The Stanley Clarke Band

Last updated

The Stanley Clarke Band
The Stanley Clarke Band.jpg
Studio album by
the Stanley Clarke Band featuring Hiromi
ReleasedJune 15, 2010 (2010-06-15)
StudioResonate Music (Burbank, CA)
Topanga Studio (Topanga, CA)
Genre Jazz
Length63:26
Label Heads Up
Producer
Stanley Clarke chronology
Jazz in the Garden
(2009)		The Stanley Clarke Band
(2010)		 Up
(2014)

The Stanley Clarke Band is an album by the Stanley Clarke Band led by jazz bassist Stanley Clarke. It was released by Heads Up Record in June 2010 and was produced by Clarke and Lenny White. Band members include Ruslan Sirota on keyboard, Ronald Bruner, Jr. on drums and featured performer Hiromi on piano.

Contents

The album was awarded the 2011 Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album and the track "No Mystery" was nominated for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. The Guardian gave the album three stars, calling it a "return to a funk repertoire reminiscent of Clarke's roots in Chick Corea electric bands", while AllMusic gave it a score of three-and-a-half stars. It is also the second Stanley Clarke album to be credited to the Stanley Clarke Band after his 1985 album Find Out!.

The band

Featured performer Hiromi appears on three tracks and composed "Labyrinth" Hiromi 5289072w.jpg
Featured performer Hiromi appears on three tracks and composed "Labyrinth"

A core trio is constant throughout the album with Clarke joined by drummer Ronald Bruner, Jr. and keyboardist Ruslan Sirota. Hiromi is billed as a featured artist playing piano on "No Mystery", "Larry Has Traveled 11 Miles and Waited a Lifetime for the Return of Vishnu’s Report" and her composition "Labyrinth". Several additional musicians appear on most tracks. [1] [2]

Clarke, in discussing the band has said that "our common thread is improvisation". [3] Keyboardist Ruslan Sirota is from Israel; Clarke has compared him to Chick Corea and George Duke. [3] Pianist Hiromi is from Japan; Clarke has said that she "plays the piano like a tornado". [3] Hiromi also played on Clarke's 2009 album Jazz in the Garden . [4] Clarke referred to drummer Ronald Bruner, from Compton, California, [5] as "one of the most important drummers out there". [3] Bruner and Sirota had been playing with Clarke for five years or so before the album's release. [6]

The additional musicians include two guitarists Charles Altura and Rob Bacon, bassist Armand Sabal-Lecco on "Fulani", keyboardist Felton Pilate on "Here's Why Tears Dry", saxophonists Bob Sheppard on "Larry Has Traveled 11 Miles and Waited a Lifetime for the Return of Vishnu’s Report". Lorenzo Dunn from Earth, Wind & Fire plays the bass synthesizer on "Soldier". "Sonny Rollins" features Manhattan Transfer vocalist Cheryl Bentyne and a full horn section with Sheppard sharing saxophone duties with Doug Webb, plus trumpeter John Papenbrook and trombonist Andrew Lippman. Natasha Agrama and Ilsey Juber provide vocals on "Soldier". [1] [2]

Music

In describing the album, Clarke said, "Technically, it's a Stanley Clarke record, but it's very much a band-oriented record at the same time". Comparing the album to a ship, he said, "I'd be the one steering the ship and keeping everybody on course. But all hands were definitely on deck, and everyone played an important role in getting us to our destination". [2] Clarke has said that this will be his last electric album for a while. [2] Clarke co-produced the album with Lenny White who played drums on Clarke's 2009 album Jazz in the Garden. [1]

Tracks

"Soldier", Ruslan Sirota's compositional contribution to the album, includes a piano solo with elements borrowed from McCoy Tyner and Herbie Hancock. [5] It was called "Methenyesque" by music critic John Fordham. [7] The track "Fulani" was written by Armand Sabal-Lecco and is "Africa-inspired" [2] and "has a crunching rock feel". [7]

Talking about the track "Here's Why Tears Dry" Clarke said, "The tune came about when a family member was ending a long-time love affair. There were a lot of tears, so I came up with that song. The tears evaporate into thin air, and the pain eventually goes away." [2] "I Wanna Play for You Too" was written by Felton Pilate who plays keyboards on the track. [2]

Keyboardist Ruslan Sirota composed the track "Soldier" Ruslan Sirota.jpg
Keyboardist Ruslan Sirota composed the track "Soldier"

