Jazz Articles about Stanley Clarke

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Return to Forever: Return to Forever: The Anthology

by Tom Greenland
August 11, 2008

In support of their 2008 reunion tour, Concord Records has released Return to Forever: The Anthology, a selective overview of the quartet's classic 'middle period.' Formed by principal composer/keyboardist Chick Corea, RTF included bassist Stanley Clarke, drummer Lenny White and guitarists Bill Connors or Al DiMeola. An alumnus of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew (Columbia, 1969), inspired by Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report, as well as Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Yes, Corea recorded two RTF albums with Clarke (a former compatriot ...

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The Anthology

by John Kelman
June 5, 2008

One of the seminal fusion bands of the 1970s, keyboardist Chick Corea's Return to Forever, alongside like-minded but completely different groups including Herbie Hancock's Head Hunters, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Weather Report, not only went to vinyl sales territory few jazz artists had gone before, but to arena tours more normally associated with big ticket rock groups. But the music of RTF was never meant to be intimate. The high velocity and high volume playing was far more fitting ...

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Stanley Clarke: The Toys of Men

by AAJ Italy Staff
February 8, 2008

Agli umani piace giocare con i giocattoli. Possono essere di tanti tipi. Possono raffigurare e miniaturizzare di tutto, compreso le armi. Ma c’è gioco e gioco e a Stanley Clarke di certo non sfugge. Lui gioca con il basso da tanto tempo, e va davvero bene. Altri giocano con sofisticati meccanismi che annientano il genere umano, e qui sono dolori. Armato, si fa per dire, della sua immensa tecnica, il bassista si danna a dimostrare quanto siamo stupidi. E non ...

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Stanley Clarke: The Toys of Men

by Woodrow Wilkins
December 6, 2007

Some artists are excellent songwriters. Others are expert composers. Stanley Clarke belongs to the latter group--a creator of music for art's sake rather than one who is limited to popular songs. His skill for composition comes through strongly on The Toys of Men. Clarke, a pioneering electric bassist, has been a force on the music scene for more than three decades. From early 1970s work with Chick Corea and Return to Forever and a brilliant solo career ...

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Stanley Clarke: The Toys of Men

by John Kelman
October 23, 2007

Stanley Clarke's influence continues to be felt long past his 1970s glory days as a member of pianist Chick Corea's flagship fusion group Return to Forever and as a solo artist whose School Days (Epic, 1976) remains required listening for any aspiring electric bassist. In the intervening years, despite the occasional high profile gig, he's been more heavily involved in soundtrack work and solo albums that, while pleasant enough pop/jazz, have never quite lived up to the promise of those ...

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Night School: An Evening with Stanley Clarke & Friends

by Woodrow Wilkins
August 4, 2007

Stanley Clarke Night School: An Evening with Stanley Clarke & Friends Heads Up 2007

Over the years, Jaco Pastorius has gained a lot of fame for delivering the electric from the bonds of background obscurity to solo freedom. However, about the time he was blazing a trail of innovation, another bassist was carving a path of his own. Stanley Clarke burst onto the jazz scene in 1971 and quickly found himself working ...

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Deodato: Deodato 2

by David Rickert
July 16, 2002

The surprise success of “Also Sprach Zarathrustra” on Prelude prompted Deodato to quickly follow with Deodato 2, a record that closely followed the template of his first number one hit. Deodato knew there was a lot of money to be made courting the rock audience, and there’s little on this record that could safely be called jazz. However, this record still stands up remarkably well today, unlike some of the other keyboard-driven records from the era. This time “Rhapsody in ...