Torontonian
11.04.14 | am i the only one that likes this guy here? first 3 are classics and can be arranged in any order between each other. |
PappyMason
11.04.14 | Wow, great list.
Clarke is an absolute legend. |
Torontonian
11.04.14 | ^YES! and thanks btw. Just trying my best to expose this man to the world |
Chrisjon89
11.04.14 | to my knowledge, only ever heard him as a sideman on an awesome Pharoah Sanders album, playing upright and in tandem with another bassist. might check some of his stuff but a lot of fusion is hit and miss with me. |
Torontonian
11.04.14 | ^ i definetly recommend checking. his most accessible is #3 but his most jazzy and imo best is 1. truly can't go wrong
with any of these though. |
Chrisjon89
11.04.14 | actually I have two RTF albums he played on, which are great. yeah might have a look at those, thanks. he's done an album with Hiromi fairly recently I think. |
Torontonian
11.04.14 | ^ya he was pretty active at that time. He also did work with "Chick Corea" and "Return to Forever", both of which i hear are amazing. Will definetly check something else with him soon. and you won't regretting checking these albums. trusssssst. |
Butkuiss
11.04.14 | School Days is a legit classic. Return To Forever is where Stanley really shines tho. |
Torontonian
11.04.14 | ^ya it is no doubt. probably has my fave SC song. Check 1 and 2 if you haven't, they're also amazing. Will definetly check return to forever at some point. |
Chrisjon89
11.04.14 | yeah I still haven't heard any of Chick's solo stuff but the first Return To Forever album is kinda under his name and I have that. never focused too much on the bass though. dig the electric piano on Crystal Silence.
the Pharoah Sanders album that Clarke plays upright bass on, Black Unity, is worth a look if you dig that kinda thing. not fusion - it's similar to what Sanders was generally doing then but more up tempo and frenetic. Clarke and Cecil McBee play these kickass basslines. similar dual bassist approach to Coltrane on Ole. and there's this cool droning sound every now and then that I have no idea what it is. i can't tell if it's a swelling synth or a bunch of trumpets miked at distance in a big room or what but it rules. whole album is one long song. i'd opt for Return To Forever first if you're more into fusion
will check these sometime this week and see how i go. |
Butkuiss
11.04.14 | First Return to Forever album (the s/t) is a bit latin jazzy and laidback. Light as a Feather is still laidback but has more prominent bass, and Seventh Galaxy is basically just Clarke and Di Meola (?) letting rip for 40 minutes. |
Butkuiss
11.04.14 | The problem with Clarke's solo stuff is the problem I have with Wooten and Miller's solo stuff and Jaco's solo stuff and the SMV collab and whatnot. It's undeniably technically brilliant, but it's still more an excercise in bass playing than actual composition or songwriting. I can listen to them and enjoy them but hearing those bassists fit into a grand compositional scheme and put their own twist on it satisfies me more these days than lightspeed playing. |
Chrisjon89
11.04.14 | "It's undeniably technically brilliant, but it's still more an excercise in bass playing than actual composition or songwriting.'
^ therein lies my major issue with a huge chunk of fusion I've heard, particularly as the 70s wore on. can't speak for the Clarke stuff but I'd apply this exact comment to George Duke, Al Di Meola and bits of pieces of Mahavishnu Orchestra and Weather Report. early fusion stuff was cool for mood and groove. but it got excessively flashy, lots of very lengthy songs which didn't always have the ideas to sustain them and also people fucking around with new instruments. that's a large part of why I much prefer the modal and bop stuff from the 60s. still like a lot of that fusion stuff but not to the same extent |
Butkuiss
11.04.14 | Yeah, pretty much. I still love a lot of fusion, especially the bassier stuff, but modal/bop is more to my taste these days.
Also Chrisjon, you live in Sydney dont ya? Come watch me and Jerry play on Saturday at Beatdisc if you're free m8ey 180. |
Chrisjon89
11.04.14 | ah dude! i spoke to him the other week and mentioned Sputnik. he said at least one of you guys used it but I couldn't recall usernames. dunno if I can make it this weekend but I'll see. i think i Like your band without having even heard the jams. i'm the ultimate poser fan. |
Butkuiss
11.04.14 | All good dude, but would be sick to see you there if you can swing by. Otherwise you can watch us another time you fucking poser. |
HenchmanOfSanta
11.04.14 | Man if you're gonna spell "bass" wrong in a list about Stanley Clarke it's just upsetting.
I was gonna see Stanley at Detroit Jazz Fest and it rained out. Huge bummer, as he was supposedly playing all or most of School Days. |
Torontonian
11.04.14 | ^sorry mr. grammar police. and ya that sucks man. I would die to see that! |
HenchmanOfSanta
11.04.14 | I play bass, so it's a pet peeve of mine (also I'm an editor by trade. Spelling and grammar are also different things (-: ).
It really blew because the song "School Days" was such a rite of passage to learning advanced songs. At least I got to see Ron Carter, whose music I was not familiar with but who literally wrote the book that I learned from. |
Jethro42
11.04.14 | I know the guy more for his works with both Return to Forever and Chick Corea. School Days is a great album. |
Torontonian
11.04.14 | ^ya man, glad you liked. I went to my local record store the other day and they had several new "return to forever" cd's. I'm planning to buy 1 or 2 as soon as i get enough money(probs 1-2 months). You should check 1 and 2 man, which are also immense, especially 1. |
Snowdog808
11.04.14 | 3 is better than 1 for me, but they are both freaking phenomenal! |
Torontonian
11.04.14 | check 2 man. One of the craziest closing trilogies i've ever heard. I initially liked school days better as well but after 2-3 listens of each i prefer 1 slightly. |
Jethro42
11.04.14 | @Torontonian, will do. As for RTF, look for No Mystery and Romantic Warriors first. |
Muisc4Life26
11.05.14 | yea sweet list i would switch 3 and 2 though |
Torontonian
11.05.14 | ^probs. i kind of wanted to abstain from a really predictable ranking though. And didn't include modern man as it is terrible. Not sure what he was thinking there. |
Chrisjon89
11.06.14 | jammed 1 and enjoyed it. Vulcan Princess and Life Suite in particular. |
Torontonian
11.06.14 | ^Nice! check 3 if you're interested to expand on him. thats seems to be the general favorite. Can't go wrong with any of the other ones though. |
Jethro42
11.06.14 | For 1, I just noticed the presence of Jan Hammer (acoustic and electric piano, organ and moog synthesizer) who played for both Mahavishnu Orchestra and Jeff Beck, and it adds to the overall sound. I really like the guitar sounding too (Bill Connors from Return to Forever). The musicianship is really impressive. Both 1 and 3 deserve a 4 to me. |
DustyTill
11.06.14 | I saw him in Vannes months ago, he was very impressive ! He shook my hand and said he like my Motorhead T-Shirt. |
Torontonian
11.06.14 | ^the man sounds cool af.
@jethro glad you liked man. |
Torontonian
11.07.14 | also the other 2 are also very much worth a listen. and 4 has the highest average so it might be best for someone else! |
