Black Music Sunday is a weekly sequence highlighting all issues Black music, with over 260 tales overlaying performers, genres, historical past, and extra, every that includes its personal vibrant soundtrack. I hope you’ll discover some acquainted tunes and maybe an introduction to one thing new.
I really like celebrating musician’s birthdays, particularly after we may give them their flowers whereas they’re nonetheless with us. As we speak I’m honoring Stanley Clarke, who was born on June 30, 1951, and sit up for many extra years of doing so.
Clarke grew to become a Nationwide Endowment for the Arts Jazz Grasp in 2020. Right here’s how they introduce him:
Stanley Clarke’s bass-playing, exhibiting distinctive ability on each acoustic and electrical bass, has made him one of the influential gamers in fashionable jazz historical past. Along with his solo profession, Clarke, as a founding member of the legendary jazz-rock fusion band Return to Perpetually, has helped redefine the sound of jazz during the last 50 years. Return to Perpetually—Clarke with fellow seminal members Chick Corea, Lenny White, and Al Di Meola—would change into one of the widespread jazz bands of its day, pulling followers from the rock world to attain business success. As a part of his robust perception in giving again, he additionally established the Stanley Clarke Basis, a charitable group which awards scholarships to gifted younger musicians every year.
Clarke grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, along with his mom encouraging him to review music. He first performed the violin and cello earlier than deciding on the bass, attending the Settlement Music Faculty, the place his focus was on finding out classical bass repertoire. Clarke made his skilled debut at age 15, becoming a member of saxophonist Byard Lancaster on the Showboat jazz membership. Following research on the Philadelphia Musical Academy, Clarke moved to New York Metropolis, quickly working with legendary performers akin to Artwork Blakey, Gil Evans, Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon, and Horace Silver.
Give a hearken to “Artwork Blakey and the Jazz Messengers—Track for a Lonely Girl” which was written by Clarke.
NEA contains this interview with him, by which he talks about his beginnings and introduction to jazz:
Amongst different jazz greats he performed with was saxophonist Dexter Gordon:
Clarke’s web site goes into extra of his biographical particulars:
In his early teenagers, Stanley moved from the violin, his fingers have been too huge for, and the cello that by no means sat nicely with him, to an deserted acoustic double bass within the nook of a college band room. It was the primary of many moments that might form his future and the position of the bassplayer for years to come back. […]
Stanley made his skilled debut at 15-years outdated, when he was invited by saxophonist Byard Lancaster to affix him for per week of exhibits on the landmark Showboat Lounge, the place most of the greats like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Artwork Blakey, Stan Getz and others would play and document. The gig, for which Stanley and drummer Darryl Brown have been paid about $75, was an expertise which sparked the flame of inspiration that might propel the nascent ambitions of the younger bassist like a rocket.
With the arrival of the British Invasion bands and his Roxborough Excessive Faculty years, the electrical bass, a Kent electrical bass bought for round $50, discovered its method into Stanley’s arms and so did alternatives to play events and exhibits with many bands throughout the Metropolis of Brotherly Love.
Upon leaving the Philadelphia Musical Academy (now a part of the College of the Arts), Stanley made his option to New York Metropolis the place he in a short time landed alternatives to work with such greats as Horace Silver, Artwork Blakey, Dexter Gordon, Joe Henderson, Pharaoh Saunders, Gil Evans and Stan Getz. He would additionally discover himself taking part in once more with Chick Corea. The 2 had met when Chick got here to Philadelphia to sit down in for a keyboard participant in a band by which Stanley was taking part in. Nearly instantly, the 2 acknowledged one thing within the abilities of the opposite that night time that might type the idea of their musical friendship and the creation of the groundbreaking jazz-rock fusion unit, Return to Perpetually.
Give a hearken to Return to Perpetually’s first album, which was titled merely “Return To Perpetually:
Ivan Bodley at AllAboutJazz writes about how attending to know legendary composer Charles Mingus impacted him:
Digging by way of the good multitude of accolades bestowed upon Stanley reveals an fascinating phenomenon. It’s troublesome to recollect how restricted the potential profession path of a bass participant was earlier than he got here on the scene. Stanley virtually single-handedly took the bass out of the shadows and introduced it to the very entrance of the stage, actually and figuratively. […]
Actually there have been nice and celebrated bass gamers earlier than Stanley like Ron Carter, Scott LaFaro, and the pioneering composer Charles Mingus. However Clarke grew to become the primary bassist in historical past to headline sold-out world excursions and have gold albums. He was additionally the primary to double on acoustic and electrical bass with equal virtuosity, energy, and fireplace. By the point he was 25 years outdated, he was already thought to be a pioneer within the jazz fusion motion.
Clarke cites Mingus as a fantastic affect personally and professionally. “The best second in my life that modified me was having dinner with the good Charlie Mingus. He had the character of a revolutionary that might have run a paramilitary group. He was very intense, heavy! That’s once I realized precisely what I wished to do with the bass. I used to be going to method my profession fully like a revolutionary. No matter was there, I used to be going to do the alternative.” The remaining, as they are saying, actually is historical past.
Apparently electrical bass, for which Stanley is most famous, is just not his principal instrumental. His first ardour, which carries to at the present time, is for the acoustic bass. “Electrical bass is my secondary instrument. After I first began taking part in electrical it was at events and only for having enjoyable. However I made data and obtained well-known extra as an electrical bass participant than as an acoustic bass participant.”