"Bass Folk Song No. 10" and the album's closing track, "Bass Folk Song No. 6" are both bass solo performances that Clarke wrote many years before they were recorded here. [2] "No Mystery" is a reworking of the song written by Chick Corea when he and Clarke were bandmates in Return to Forever. [1]

"How Is the Weather Up There?" was written by Clarke and Ronald Bruner, Jr., and deals with global warming. The song was built around comments left by his fans in response to a post on Clarke's Facebook page asking for thoughts on global warming. [2]

"Larry Has Traveled 11 Miles and Waited a Lifetime for the Return of Vishnu’s Report" pays homage in its name and musical stylings to Larry Coryell's the Eleventh House, Miles Davis, Mahavishnu Orchestra, the Tony Williams Lifetime, Return to Forever, and Weather Report, all jazz fusion pioneers. [4]

"Labyrinth" was composed by Hiromi and contains elements from "My Favorite Things" with a "funky touch". [5] "Sonny Rollins" is a Caribbean flavored tribute to saxophonist Sonny Rollins [5] featuring Bob Sheppard on tenor sax and vocals by Cheryl Bentyne. [1]

Reception

The Stanley Clarke Band
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [5]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]

John Fordham of The Guardian called the album a "return to a funk repertoire reminiscent of Clarke's roots in Chick Corea electric bands". He goes on to call it "more than just a box-ticking piece of jazz-funk commercialism" but laments "Clarke could probably play a lot of this kind of thing in his sleep". [7] William R. Wood wrote in the Kalamazoo Gazette that "Clarke’s complex bass work is invigorating as he blends jazz, rock and funk". [8]

Thom Jurek of AllMusic wrote that the album "feels more like a band record than anything [Clarke has] done in decades". He praises Clarke's choice in bandmates, calling them "prodigies in their own right" but does not praise the whole album. He called "Larry Has Traveled 11 Miles and Waited a Lifetime for the Return of Vishnu's Report" a "clumsy, failed attempt at summing up the music's history to date" and that "Bass Folk Song No. 6" does not "work [as] well" as some of the other tracks but "these are minor complaints on an otherwise fine recording". [5] Jeff Winbush of All About Jazz commented that there "are no radical departures" on this album and it sounds as if Clarke is "taking a victory lap here, revisiting past triumphs" but that he "still pull[s] sounds out of his assortment of electric, acoustic and Alembic basses like nobody else, and [is] still slapping, plucking and thumbing his way through contemporary, fusion jazz, rock, funk and whatever else he puts his mind to". [1]

Awards

I'm grateful on behalf of the whole band for this honor. It's humbling to be in such strong company. It's so gratifying to see that jazz and instrumental music remain such vibrant and exciting musical forms, and that we could contribute to their vitality. I'd like to thank the members of the Stanley Clarke Band: keyboardist Ruslan Sirota; drummer Ronald Bruner, Jr.; pianist Hiromi Uehara and the rest of the performers on this album. I'd also like to thank my wife Sofi, who's been such a strong supporter of my career, and my children, who are also making their paths in the arts.

Clarke after learning he won the Grammy. [9]

The album won the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album and the track "No Mystery" was nominated for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. Clarke accepted his Grammy with his bandmates Ronald Bruner, Jr. and Ruslan Sirota and his wife, Sofi, at the Staples Center during a pre-telecast ceremony. Clarke was on tour in Australia with Return to Forever when he learned of his nominations. [10]

The other nominees for Best Contemporary Jazz Album were Never Can Say Goodbye by Joey DeFrancesco, Now Is the Time by Jeff Lorber Fusion, To the One by John McLaughlin, and Backatown by Trombone Shorty. [11] The Best Pop Instrumental Performance was awarded to Jeff Beck for his rendition of "Nessun dorma". [12]

Track listing

All tracks written by Stanley Clarke unless noted

  1. "Soldier" (Ruslan Sirota) 7:07
  2. "Fulani" (Armand Sabal-Lecco) 6:29
  3. "Here's Why Tears Dry" 4:52
  4. "I Wanna Play for You Too" (Felton C. Pilate II) 4:13
  5. "Bass Folk Song No. 10" 3:40
  6. "No Mystery" (Chick Corea) 7:09
  7. "How Is the Weather Up There?" (Ronald Bruner, Jr., Clarke) 5:54
  8. "Larry Has Traveled 11 Miles and Waited a Lifetime for the Return of Vishnu’s Report" 6:32
  9. "Labyrinth" (Hiromi) 5:56
  10. "Sonny Rollins" 8:49
  11. "Bass Folk Song No. 6 (Mo Anam Cara)" 2:41

