Stanley Clarke
Stanley Marvin Clarke (born June 30, 1951 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania ) is an American bassist and Grammy award winner in the field of fusion and jazz music . In the fusion field, he is considered one of the two most important bassists of the 1970s (alongside Jaco Pastorius ). Since the early 1990s he has also appeared increasingly as a film composer .
Life
After studying at the Philadelphia Academy of Music , Clarke moved to New York City in 1971 , where he worked with Art Blakey , Gil Evans , Joe Farrell , Stan Getz , Dexter Gordon , Joe Henderson , Al Di Meola , Pharoah Sanders and Horace Silver , among others . During this time he joined the fusion band Return to Forever , led by Chick Corea , which became one of the most successful jazz rock formations of the time. He also produced a number of solo albums, of which School Days, along with Jaco Pastorius' debut album, is considered to be among the best bass albums of the jazz-rock era.
In 1987 he formed the band Animal Logic with jazz singer Deborah Holland and former The Police drummer Stewart Copeland . After two studio albums and a few singles , the musicians went their separate ways at the end of 1991. In 2005 Clarke founded the Acoustic Fusion Supergroup TRIO! with Béla Fleck and Jean-Luc Ponty . He also works as a producer of film music. In 2011, Clarke received a Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album, The Stanley Clarke Band (2010).
Style of play
Clarke's bass playing is characterized by a mature slap technique and extraordinary virtuosity. The slap technique, the invention of which is attributed to Larry Graham , consists of striking the strings with the thumb side by turning the wrist. He often combines this rhythmically with plucking the higher strings. Clarke made a decisive contribution to the development and spread of this technique in jazz rock in the early 1970s. Clarke is the first influential musician to use a piccolo bass frequently , a four-string electric bass tuned an octave higher. Even though he became known for his electric bass playing , his virtuoso playing on the double bass (the main instrument of his later career) is documented early on ( Moon Germs with the Joe Farrell Quartet from 1971).
Discography
Solo albums
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK | US | R&B | jazz | |||
1974 | Stanley Clarke | - |
US59 (16 weeks) US |
- | - | |
1975 | Journey to Love | - |
US34 (19 weeks) US |
- | - | |
1976 | School Days | - |
US34 (22 weeks) US |
- | - | |
1978 | Modern Man | - |
US57 (19 weeks) US |
- | - | |
1979 | I wanna play for you | - |
US62 (14 weeks) US |
- | - | |
1980 | Rocks, Pebbles and Sand |
UK42 (2 weeks) UK |
US95 (11 weeks) US |
- | - | |
1982 | Let me know you | - |
US114 (8 weeks) US |
- | - | |
1984 | Time exposure | - |
US149 (12 weeks) US |
- | - | |
1993 | East River Drive | - | - |
R&B54 (27 weeks) R&B |
- | |
2003 | 1,2, to the bass | - | - | - |
jazz11 (15 weeks) jazz |
|
2007 | The Toys of Men | - | - | - |
jazz8 (30 weeks) jazz |
|
2010 | The Stanley Clarke Band | - | - | - |
jazz7 (21 weeks) jazz |
Stanley Clarke Band
|
2014 | Up | - | - | - |
jazz6 (8 weeks) jazz |
Stanley Clarke Band
|
2018 | The message | - | - | - |
jazz5 (8 weeks) jazz |
Stanley Clarke Band
|
More albums
- 1973 - Children of Forever
- 1985 - Find Out
- 1986 - Hideaway
- 1988 - If This Bass Could Only Talk
- 1991 - Live, 1976-1977
- 1992 - Passenger 57 (Soundtrack)
- 1992 - The Collection
- 1995 - At the Movies
- 1997 - Bass-ic Collection
- 1999 - Hot Fun - Best (1974-93, Zounds , all tracks digitally remastered )
With George Duke
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK | US | R&B | jazz | |||
1981 | Clarke / Duke Project | - |
US33 (23 weeks) US |
R&B7 (27 weeks) R&B |
- | |
1983 | Clarke / Duke Project 2 | - |
US146 (10 weeks) US |
R&B44 (11 weeks) R&B |
- | |
1990 | 3 | - | - |
R&B52 (14 weeks) R&B |
- |
More albums
- 1993: Live in Montreux, 1988
Collaboration albums
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK | US | R&B | jazz | |||
1995 | The Rite of Strings | - | - | - |
jazz6 (23 weeks) jazz |
with Al Di Meola , Jean-Luc Ponty
|
2009 | Jazz in the Garden | - | - | - |
jazz12 (9 weeks) jazz |
with Hiromi Uehara , Lenny White
|
2015 | D-Stringz | - | - | - |
jazz21 (1 week) jazz |
with Jean-Luc Ponty , Biréli Lagrène
|
In addition, Clarke, like Eddie Gomez and other well-known jazz musicians, took part in the 1979 album Mingus by Joni Mitchell .
