Paul Clarvis

British Percussionist and Session Musician

English drummer and percussionist who has played with many different bands and is involved with all musical genres, working with musicians ranging from Leonard Bernstein, Harrison Birtwistle and John Dankworth to Randy Crawford. Paul has recorded albums with Gordon Beck, Bryan Ferry, John Williams, Sam Rivers, Moondog, John Adams, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Marc Ribot, John Zorn, Michel Legrand, Elton John, Richard Thompson, The Orb, Henry Lowther and John Harle, along with Mose Allison, Randy Brecker and Ravi Shankar. He has been the featured percussionist / drummer for most of the London Orchestras and is in great demand on film and recording sessions as a specialist hand drummer. He has travelled widely researching and studying music from other countries, releasing several albums, Stay Cool, The Nightingale of a Thousand Joys and A Young Person's Guide with his band Orquestra Mahatma that improvises on folk music from around the world. Orquestra Mahatma has appeared on the BBC Jazz At The 606 series, and his other band, For All The Saints, with Tony Hymas and Stan Sulzmann are a leading edge jazz improvisatory group playing world tunes and their own compositions. They work in the avant garde field where jazz meets contemporary classical. Paul is also a professor at the Royal Academy of Music, London and was asked to chair the panel for the BBC Young Musician of the Year in 1998.