cat Jazz Band of Connecticut and with the Back Bay Ramblers, appearing at numeous Jazz festivals in Canada and the U.S. with each as well as with his own group.