In 1973, Chick Corea produced Clarke’s first solo album, “Kids of Perpetually.” Thom Jurek reviewed the album for AllMusic:
Stanley Clarke’s debut solo effort was issued when he was already a seasoned jazz veteran, and a member of Chick Corea‘s Return to Perpetually, which on the time of this recording additionally included Joe Farrell on soprano sax and flute, and the Brazilian workforce of vocalist Flora Purim and drummer/percussionist Airto Moreira. Produced by Corea, who performs Rhodes, clavinet, and acoustic piano on Kids of Perpetually, the band included flutist Artwork Webb, then-new RtF drummer Lenny White, guitarist Pat Martino, and a vocal pairing between the inimitable Andy Bey and Dee Dee Bridgewater on three of the 5 cuts — Bey seems on 4. Clarke performs each electrical and acoustic bass on the set; and whereas it might be simple to easily take a look at this recording as an early fusion date, that might be a tragic mistake. If something, Kids of Perpetually is a real cousin to Norman Connors‘ basic Dance of Magic and Darkish of Mild albums, which have been additionally launched in 1973; Clarke performed bass on each. That is principally funky, non secular jazz in one of the best sense. Sure, jazz. That splendidly mercurial, indefinable drive that brings into itself the entire of music, from widespread to classical and people varieties, and makes one thing new out of them. The lengthy title observe with its killer vocal interaction between Bridgewater and Bey is seductive from the soar. Add Clarke‘s huge fats bassline, which is mellow and meaty in the beginning, however after the lengthy piano and guitar breaks within the center turns into soiled, fuzzy, and spacy by the top because the lower leans into souled-out funk.
The “message” tunes that make up this music steadiness the dawning of the longer term because the logical place of Black consciousness — the place a brand new day was certainly rising from the struggles of the ’50s and ’60s. Add to this the cosmic wanting cowl, and its weighed electrical and acoustic underpinnings, and you’ve got the makings of a timeless basic
Right here’s the title tune:
In 1974, it was adopted up by one other Corea manufacturing merely named “Stanley Clarke:”
Final 12 months, jazz critic, biographer, and journalist Invoice Milkowski wrote about his first interview with Clarke, practically 50 years in the past:
Bugle: Does your model of taking part in differ from acoustic to electrical bass?
Clarke: Positive, but it surely all relies on what feelings I am creating. With the acoustic bass I can create actual smooth, refined feelings or I can get very intense on the acoustic — attempt to kill, beat the instrument. And it’s the identical with the electrical bass.
Bugle: How did you select the bass as your instrument?
Clarke: On the age of 13 I used to be given a violin, however I couldn’t make it as a result of my arms have been too huge. The cello had the same drawback — simply too small. I even performed some tuba in class however I lastly got here to an upright bass and caught with that.
Bugle: How did your jazz influences enter?
Clarke: My dad and mom purchased a brand new stereo and with the system got here an indication document. It was a jazz document with all the good jazz artists of the time — Duke Ellington, Depend Basie, Miles Davis, Charlie Mingus. And I listened to that shit and I mentioned, “Man, I don’t know what that is!” However I appreciated it and I attempted to play together with it till I lastly I wore that document out.
Bugle: How did you first get entangled on the jazz scene?
Clarke: I went to school on the Philadelphia Music Academy for about two years, then determined it wasn’t what I actually wished to do. I wished to play in entrance of individuals, so I left faculty and got here to New York. I joined a band with Horace Silver and stayed with him for a few 12 months. From that time I simply performed with everybody who got here alongside — Stan Getz, Pharoah, Lonnie Liston Smith and others.
I searched the net searching for a documentary on Clarke, found this brief trailer, and far to my remorse came upon that sadly the total movie doesn’t exist.
Lest you assume that Clarke’s style is solely jazz fusion, this tune from 1984 on “Time Publicity” with George Duke and soul singer Howard Hewett belies that notion.
Clarke’s catalog is simply too huge for me to publish rather more of his work on this story—I’ll have heaps extra so that you can pattern within the feedback part under. I’ll shut with this reside efficiency this month on NPR’s Tiny Desk Live performance for Black Music Month:
NPR Music has these notes on Clarke’s Tiny Desk Live performance:
As soon as the Tiny Desk brand fades away, one of many stuff you’ll discover is a wall of amps. Sturdy sound has all the time been a trademark of bassist Stanley Clarke’s musicality; he reminded our audio workforce not solely to concentrate to what the soundboard says but additionally if it sounds good.
Clarke’s storied profession has been awash with showcases in his virtuosity on the acoustic and electrical basses. He is labored with fellow music titans like Chick Corea, George Duke, Jean-Luc Ponty and Al Di Meola, and has scored for movie and tv. From 1974-1976, Clarke dropped a sequence of solo albums (“Stanley Clarke,” “Journey to Love” and “Faculty Days”) that might herald his standing as a drive in music and foreshadow his 2022 designation as an NEA Jazz Grasp.
Indicative of his ardour for spotlighting younger musicians, Clarke’s newest ensemble, 4EVER (a callback to his band Return to Perpetually), options saxophonist Emilio Modeste, guitarist Colin Cook dinner, drummer Jeremiah Collier, violinist Evan Garr and keyboardist Cameron Graves.Opening the set is “Track to John” from 1975’s “Journey to Love,” with Graves and Cook dinner proving they’re greater than as much as the duty laid earlier than them. “Yesterday Princess,” from Clarke’s 1974 self-titled album, provides violinist Garr the prospect to shine as his fingers dance over the fingerboard. The efficiency strikes into the electrical realm with 2003’s “1, 2, to the Bass,” a observe that manages to be each easy (hat tip to Modeste) and funky on the identical time. Collier’s toms construct as much as the entry of Clarke at work as they shut with considered one of his greatest hits, “Faculty Days.” Slightly over 50 years since his solo debut, Clarke reminds the viewers that there are nonetheless new methods to be dazzled by the modern and strong fullness of his instrument.
Be part of me in wishing Clarke a contented birthday and please publish your favourite tunes of his within the feedback under.
