Bruce Clarke

Bruce Clarke OAM (1 December 1925 – 24 July 2008) was an Australian jazz guitarist, composer, and educator.

Biography One of Clarke's early music teachers was the New Zealander Tui Hamilton, at the Melbourne Hawaiian Club, from the early 1940s. Clarke played guitar in professional jazz ensembles, and from the late 1940s to mid 1950s he worked as a session musician for radio orchestras. Clarke accompanied musicians on their tours of Australia played in dance halls and ballrooms.

After the advent of television in Australia in 1956, Clarke started a recording studio and production company named The Jingle Workshop. He performed in thousands of recordings for films, television programs, and commercials, playing guitar and/or synthesizer. He was president of the International Society of Contemporary Music.

He founded Cumquat Records to issue recordings of Australian jazz. He worked with Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, Dizzy Gillespie, Stephane Grappelli, Stan Getz, and John Collins.