Personnel

Chart performance

YearChartPeak position
2010 Billboard Jazz Albums 7 [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanley Clarke</span> American bassist (born 1951)

Stanley Clarke is an American bassist, composer and founding member of Return to Forever, one of the first jazz fusion bands. Clarke gave the bass guitar a prominence it lacked in jazz-related music. He is the first jazz-fusion bassist to headline tours, sell out shows worldwide and have recordings reach gold status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chick Corea</span> American musician and composer (1941–2021)

Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea was an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", "500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba" and "Windows" are widely considered jazz standards. As a member of Miles Davis's band in the late 1960s, he participated in the birth of jazz fusion. In the 1970s he formed Return to Forever. Along with McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett, Corea is considered to have been one of the foremost jazz musicians of the post-John Coltrane era.

"Spain" is an instrumental jazz fusion composition by jazz pianist and composer Chick Corea. It is likely Corea's most recognized piece, and is considered a jazz standard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hiromi Uehara</span> Japanese musician and composer

Hiromi Uehara, known professionally as Hiromi, is a Japanese jazz composer and pianist. She is known for her virtuosic technique, energetic live performances and blending of musical genres such as stride, post-bop, progressive rock, classical, nu jazz and fusion in her compositions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Return to Forever</span> American jazz fusion group led by Chick Corea

Return to Forever was an American jazz fusion band that was founded by pianist Chick Corea in 1972. The band has had many members, with the only consistent bandmate of Corea's being bassist Stanley Clarke. Along with Weather Report, The Headhunters, and Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever is often cited as one of the core groups of the jazz-fusion movement of the 1970s. Several musicians, including Clarke, Flora Purim, Airto Moreira and Al Di Meola, came to prominence through their performances on Return to Forever albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenny White</span> American drummer

Leonard "Lenny" White III is an American jazz fusion drummer who was a member of the band Return to Forever led by Chick Corea in the 1970s. White has been called "one of the founding fathers of jazz fusion". He has won three Grammy awards, two nominations and one Latin Grammy.

<i>No Mystery</i> 1975 studio album by Return to Forever

No Mystery (1975) is a studio album by jazz-rock fusion band Return to Forever, and the second featuring the quartet of Chick Corea, guitarist Al Di Meola, bassist Stanley Clarke and drummer Lenny White.

<i>Where Have I Known You Before</i> 1974 studio album by Return to Forever

Where Have I Known You Before is a studio album by Return to Forever, the first featuring guitarist Al Di Meola, and the second since leader Chick Corea switched to mostly electric instrumentation, playing music heavily influenced by progressive rock, funk and classical.

<i>Romantic Warrior</i> 1976 studio album by Return to Forever

Romantic Warrior is a studio album by the American jazz fusion band Return to Forever, their first recorded for Columbia Records, after releasing their previous four albums on Polydor. In February of 1976, the group retreated to Caribou Ranch near Nederland, Colorado to record. It was the first album to remove the "featuring Chick Corea" credit from beside the band name on the album cover. Despite the music being more dense and avant-garde than the funkier No Mystery, it remains the band's highest selling album with over 500,000 copies sold in the US alone.

<i>Light as a Feather</i> 1973 studio album by Return to Forever

Light as a Feather is technically the first studio album by jazz band Return to Forever led by keyboardist Chick Corea. It features saxophonist/flautist Joe Farrell, bassist Stanley Clarke, vocalist Flora Purim and her husband, drummer/percussionist Airto Moreira, who all performed on Corea’s previous album Return to Forever, from which the group took its name.

<i>Children of Forever</i> 1973 studio album by Stanley Clarke

Children of Forever is the debut album by jazz fusion bassist Stanley Clarke. It was recorded in December 1972, and was released in 1973 by Polydor Records. On the album, Clarke is joined by vocalists Dee Dee Bridgewater and Andy Bey, flutist Arthur Webb, guitarist Pat Martino, keyboardist Chick Corea, and drummer Lenny White.

<i>Thunder</i> (SMV album) 2008 studio album by SMV

Thunder is the debut studio album by supergroup S.M.V., consisted of bassists Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten. It was released on August 12, 2008 via Heads Up International. Recording sessions took place at Hannibal Studio and Threshold Sound + Vision in Santa Monica, at House of Blues Studios in Encino, at Westlake Studios and Le Gonks West in Los Angeles, at VixMix Studios in Nashville, and at Ryan's Place in Topanga. The entire album was produced by Marcus Miller with co-production by Clarke and Wooten. It features contributions from Antoinette "Butterscotch" Clinton on vocals, George Duke, Ruslan Sirota, Ariel Mann, Chick Corea and Karlton Taylor on keyboards, Ronald Bruner Jr., Poogie Bell, Derico Watson and J. D. Blair on drums, Kevin Ricard on percussion, Michael "Patches" Stewart on trumpet, and Steve Baxter on trombone.

