William Clarke – Live IN Germany – Watch Dog Records WD 1007 

With a prolific recording career that saw him self-release a collection, plus release collections on the Good Time Records, Watch Dog Records, Alligator Records, Hittin’ Heavy Records, Rivera Records, Satch Records, Double Trouble Records, and KingAce labels, plus be featured on a Bear Family Records compilation, Clarke’s spirited brand of blues has been well documented. 

During his short life of 45 years, Clarke became a master of both the diatonic and chromatic harmonicas, benefitting from early mentorship into the world of the blues and blues harmonica from a host of legendary blues artists who, like Clarke, called California home (he was born in southcentral Los Angeles in Inglewood) including T-Bone Walker, Pee Wee Crayton, Smokey Wilson, Shakey Jake Harris, Big Mama Thornton, Lowell Fulson, and probably most important of all, George “Harmonica” Smith. 

Certainly, at the forefront of Clarke’s music was the blues, but his brand had a swinging feel all its own.  One could also hear elements of jazz and jump music within his music.  Clarke’s ability to use chording and deliver octave techniques was stunning.  Bending notes with merciless license was another of Clarke’s calling cards.

Clarke sang with confident assurance and swagger, and was a master stage tactician.  He brought great exhilaration to his audiences.  Clarke cut a confident persona on-stage in his trademark dark sunglasses, slicked-back dark hair, bushy goatee, and the characteristic dark suits he wore.  Clarke was a larger man, so the accumulation of all these traits was all the more striking.

Released in 2006, with John “Marx” Markowski on guitar and vocals on one track, leading bass man Willie Brinlee, and Eddie Clark providing the percussion work, Clarke brought his remarkable blues vocal and harmonica talents in spades to this ten-song live set recorded in Germany.

Front-to-back, this collection highly-satisfies, and features three of Clarke’s own superb compositions, but also those of bluesmen whose work he highly respected, including Tampa Red, Charles Brown, Muddy Waters, Walter Horton, Mercy Dee Walton, and Roy Brown. 

Sound quality and mixing on this CD is top-shelf, and the excitement of a live engagement is fully captured.  Clarke’s cannon of a voice delivers passionate readings of the blues he had selected to entertain his audience, and when he started blowing his harmonica, well, it was akin to an auditory explosion.  How Clarke’s dynamic playing didn’t destroy his harmonicas is a mystery.  Clarke’s tone here is so huge as to be unbelievable, but there are no studio tricks; this is Clarke at his finest.

This set mostly swings with west coast swagger, given Clarke’s blues training ground.  Nonetheless, nothing was on auto-pilot here; Clarke was on a mission to move and delight his audience.  And, the crowd’s great enthusiasm for Clarke’s performance is heard loud-and-clear.

Markowski’s guitar ideally frames each of Clarke’s blues but never intrudes.  Brinlee produces a muscular bottom-end, and Clark keeps time and order to the proceedings.

As with so many of brilliant musicians who pass much too early, one is left to consider what could’ve been further down the line for William Clarke.  However, this outstanding live collection exists to offer us his first-rate talents as a reminder of his towering blues presence.

Clarke was a three-time Handy Awards winner, posthumously, for his Alligator Records release The Hard Way. 

Highly-recommended!  Seek this one out!