No i always defendant Return to Forever of playing likewise few notes, together with bass wonder Stanley Clarke commits a few similar sins of excess on his get-go solo album (see "Life Suite, Parts 1-4"). But, hey, this was 1975, together with there's no denying Clarke's genius for sublime grooves together with fancy fretwork. As funky equally Larry Graham together with to a greater extent than fun than Jaco Pastorius, he moves agilely betwixt the convoluted pleasures of "Lopsy Lu" together with the to a greater extent than highbrow charms of "Spanish Phases for String together with Bass." The album is i of the best showcases for Clarke's mastery of both double bass together with electric.
While some jazz purists volition hatred this LP for it's matrimony of jazz improvisation together with rock, the unproblematic truth is, "Stanley Clarke" (both the LP together with the man)are stunning together with ingenious. The late, slap-up Tony Williams is volcanic inwards his drumming, uncovering how he plays slightly behind the bass on "Lopsy Lu", or plays inwards circles around guitarist Bill Connors on Part IV of the "Life Suite"? There is non a wasted authorities annotation hither together with listeners who are looking for 'light' or 'smooth' jazz are barking upwards the incorrect tree! Clarke himself is an astounding bassist together with takes on shades of Charles Mingus on "Phases for Strings together with Bass" together with all of the opening "Vulcan Princess". Electro-funk, difficult stone together with jazz rarely alive on the same street these days, but this variety of adventurous music making(a treasure for us to a greater extent than discriminating music lovers)tells me that the iii should catch each other to a greater extent than frequently. Stanley Clarke is the man!
This was i of the best jams of it's time.If y'all always heard Tony inwards the mid to belatedly 60ies amongst miles y'all know how fast his human foot function was. He takes it to a novel high on this whole jam sesson. And y'all know how Stanley got down. anyone who cant understant this fusion all fourth dimension great. Dont know Jazz. I am rattling very happy to get got this calabaration of Rock&Jazz to my long listing of unforgetable moments inwards Jazz history.
Tony Williams on drums, January Hammer on keyboards, Bill Conners on guitar and, of course, Stanley on bass(es). The pedigree of this line of piece of job upwards rivals any, together with when the Jazz Fusion manner of this album is considered, this line of piece of job upwards is equally roughly unbeatable equally tin be. Even relative unknown NoCal guitarist Bill Conners steps upwards amongst impressive performances. Tony's driving, if non frenetic manner together with Jan's melodic fills compliment Stanley's virtuoso. For fans of Jazz Fusion, or Stanley, this recording is a must. It volition live on tough to take from your changer. As an aside I would similar to advert that Stanley released an album previous to this equally a solo artist. It is called "Stan Clarke: Children of Forever. Chick Corea, Pat Martino, Andy Bey, Dee Dee Bridgewater. Not Fusion, non pure jazz. Well worth checking out (especially "Bass Folk Song).
I get-go heard "Stanley Clarke" means dorsum inwards the mid seventies. I was inwards a stone band spell I was inwards high school, together with the bass histrion played the album for me inwards his basement. I had never heard a bass audio the means Clarke's did: to a greater extent than of a Pb rather than beat or "bottom" instrument. My reaction was "Who is this dude?"
"Stanley Clarke" is total of fine performances: keyboardist January Hammer, guitar histrion Bill Connors, Clarke himself, together with the guy who steals the present from everyone else, the legendary Tony Williams. Williams does amazing function throughout this album, but his solos on "Power" together with "Life Suite" are precisely incredible. In the 2nd campaign of "Life Suite", Williams' solo is otherworldly; the function he does on the high hat, bass drum together with toms is beyond anything I get got always heard inwards my fifty years. Williams so moves on to embrace what seems similar every unmarried piece of his drum kit: toms, cymbals, high hat, together with snare-and he does it amongst such fluidity together with speed that it seems similar at that spot is to a greater extent than than i someone playing simultaneously. When the vocal drops inwards book together with tempo, Williams so does a sort of "background solo" amongst rim shots on his snare drum.
This is tremendous stuff. "Stanley Clarke" is maybe non equally polished equally some of his subsequently solo plant such equally "School Days" or "Journey to Love", but it is withal a marvel to behold. The big affair is Tony Williams is on this album, together with non the others. The solely argue I subtract i star is Stanley somehow sentiment he could delineate off what he sentiment would locomote past times for singing on "Yesterday Princess". Maybe he got the sentiment from Tony, who also "sang" on his "Lifetime" albums. Bad sentiment for both of them...
More than xxx years thus "Stanley Clark" tin withal tingle my spine when I psyche to "Life Suite"! As far equally I'm concerned, that qualifies this album equally a classic.
Stanley Clarke is Jazz Fusion Bass. There is non now, never was, together with never volition live on an equivalent . Few creative someone gain instant greatness amongst their solo debut album...Stanley did. The opening cut..."Vulcan Princess"...winds its means from a sassy rythmic dance, into a bold, fully ripe melody, fermenting into a beautifully eerie vocal ballad of dear together with longing. "Vulcan Princess" leads-sans pause- into a (now classic) string popping, synchopathic jaunt through the spacey landscape which is titled "Yesterday Princess". "YP creates musical slices of synthesizer, electrical guitar together with percussion which seem to fragment, so cascade dorsum together, pulled sytematically into line of piece of job past times the always acquaint "syncho-Stanley- pops". The "Princess" tunes are wonderful introductions for the middle of the 6 tune album...they brand us similar Stanley, appreciate Stanley, recognize that Stanley is an extremely passionate together with talented musical poet. Tunes iii together with 4, "Lopsy Lu" together with "Power" creep upwards on y'all teasing amongst an underlying, pseudo-subtle season of the animate existence which lurks inwards the fantastic fingers of Monsieur Clarke. "Lopsy" is poignant. "Power" is, well... powerful. The side past times side cutting "Spanish Phases for Strings together with Bass" is moody,seductive, occassionaly lilting, around passifying. The "SPfSaB" calms you, soothes you, puts y'all at precisely the correct house to best grip the adrenelaine shot to the pump that concludes the album...The finally cutting "Life Suite" states precisely that if life starts amongst a slap on the raise together with a cry...it sure ends amongst a difficult swift boot inwards the pants together with a passionate scream. That's Stanley....
Tracks Listing
1. Vulcan Princess (4:00)
2. Yesterday Princess (1:41)
3. Lopsy Lu (7:03)
4. Power (7:20)
5. Castilian Phases for Strings & Bass (6:26)
6. Life Suite
Part I - 1:51
Part II - 4:12
Part III - 1:03
Part IV - 6:41
Total Time 40:31
Personnel
Stanley Clarke - acoustic together with electrical basses, guitar, piano, vocals
January Hammer - acoustic together with electrical pianos, organ, Moog synthesizer
Bill Connors - acoustic together with electrical guitars
Tony Williams - drums
Airto Moreira - percussion
Peter Gordon, Jon Faddis, James Buffington, Lew Soloff, Garnett Brown - brasses
David Taylor - brasses, trombone
David Nadien, Charles McCracken, Jesse Levy, Carol Buck, Beverly Lauridsen, Harry Cykman, Harold Kohon, Paul Gershman, Harry Lookofsky, Emanuel Green - string section
Michael Gibbs (string & brass arrangement)
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