<i>The Toys of Men</i> 2007 studio album by Stanley Clarke

The Toys of Men is the 27th studio album by jazz fusion bassist Stanley Clarke. It was released on October 16, 2007 via Heads Up International.

<i>Returns</i> (album) Album by fusion band Return to Forever

Returns is a live album by American fusion band Return to Forever. Released in 2009 by Eagle Records, it is the first recording by the band after a hiatus of 32 years. Also in 2009 a video recording of the band's live performances from the "Returns" tour at Montreux, Switzerland and Clearwater, Florida was released by Eagle Rock Entertainment as Returns: Live at Montreux 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruslan Sirota</span> Ukrainian-born American musician

Ruslan Sirota is a Grammy Award winning pianist, composer, and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Earl</span> American jazz bass guitarist

James Christopher Earl is an American jazz bass guitarist who is a member of the Jimmy Kimmel Live! band.

Armand Sabal-Lecco is a Cameroonian bass guitarist, composer and multi-instrumentalist best known for playing bass-guitar on Paul Simon's The Rhythm of the Saint's tour in 1989. Sabal-Lecco has worked with Paul Simon, the Brecker Brothers, Herbie Hancock, Stanley Clarke, John Patitucci, Vanessa Williams and many others. Armand is one of the world's leading session artists and also the brother of drummer Félix Sabal Lecco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thundercat (musician)</span> American musician and producer (born 1984)

Stephen Lee Bruner, better known by his stage name Thundercat, is an American musician, singer, record producer, and songwriter from Los Angeles. First coming to prominence as a member of crossover thrash band Suicidal Tendencies, he has since released four solo studio albums and is noted for his work with producer Flying Lotus and his appearances on Kendrick Lamar's 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly. In 2016, Thundercat won a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Performance for his work on the track "These Walls" from To Pimp a Butterfly. In 2020, Thundercat released his fourth studio album, It Is What It Is, which earned him a Grammy Award for Best Progressive R&B Album.

<i>Forever</i> (Corea, Clarke & White album) 2011 live album / Studio album by Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Lenny White

Forever is a double CD album of live acoustic recordings recorded in California, Tokyo and Seattle in 2009 by the Return to Forever pianist Chick Corea, bass player Stanley Clarke and drummer Lenny White and studio rehearsals with guests Jean-Luc Ponty, Bill Connors and Chaka Khan. It was released on the Concord label I 2011.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Winbush, Jeff (8 July 2010). "Stanley Clarke: The Stanley Clarke Band". All About Jazz. Archived from the original on 30 December 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Hadley, Diane (9 June 2010). "Stanley Clarke Strikes up the Band with New CD Set to be Released June 15, 2010". All About Jazz. Archived from the original on 16 June 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Cary, Emily (3 June 2010). "Bassist Clarke reinvents himself, jazz music". The Washington Examiner . Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  4. 1 2 Varty, Alexander (24 June 2010). "Stanley Clarke pays tribute to pioneering fusion bands". The Georgia Straight . Vancouver. Archived from the original on 1 September 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jurek, Thom. "Review: The Stanley Clarke Band". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 19 February 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  6. ↑ Berndtson, Chad (17 June 2010). "Jazz great Stanley Clarke to play Sunday at Berklee". The Patriot Ledger . Quincy, Massachusetts. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Fordham, John (8 July 2010). "Stanley Clarke/Hiromi: The Stanley Clarke Band". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 6 January 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  8. ↑ Wood, William R. (8 August 2010). "New jazz CDs include offerings from Gilmore, Fontana performers". Kalamazoo Gazette . Archived from the original on 13 October 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  9. ↑ "Stanley Clarke Band Wins Grammy Award". Jazz News. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  10. ↑ Hadley, Diane (14 February 2011). "Grammy Winner Stanley Clarke Reflects On His Win And Two Nominations". All About Jazz. Archived from the original on 15 February 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  11. ↑ Mergner, Lee (13 February 2011). "Spalding, Hancock and Bridgewater Among Jazz Grammy Winners". JazzTimes . Archived from the original on 9 March 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  12. ↑ "Nominees And Winners". Grammy Awards. Archived from the original on 26 April 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  13. ↑ "Charts & Awards: The Stanley Clarke Band". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 20 February 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.