He then moved permanently to Paris, where he performed and recorded with European and visiting American musicians and co-led the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band between 1961 and 1972.

He doubled on drums and the vibraphone in a trio with his half-brother Frank, a bassist and guitarist who had recently moved to New York and likewise changed his surname from Spearman to Clarke to profit from Kenny's newfound fame.

In 1936, Clarke played alongside guitarist Freddie Green in a group fronted by tenor saxophonist Lonnie Simmons, where he began to experiment with rhythmic patterns against the basic beat of the band.

When he returned to the US with the band, he struck up a personal and musical friendship with trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie who had been hired for the group's one-week stint at the Apollo Theater in New York.

[3][5][8][9] In his book Drummin' Men: The Heartbeat of Jazz, music critic Burt Korall writes of this time period: "Clarke was moving beyond mere functional timekeeping.

"[8] He was encouraged in these endeavors by composer/arranger Joe Garland, who gave him the band's trumpet parts, and suggested that he play along with the brass when he felt it necessary to emphasize or support their lines.

[8] He then spent eight months playing drums and the vibraphone in Claude Hopkins's group, before Gillespie gave Clarke an opening to join him in the Teddy Hill band in the Savoy Ballroom in 1939.

[3][10] At the 1939 New York World's Fair, Clarke played opposite a band led by fellow drummer Chick Webb, who strongly influenced him and encouraged his rhythmic explorations.

[8][10] He was briefly fired from Hill's band due to unrest in the trombone section about his unorthodox time-keeping methods, but later returned and stayed with the group until it disbanded in 1940.

The house band consisted of trumpeter Joe Guy, pianist Thelonious Monk, bassist Nick Fenton, and Clarke on drums.

Regulars at the club included Gillespie and guitarist Charlie Christian, and bandleaders such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Benny Goodman listened to or participated in the sessions.

[3][8] In his entry on Clarke in American National Biography, Barry Kernfeld wrote: "The sessions became famous for demonstrations of virtuosity—unexpected harmonies, fast tempos, unusual keys—that discouraged those whose style did not fit in well.

Charming rudimental touches – well-executed ruffs, triplets, short rolls on a tightly tuned snare – added dimension as he danced within or around the time.

[16] Korall described these recordings as "his best work of the 1950s – perhaps of his entire career", writing: "Clarke follows feelings, lives inside the pulse, defining the contours, dynamics, and implications of each solo and each piece.

[3][17] During this period he was the resident drummer and a talent scout for Savoy Records, introducing the label to artists such as saxophonists Cannonball Adderley and Pepper Adams, and trumpeter Donald Byrd.

[8] In September 1956, Clarke moved to Paris where he initially worked with Jacques Hélian's orchestra, before holding engagements at the Club Saint-Germain and the Blue Note.

[8][10] Clarke also formed a trio, known as "The Three Bosses", with pianist Bud Powell, another Paris resident, and bassist Pierre Michelot, who also performed on the Davis soundtrack.

[3][8] Korall said of his contribution to the band: "Playing softer than most drummers in a large ensemble, feeding the surge, doing the work of the great accompanist he always had been, Clarke consistently proved flash is totally irrelevant.

[21] Kenny Clarke / Francy Boland Big Band (1962–1971) With Nat Adderley With Gene Ammons With Elek Bacsik With Eddie Bert With Ray Bryant With Kenny Burrell With Donald Byrd With Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Johnny Griffin With Miles Davis With Art Farmer With Frank Foster With Dizzy Gillespie With Dexter Gordon With Johnny Griffin With Urbie Green With Hampton Hawes With Noah Howard With Milt Jackson With J. J. Johnson and Kai Winding With Hank Jones With Lee Konitz With John Lewis With Carmen McRae With Charles Mingus With the Modern Jazz Quartet With Thelonious Monk With Jean-Christian Michel With Mark Murphy With Phineas Newborn Jr. With Sahib Shihab With Zoot Sims With Idrees Sulieman With Cal Tjader With Julius Watkins With Frank Wess With Joe Wilder With Ernie Wilkins