Join Elena Gilliam as she hosts another installment of Art & Jazz. We’ll take a look at the work of Jazz musician and composer Joe Clark who launched a comic book series in 2023 that includes “Deep Cuts”, Radiant Black”, “Moonman”, and more. Clark is an award-winning composer, arranger and trumpeter, and an Eisner nominated artist.
Deep Cut includes a number of stories; the story begins in New Orleans, 1917: a clarinet player meets his hero. Kansas City, 1940: a young girl investigates the mystery of her father’s lost love of music. Los Angeles, 1977: a band embarks on a world tour that may be their last.
Writers KYLE HIGGINS and JOE CLARK (RADIANT BLACK) are joined by an ALL-STAR CAST OF ARTISTS for an anthology of stories that weave tales of struggle, joy, and hope through the history of jazz!
Joe Clark is no stranger to collaborating in the world of jazz. His compositions and arrangements have been played by the likes of Kurt Elling, Jeff Hamilton and Randy Brecker. Clark’s days include teaching students about music fundamentals as an adjunct lecturer at DePaul University’s School of Music and performing at Chicago institutions, including The Green Mill.
In 2020, Clark was approached by long-term collaborator and comic book writer Kyle Higgins with the opportunity to combine two of his biggest passions: jazz and comic books. Through years of work, the series “Deep Cuts” came to be in 2023. Critics have lauded the work, and it received a nomination for the 2024 Eisner Award for Best Anthology.