Pete Clarke, whose last name often appears with the final "e" lopped off, had the makings of a good horn section within his own family. Brothers Dick Clark and Arthur "Babe" Clark played trumpet and saxophones, respectively, all of the brothers busy on the Alabama music scene from the mid-'20s onward. The subject of this biography first hit the road in 1927 with Montgomery's Collegiate Ramblers, and several years later was part of the demanding
Wayman Carver's Ramblers. In the following decade he would become associated with big-name leaders in the big-band world, beginning with
Chick Webb from 1930 through 1936, and followed in short order by jobs with
Duke Ellington and
Teddy Wilson, with a two-year stint in a
Louis Armstrong combo sandwiched in between. That series of engagements alone guaranteed that
Clarke's discography would be beyond carrying in one trip, at least for a weakling.
He then went on to gig with the great singer
Ella Fitzgerald as well as proving himself fully capable of dealing with the sophisticated arrangements of
Benny Carter in 1941. Following the second World War he was in action with loud brassman
Rex Stewart and went on a European tour with
Don Redman in the fall of that year. During the '50s and '60s, the easiest place to catch this player was at the Harlem club Small's, where he plied his trade with consistency in the company of like-minded veterans. Perhaps the '60s was the decade in which he displayed the most versatility, covering his swinging roots as a clarinetist in
Danny Barker's Band one night while honking at the Apollo crowd the next on his baritone. He performed with soul artists such as
Reuben Phillips and was also part of the Jimmy Jones Orchestra. In his final years, he was part of the gang holding forth at Jimmy Ryan's. ~ Eugene Chadbourne