Kip Hanrahan

The Profile

American record producer, composer and percussionist, born in the Bronx in 1954, founder of the American Clavé label. Known for blending Latin and jazz traditions and for collaborations with Jack Bruce, Arto Lindsay, Carla Bley and Bill Laswell; also worked with Astor Piazzolla.

Born 1954 in The Bronx, New York; American record producer, composer and percussionist; founder of American Clavé; active from the early 1980s to the present; noted for Latin/Afro-Caribbean and jazz fusion projects and high-profile collaborations.

Reviews spotlight Hanrahan as a percussionist, composer, and bandleader who fuses jazz with Afro‑Caribbean and Latin elements. Vertical's Currency (1984) is praised as fiery and intense, with political-tinged lyrics and rich collaborations. Coup de tête is framed as a striking debut. Names like Arto Lindsay, Bill Laswell, Carla Bley and Jack Bruce recur across these sessions.