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Itai Doshin
A Dozen Gems Worth Checking Out: Top twelve choices in a deluge of new jazz releases flooding across my desk
The one-time Bay Area drummer and longtime New York City resident may have first established his rep as a neo-funk drummer with Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters in the early ‘70s (his innovative inside-out beats on “Actual Proof” from 1974’s Thrust added a new chapter in the book on funk drumming), but his playing has been strictly in a post-bop/hard bop vein in recent years (aside from recent forays on the Headhunters 50th Anniversary tour). On his 13th as a leader, Clark is joined by a seasoned, swinging crew of trumpeter Eddie Henderson, tenor saxophonist Craig Handy, pianist Patrice Rushen and bassist Henry Franklin on uptempo swingers like Henderson’s “Mganga” and two takes on Thelonious Monk’s “Epistrophy.” The leader’s shuffle blues, “Yakini’s Dance,” speaks of his early history on the Texas roadhouse blues scene while his highly syncopated, linear funk approach on an open-ended rendition of Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff” may recall some of his innovative beats with the Headhunters. A pleasant surprise here is their relaxed balladic take on Ray Noble’s “Cherokee,” a tune usually called at jam sessions and taken at super-charged tempos.
At 79, Mike Clark Finds Unity and Groove in Itai Doshin.
At an age when most musicians might be content to rest on legacy, drummer Mike Clark keeps the groove alive. His new album, Itai Doshin, embraces classic bebop form with unshakable confidence and clarity. The title, a Japanese phrase meaning “many bodies, one mind”, refers to a state of shared unity. In Buddhist thought, it describes spiritual harmony; in jazz, Clark says, it’s what happens when a band locks into the same pocket.
On this recording, Clark and his ensemble inhabit that state completely. The playing is tight but unforced, the solos spirited but never showy. The chemistry feels earned, the kind that comes only from decades of shared history onstage and in studios.
Itai Doshin doesn’t try to reinvent jazz. Instead, it refines it. The record’s strength lies in its assurance, in how naturally it delivers the language of straight-ahead swing without self-consciousness. Listening feels like sitting in a small club, surrounded by musicians who know exactly what they’re doing and why.
That sense of comfort is by design. “Itai Doshin honestly reflects where I am as a jazz artist today,” Clark says. “The musicians I chose for that session, along with Towner Galaher’s arrangements, brought my vision to life. I’ve played jazz with Eddie Henderson almost my entire life. I first recorded with Patrice early in my career at Hyde Street Studios, the same place we returned to for this album.”
Clark’s résumé reads like a who’s who of postwar jazz. Nearly fifty years after his work with Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters redefined funk fusion, he remains a sought-after collaborator. Over the years, he’s played with Tony Bennett, Chet Baker, Eddie Henderson, Dave Liebman, Babatunde Olatunji, Julius Hemphill, Andrew Hill, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and Christian McBride, among many others. His first solo record, Give the Drummer Some (1989), announced him as a leader of uncommon drive and imagination. He’s since released nearly twenty albums under his own name, earning consistent critical praise.
If Itai Doshin feels timeless, it’s because of the experience behind it. Clark plays with delicacy and poetry, guiding the band through arrangements that leave space for interplay and surprise. His drumming, crisp, conversational, and quietly daring, becomes the album’s narrative voice. The other players respond with equal grace, turning even familiar forms into small moments of discovery.
This isn’t a record of reinvention, but of reaffirmation, a reminder of how much can still be said within the classic jazz vocabulary. For listeners, Itai Doshin offers a kind of homecoming. Whether your taste runs toward intricate bebop or the purer strains of swing, there’s comfort and vitality here.
At 79, Mike Clark remains exactly what he’s always been: a drummer who listens as deeply as he plays, a musician for whom unity, many bodies, one mind, is both the method and the message.
Thierry De Clemensat
Member at Jazz Journalists Association
USA correspondent for Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief – Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
Itai Doshin is proof that you can’t judge a CD by its cover. With three of the five musicians — the leader and drummer Mike Clark, trumpeter Eddie Henderson and saxophonist Craig Handy are associated with Herbie Hancock’s fusion bands, and pianist PatrIce Rushen also known for her R&B performances , you might expect a funk-filled, rhythm-driven, riff-laden session. Not the case. Itai Doshin delivers straight-ahead jazz powered by the Clark’s drumming, Henry Franklin’s powerful bass lines and the crisp and explosive solos of Henderson, Handy and Rushen. Seven tunes are bookended by what has become the unofficial theme song for Clark — Thelonious Monk’s “Epistrophy.” Clark powers the band through the opening version as the band uses the tune as a springboard for their solos, whereas the solos on the closing version capture the humor and angularity of Monk with Clark punctuating the playful tune with appropriate Monkish hits. From the explosive energy of their opening take of “Epistrophy,” the band transforms the typically upbeat “Cherokee” into a tender ballad thanks to the lyrical soloing of Henderson and Franklin. Henderson shows his compositional and playing prowess on “Mganga,” an upbeat post hardbop piece with precise and powerful solos from all. Clark’s rhythmic flexibility is showcased on the “made-for-drummer” tune, “Inside Zone.” Franklin and Clark set the foundation for “Yakini’s Dance,” a swinging twelve-bar blues on which Henderson and Rushen demonstrate their skill at building chorus-after-chorus of variations on a theme. A session like Itai Doshin would not be complete without a hint of the bossa nova, and Franklin’s “Midori” fits the bill with expressive solos from Henderson and Rushen. The remaining two tunes on the session — “I Shot the Sheriff,” with its funky beat and use of the Fender Rhodes, and “Savant Clark,” a freer piece that opens with a 90-second drum solo, seem out of place on this straight-forward session. Despite those two tracks, Itai Doshin (which is Japanese for “many in body, one in mind”) is a much-needed and appreciated addition to the versatile discographies of Clark, Henderson, Handy, Rushen and Franklin.
