[1] 1, 2, To the Bass (S.Clarke/K.Fareed) - 5:55
[2] Simply Said (S.Clarke) - 4:34
[3] Where Is the Love (R.McDonald/W.Salter) - 4:06
[4] Anna [She Loves the Good Life] (S.Clarke) - 5:01
[5] Los Callabos [The Horses] (S.Clarke) - 4:41
[6] Just Cruzin' (S.Clarke) - 4:26
[7] 'Bout the Bass (S.Clarke/M.McKinley) - 7:32
[8] Hair (L.Graham Jr.) - 5:14
[9] Touch [live] (S.Clarke) - 6:04
[10] All the Children/Todos los Niños (S.Clarke) - 4:56
[11] I Shall Not Be Moved (S.Clarke/M.Angelou) - 6:37
[12] Shanti Peace Paz (S.Clarke/L.Subramaniam) - 5:53
On this contemporary R&B/soul jazz recording, his first solo
release in a decade, bassist Stanley Clarke has taken in elements of
contemporary pop music including hip-hop, urban groove, and world
music, in addition to his well-known jazz-leanings as an electric and
acoustic player. To give the proceedings a touch of authenticity and
spark, Clarke has brought some friends on board including producer
Quincy Jones, rapper Q-Tip, guitarist Joe Satriani and - hold onto your
hat--Oprah Winfrey. The low-key hip-hop of the title track, featuring
Q-Tip, introduces some street cred to the outing, while radio-friendly
smooth pop like the cover of the R&B classic "Where Is the Love"
keep things firmly in the middle of the road. The Gypsy Kings-ish
ballad "Los Callabos" contrastswith the electro-boogie of "Bout the
Bass" and the grind-groove of "Hair" (with electric guitar courtesy of
Satriani). The album's quiet moments - Clarke's solo bass features, the
lyrical, ambient "Peace", and Oprah reading Maya Angelou's poem "I
Shall Not Be Moved" - throw a dash of introspection into the mix.
"Where Is The Love" was nominated for the 2004 Grammy
Award for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals.
On this contemporary R&B/soul jazz recording, his first solo
release in a decade, bassist Stanley Clarke has taken in elements of
contemporary pop music including hip-hop, urban groove, and world
music, in addition to his well-known jazz-leanings as an electric and
acoustic player. To give the proceedings a touch of authenticity and
spark, Clarke has brought some friends on board including producer
Quincy Jones, rapper Q-Tip, guitarist Joe Satriani and--hold onto your
hat--Oprah Winfrey.
The low-key hip-hop of the title track, featuring Q-Tip, introduces
some street cred to the outing, while radio-friendly smooth pop like
the cover of the R&B classic "Where Is the Love" keep things firmly
in the middle of the road. The Gypsy Kings-ish ballad "Los Callabos"
contrasts with the electro-boogie of "Bout the Bass" and the
grind-groove of "Hair" (with electric guitar courtesy of Satriani). The
album's quiet moments--Clarke's solo bass features, the lyrical,
ambient "Peace," and Oprah reading Maya Angelou's poem "I Shall Not Be
Moved"--throw a dash of introspection into the mix.
CDUniverse.com
Stanley Clarke is without doubt a phenomenally talented bassist but has
not done much to showcase this ability on his own recordings since the
late '70s. You can chalk that up mostly to Clarke's propensity for
trite, pop-oriented material that does little to illuminate his great
technical command of the instrument or to engage the listener either
melodically or lyrically. 1, 2, to the Bass is a step in the right
direction with a more jazz-oriented feel and some interesting guest
appearances. Rapper Q-Tip gets things off to a nice start on the title
track which reimagines '90s hip-hop jazz as "quiet storm" R&B.
"Simply Said" is reminiscent of Sting's more fusion-style originals
with flutist Hubert Laws on a nice melodic hook. There is also an
inspired reworking of the R&B classic "Where Is the Love" featuring
Glenn Lewis and Amel Larrieux. Later on, if "Los Caballos (The Horses)"
sounds a little too much like Madonna's "Borderline," and Oprah
Winfrey's reading of Maya Angelou's "I Shall Not Be Moved" seems a bit
out of place on an album that includes a song titled "Just Cruzin',"
there's at least the "Rock It"-styled electro-disco-funk of "Bout the
Bass." And don't forget the monstrous "freak" funk cover of "Hair" that
almost redeems everything guitarist Joe Satriani has ever done. Perhaps
not the exhilarating breakthrough one would hope, 1, 2, to the Bass is
nonetheless a very exciting return to form.
Philadelphia-born bassist Stanley Clarke is a first-generation
fusionist who burst on the scene with Return to Forever in the '70s.
From then to now, he recorded a number of critically-acclaimed
recordings that encompassed jazz, rock, r&b, and funk with George
Duke, Al DiMeola, and Lenny White. On this CD, Clarke is joined by
Duke, guitarist Joe Satriani, saxophonist Everette Harp, flautist
Hubert Laws, violinist Dr. L Subramaniam, and drummer Vinny Colaiuta.
The title track features the hip-hop contributions of Q-Tip, while
"Just Cruzin'" is Clarke's straight-ahead, piccolo bass shout to Wes
Montgomery. "I Shall Not Be Moved" is a spiritual piece co-produced by
Quincy Jones, featuring Oprah Winfrey reciting lines from a Maya
Angelou poem. But "About the Bass" is Clarke's eight-minute long
tour-de-force where he reminds everybody, in no uncertain terms, that
he's still king of the lower frequencies.