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Oh, wow. This is Joe Wong. Welcome to the Trap, where each week we explore the lives of drummers.

I want to play something for you.

You might recognize this track as God Make Me Funky by the Headhunters featuring my guest Mike Clark on drums.

Or maybe you recognize it because the beat is one of the most sampled in history.

At his core, Mike Clark is a jazz drummer, and he's worked with many of the top artists in the genre.

But as someone who came of age in the 60s and 70s, Mike's best known contribution is his

work as a funk infusion drummer.

He's been a member of Herbie Hancock's Headhunters, Betty Davis' band, and Brand X.

For drummers, jazz is perhaps the most demanding style to play.

But in the same way that most opera singers can't convincingly sing rock, few jazz drummers

of Mike's skill level have been able to bring the funk.

As you'll hear in the interview, Mike is a spiritual guy.

I've gotten to know him over the past few years, and he's introduced me to everything

from Buddhist chanting to the concept of putting oneself into seemingly impossible musical

situations, just to see how they

can be resolved. This makes a lot of sense coming from someone who has consistently pushed

himself outside of his comfort zone and created an original style of drumming which

...