[1] Born in Enfield, Clarvis was the late Leonard Bernstein's preferred percussionist in London[2] and featured as a soloist on the last night of the Proms in 1996 in a concerto for saxophone and drum kit by Sir Harrison Birtwhistle.

In 1998 he was chairman of the Percussion judges for the BBC Young Musician of the Year and together with Sonia Slany he started Villagelife Records.

Clarvis has worked with a number of notable musicians: Mick Jagger, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Steve Swallow, Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Sir John Dankworth to Sir Paul McCartney, John Taylor and Moondog, Gordon Beck, Bryan Ferry and Elton John.

He has recorded with Marc Ribot, Sam Rivers, Richard Thompson, The Orb, John Adams, Michael Nyman, Loreena McKennitt, Mark Anthony Turnage and Michel Legrand as well as his own band Orquestra Mahatma.

He regularly holds gigs with Mose Allison and has also played with Nina Simone, Herbie Hancock and Ravi Shankar.