Mike Clark: Itai Doshin

WIDE HIVE RECORDS 0389 (RELEASED OCTOBER 3, 2025)

Itai Doshin is proof that you can’t judge a CD by its cover. With three of the five musicians — the leader and drummer Mike Clark, trumpeter Eddie Henderson and saxophonist Craig Handy are associated with Herbie Hancock’s fusion bands, and pianist PatrIce Rushen also known for her R&B performances , you might expect a
funk-filled, rhythm-driven, riff-laden session. Not the case. Itai Doshin delivers straight-ahead jazz powered by the Clark’s drumming, Henry Franklin’s powerful bass lines and the crisp and explosive solos of Henderson, Handy and Rushen. Seven tunes are bookended by what has become the unofficial theme song for Clark — Thelonious Monk’s “Epistrophy.” Clark powers the band through the opening version as the band uses the tune as a springboard for their solos, whereas the solos on the closing version capture the humor and angularity of Monk with Clark punctuating the playful tune with appropriate Monkish hits. From the explosive energy of their opening take of “Epistrophy,” the band transforms the typically upbeat “Cherokee” into a tender ballad thanks to the lyrical soloing of Henderson and Franklin. Henderson shows his compositional and playing prowess on “Mganga,” an upbeat post hardbop piece with precise and powerful solos from all. Clark’s rhythmic flexibility is showcased on the “made-for-drummer” tune, “Inside Zone.” Franklin and Clark set the foundation for “Yakini’s Dance,” a swinging twelve-bar blues on which Henderson and Rushen demonstrate their skill at building chorus-after-chorus of variations on a theme. A session like Itai Doshin would not be complete without a hint of the bossa nova, and Franklin’s “Midori” fits the bill with expressive solos from Henderson and Rushen. The remaining two tunes on the session — “I Shot the Sheriff,” with its funky beat and use of the Fender Rhodes, and “Savant Clark,” a freer piece that opens with a 90-second drum solo, seem out of place on this straight-forward session. Despite those two tracks, Itai Doshin (which is Japanese for “many in body, one in mind”) is a much-needed and appreciated addition to the versatile discographies of Clark, Henderson, Handy, Rushen and Franklin.

BOTTOM LINE: Drummer Mike Clark assembled some old friends for Itai Doshin. Except for two tunes, it is a straight-ahead session of post hard bop compositions, including two variations on Thelonious Monk’s “Epistrophy” and a ballad version of “Cherokee,” delivered by players who have honed their craft over the years — bassist Henry Franklin, pianist Patrice Rushen, trumpeter Eddie Henderson and saxophonist Craig Handy.