Spencer Clark (musician)

Spencer Clark
Birth name	Spencer W. Clark
Born	March 15 1908
Died	May 27 1998 (aged 91)
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician, vocalist
Instrument	Bass saxophone
Years active	1923-late 1970s

Spencer W. Clark (March 15, 1908 – May 27, 1998) was an American

, as well as an occasional vocalist.

His first professional experience was on saxophone in a New Rochelle, New York ensemble in 1923. In 1925-26 he subbed for Adrian Rollini in the California Ramblers on record and in movie palaces. He also played with Joe Tenner and George Carhart in the middle of the decade. He accompanied Carhart on an ocean liner gig in an orchestra which included Bud Freeman and Babe Russin.

While in Europe, he played with Danny Polo, Julian Fuhs, French bandleader Ray Ventura and Lud Gluskin. His many recordings with both Ventura and Gluskin in 1929-'30 established Clark as a highly original soloist on his neglected instrument.

Clark returned to

, a vocal octet that was soon reduced to a quartet.

After the 1930s music became a secondary profession for Clark, who worked for a newspaper, in the airline industry, and as a land purchasing consultant for Highland Park, Illinois. He played with Freddie Wacker's Windy City Seven from 1954, and recorded with them in 1957. Clark continued to perform into the 1970s, when he played Adrian Rollini's role in a re-creation album of Joe Venuti's Blue Four. He retired later in the 1970s to North Carolina; he continued to play there locally in a trio with his wife, Mary Clark.

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