More albums
- 1971 - Moon Germs (with Joe Farrell , Herbie Hancock , Jack DeJohnette )
- 1971 - Black Unity (with Pharoah Sanders , Hannibal Marvin Peterson , Cecil McBee, and others; recorded November 24, 1971 New York)
- 1972 - Prelude (with Eumir Deodato , Billy Cobham , John Tropea )
- 1972 - Return to Forever (with Chick Corea , Joe Farrell , Flora Purim , Airto Moreira )
- 1973 - Stanley Cowel Trio Illusion Suite ( Stanley Cowell , Stanley Clarke, Jimmy Hops)
- 1973 - Deodato 2 (with Eumir Deodato, Billy Cobham, John Tropea)
- 1980 - Fuse One (with Fuse One - Joe Farrell, Ronnie Foster , John McLaughlin, and others)
- 1981 - Silk (with Fuse One - Eric Gale , Stanley Turrentine , George Benson , Ronnie Foster , Tom Browne and others)
- 1987 - Implosions (with Randy Brecker , McCoy Tyner , Frank Morgan , Peter Erskine , Roger Kellaway and Ernie Watts )
- 1987 - Shieldstone (with Bill Shields, John Abercrombie , Jack DeJohnette, Freddie Hubbard , Airto Moreira )
- 1989 - Manhattan Project (with Lenny White, Michel Petrucciani , Wayne Shorter )
- 1994 - Live at The Greek (with Larry Carlton , Billy Cobham, Deron Johnson and Najee )
- 1995 - Dance of Fire (with Aziza Mustafa Zadeh , Al Di Meola)
- 2000 - McCoy Tyner with Stanley Clarke and Al Foster (with McCoy Tyner and Al Foster )
- 2001 - Jazz Straight Up (with Patrice Rushen , Leon Ndugu Chancler )
- 2008 - Thunder (as SMV: Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller , Victor Wooten )
With Chick Corea and Lenny White
- Echoes of an Era (with Chaka Khan )
- Echoes of an Era Live (with Nancy Wilson )
- The Griffith Park Band Live
- The Griffith Park Collection
Animal Logic
- 1989 - Animal Logic
- 1991 - Animal Logic II
New Barbarians
- Buried Alive (with Keith Richards )
Singles
year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | R&B | jazz | |||
1976 | Silly Putty Journey to Love |
- |
R&B94 (2 weeks) R&B |
- | |
1978 | Slow Dance Modern Man |
- |
R&B76 (6 weeks) R&B |
- | |
1980 | We Supply Rocks, Pebbles and Sand |
- |
R&B76 (10 weeks) R&B |
- | |
1981 | Sweet Baby The Clarke / Duke Project |
US19 (20 weeks) US |
R&B6 (19 weeks) R&B |
- |
with George Duke
|
I Just Want to Love You The Clarke / Duke Project |
- |
R&B49 (8 weeks) R&B |
- |
with George Duke
|
|
1982 | Straight To The Top Let Me Know You |
- |
R&B81 (3 weeks) R&B |
- | |
1983 | Heroes The Clarke / Duke Project 2 |
- |
R&B37 (13 weeks) R&B |
- |
with George Duke
|
1984 | Straight To The Top Let Me Know You |
- |
R&B81 (3 weeks) R&B |
- | |
1985 | Born In The USA Find Out! |
- |
R&B52 (8 weeks) R&B |
- |
The Stanley Clarke Band
|
1990 | Lady 3 |
- |
R&B68 (6 weeks) R&B |
- |
with George Duke
|
2015 | Pop Virgil Up |
- | - |
jazz8 (20 weeks) jazz |
The Stanley Clarke Band
|
Filmography (selection)
- 1989: Hawk (A Man called Hawk) (TV series, 5 episodes)
- 1990: The Kid Who Loved Christmas
- 1990: The Deep Swamp of the South (Blue Bayou)
- 1990: Hunted Between Two Lives (Dangerous Pursuit)
- 1990: Tales from the Crypt (Tales from the Crypt) (TV series, one episode)
- 1990: Tutoring in matters of love (Book of Love)
- 1991: Boyz n the Hood (Boyz n the Hood)
- 1991: Cool as Ice
- 1991: Women behind bars (Prison Stories: Women on the Inside)
- 1991: Love Kills
- 1992: Last applause for a basketball star (Final Shot: The Hank Gathers Story)
- 1992: Passenger 57 (Passenger 57)
- 1993: Poetic Justice
- 1993: Tina - What's Love Got to Do with It? (What's Love Got to Do with It)
- 1994: Little Big Boss (Little Big League)
- 1994: Royce
- 1995: The Rebels (Higher Learning)
- 1995: Panther
- 1996: Eddie
- 1997: Beverly Hills Beauties (B * A * P * S)
- 1997: Dangerous Ground
- 1997: With full commitment (On the Line)
- 1997: Leap - Now or Never (Leap)
- 1998: Down in the Delta
- 1999: Funny Valentines
- 1999: Rocky Marciano
- 1999: The Best Man (The Best Man)
- 2000: The Color of Friendship
- 2000: Loretta - The Triumph of Will (The Loretta Claiborne Story)
- 2000: Romeo Must Die
- 2002: The Transporter (Le Transporteur)
- 2002: Undisputed - Victory Without Glory (Undisputed)
- 2005: Into the Sun - In the Net of the Yakuza (Into the Sun)
- 2005: Roll Bounce
- 2007: Lincoln Heights (TV series, 13 episodes)
- 2008: First Sunday
- 2008: Soul Men
Web links
- Stanley Clarke in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Official website
swell
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Clarke, Stanley |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Clarke, Stanley Marvin (full name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American fusion bassist and film composer |
DATE OF BIRTH | June 30, 1951 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Philadelphia |