How's this for an achievement list: 1 Grammy Award, 7 Grammy Nominations, 3 Emmy Nominations, Rolling Stone’s first “Jazz Man of the Year”, Playboy Music Award “Best Bassist” for 10 straight years, Bass Player Magazine’s 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award honoree. Stanley Clarke is, without a doubt, one of the most exciting bass players. Ever.
Probably best known for his work with Return to Forever (he recorded eight albums and toured incessantly with RTF during the 1970's), he is also recognized as a "slap bass" pioneer, was a vital figure in the jazz fusion movement of the 1970's and 1980's, and has performed in the jazz, classical, R&B and pop worlds. His dexterity on the instrument is unrivaled; what makes him especially impressive as a player is that he sounds just as good whether playing acoustic or electric. For example:
And, for an example of his electric bass playing, here's a clip of just Stanley and drums (Ronald Bruner Jr., who will be playing with Stanley for his TD Toronto Jazz Festival show) and yes, there are only two instruments here...
Stanley Clarke has played with the biggest names in the jazz, pop and R&B worlds including Stewart Copeland (formerly of The Police), Jeff Beck, Keith Richards, Al Di Meola, Jean-Luc Ponty, Lenny White, Bela Fleck and George Duke. In addition to his bass playing, Stanley Clarke has earned acclaim for his film and television composition. He's worked on films such as Boys N the Hood, Poetic Justice, Little Big League, Romeo Must Die and, on the Showtime Network, Soul Food; he also scored the video to Michael Jackson's Remember the Time. Of his film work, Stanley says:
"Film has given me the opportunity to compose music not normally associated with myself. It has given me a chance to conduct orchestras and arrange music for various types of ensembles. It’s been a diverse experience for me musically, utilized all my skills and made me a more complete musician."
Complete musician indeed.
Josh
P.S. - For a great interview with Stanley Clarke, check out innerviews.org. It was done about twelve years ago, but provides great insight into Stanley Clarke as a player, producer, composer and more.
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