BOTTOM LINE: Drummer Mike Clark assembled some old friends for Itai Doshin. Except for two tunes, it is a straight-ahead session of post hard bop compositions, including two variations on Thelonious Monk’s “Epistrophy” and a ballad version of “Cherokee,” delivered by players who have honed their craft over the years — bassist Henry Franklin, pianist Patrice Rushen, trumpeter Eddie Henderson and saxophonist Craig Handy.
Itai Doshin follows Clark’s Kosen Rufu, another meeting with Henderson and Franklin, in that case, joined by Headhunters’ percussionist Bill Summers, saxophonist Skerik, and keyboardist Wayne Horvitz. Equally as expansive as its predecessor, even when visiting standards like Monk’s “Epistrophy,” a tune that bookends the record and has become Clark’s theme song of sorts. On the opening version, Handy and Henderson launch swinging solos, and Rushen, known primarily for her work on Rhodes, plays a jubilant acoustic piano. In the closer, Clark plays the melody on his kit, while the poised ensemble then enters like a racehorse ready to burst free. In between both “Epistrophy”s lies “Cherokee.” The piece, often played at breakneck tempos, is reimagined as a ballad with soft, expressive trumpet tones from Henderson and a lyrical masterclass from bassist Franklin. These artful arrangements are by drummer Towner Galaher. Galaher also brought in his version of Bob Marley and The Wailers’ “I Shot the Sheriff.” This particular piece was initially to Clark’s consternation but the ensemble, especially Rushen, with her exemplary Rhodes work, bathed the tune in layers of funky grease.
Although Clark will forever be associated with the Headhunters, a group he continues to co-lead decades later, his resume outside the band is fruitful with several trio albums with Leon Lee Dorsey, ensembles with saxophonist Mike Zilber, and several others. On Itai Doshin the drummer’s extensive vocabulary and versatility are concentrated to provide one fine effort.
Mike Clark’s Itai Doshin showcases the drummer’s continued evolution as both a bandleader and creative force, bringing together a powerhouse lineup for music that is as deep in groove as it is in substance. With Eddie Henderson on trumpet, Craig Handy on tenor saxophone, Patrice Rushen on piano and Rhodes, and Henry “The Skipper” Franklin on bass, the ensemble draws on decades of collective experience to create a sound that effortlessly merges hard bop, funk, and other genres. The interplay between the group is sharp and engaging, with Clark’s drumming at the center, propelling and shaping the direction without overshadowing the voices around him. The result is a recording that speaks to unity and vitality, qualities that the Buddhist term in the title embodies.
Fast forward to October 3, 2025 – Mike’s new Wide Hive Records CD will hit. – Itai Doshin (Itai Doshin is a Japanese Buddhist concept meaning “many in body, one in mind”, emphasizing unity and a shared purpose among individuals despite their differences.)
“Mike Clark refuses to conform to anyone’s expectations on ‘Itai Doshin’. The album is a searing set of mostly straight-a-head jazz that keeps listeners guessing even as it never waivers from Clark’s solid, unerring sense of swing.”
“Itai Doshin accurately and honestly captures where I am as a jazz artist at this point,” – Mike Clark
It features Eddie Henderson, Craig Handy, Patrice Rushen, Henry Franklin, with Mike Clark on drums. Wide Hive is a cool new record label out of Oakland, California. Like fine wine, Mike Clark keeps improving with age. He turns 79 on October 3rd – The day ‘Itai Doshin’ is released.
As ever, drummer Mike Clark refuses to conform to anyone’s expectations on Itai Doshin, set for release October 3, 2025—the leader’s 79th birthday—via Wide Hive Records. The celebrated Californian’s second Wide Hive album is a searing set of (mostly) straight-ahead jazz that keeps listeners guessing, even as it never wavers from Clark’s solid, unerring sense of swing.
Joining Clark for the festivities is a true all-star quintet: trumpeter and NEA Jazz Master Eddie Henderson, tenor saxophonist Craig Handy, pianist Patrice Rushen, and bassist Henry “The Skipper” Franklin.
The album’s title, Itai Doshin, comes from Japanese and translates to “many in body, one in mind.” Rooted in Nichiren Buddhism, it describes a state in which people unite in both spirit and purpose. Jazz musicians might call it being “in the pocket.” On this album, Clark and company embody that concept fully—finding a shared groove and passing it seamlessly among one another in improvisations.
“Itai Doshin accurately and honestly captures where I am as a jazz artist at this point,” Clark explains. “The artists I have chosen to play on this date, along with the arrangements of Towner Galaher, brought my musical vision to life. … As a Buddhist bandleader, I can say that this band delivers Actual Proof!”
Produced by Wide Hive’s Gregory Howe, arranged by drummer Towner Galaher, and framed by two hard-driving versions of Thelonious Monk’s “Epistrophy” (Clark’s unofficial theme song), the album thrives on variety and surprise.