[1] If This Bass Could Only Talk (S.Clarke) - 2:30
[2] Goodbye Pork Pie Hat (Mingus) - 6:25
[3] I Want to Play for Ya (S.Clarke) - 3:27
[4] Stories to Tell (S.Clarke) - 3:47
[5] Funny How Time Flies [When You're Having] (Harris) - 6:05
[6] Workin' Man (S.Clarke) - 6:26
[7] Tradition (S.Clarke) - 7:11
[8] Come Take My Hand (S.Clarke) - 4:09
[9] Bassically Taps (S.Clarke) - 3:15
STANLEY CLARKE - Synthesizer, Acoustic & Electric Guitar, Acoustic & Electric Bass, Percussion, Arranger, Keyboards
STEWART COPELAND - Drums
GREGORY HINES - Dancer
GEORGE DUKE - Piano
ALLAN HOLDSWORTH - Guitar
GEORGE HOWARD - Soprano Saxophone
WAYNE SHORTER - Soprano Saxophone
JAMES EARL - Bass
EDDIE ARKIN - Synthesizer, Arranger
GERRY BROWN - Drums
PAULINHO DA COSTA - Percussion
FREDDIE HUBBARD - Trumpet
STEVE HUNT - Synthesizer
BYRON MILLER - Arranger, Synthesizer Bass
JOHN "J.R." ROBINSON - Drums
VANCE TAYLOR - Piano
JOE GASTWIRT - Engineer
MITCH GIBSON - Engineer
CSABA PETOCZ - Engineer
STEVE SYKES - Engine
Perhaps aware of some creeping staleness in his records, Clarke brought
in a lot of help and sailed in the general direction of The Wave on
Hideaway — but with only slightly improved results. George
Howard, Angela Bofill, Herbie Hancock, Stewart Copeland (with whom
Clarke would soon form Animal Logic), the newly emerged Stanley Jordan,
and bass colleague Alphonso Johnson are some of the more recognizable
names on board, and Clarke mans all of the instruments himself on the
drum computer-driven "When It's Cold Outside." Some points of note:
Stevie Wonder's "Overjoyed" gets a lush treatment augmented by Jordan's
spidery guitar and Clare Fischer's string chart; "Old Friends" features
the core of the School Days band and sounds fresher than its companions
while allowing for some electronic updating of the style. But rarely
are the guests challenged to their capabilities in this polished, often
relaxed collection of synth-textured tracks, for the material remains
mostly routine.
1988 LP Epic 4608831
1990 CD Columbia 40923
1990 CD CBS 40923
1991 CD Portrait RK-40923
1991 CS Portrait ORT-40923
1991 CD Columbia 40923
This was bassist Stanley Clarke's twelfth solo set, and one of his very
few that would be recommended to jazz (as opposed to funk and R&B)
listeners. On the instrumental set, Clarke's bass is featured in a wide
variety of settings, including duets with tap dancer Gregory Hines and
drummer John Robinson, a quartet with Wayne Shorter ("Goodbye Pork Pie
Hat"), in a power trio with guitarist Allan Holdsworth and drummer
Stewart Copeland, a piece with George Duke (on acoustic piano for a
change) and soprano saxophonist George Howard, a quartet with the
synthesizers of Steve Hunt, and "Funny How Time Flies," which has a
colorful Freddie Hubbard trumpet solo. Throughout, Clarke's bass has
plenty of solo space, and he shows how strong a player he can be when
given decent material.
Scott Yanow, All-Music Guide
Yeah, me and Stanley seen some wild shit together alright. He's been
playing me since `72, and over the years, the two of us created a style
of bass playing that's changed the very conception of what me and my
kind should sound like. Stanley dragged me out of the rhythm section
and let me shine as a lead instrument, sometimes putting me down in
favor of his piccolo bass for further melodic excursions (or else
givin' me one of them wild tunings). Me and Stanley developed a style
that can be applied to all genres, and on this record (which Stanley
produced all by himself), he demonstrates just how diverse his virtuoso
playing can be. The coolest things here are our two collaborations with
Lefty and Righty-Gregory Hines' tap dancin' feet! We laid down a blues
jam on the title track, and wildly smokin', finger-poppin' workout on
the closing tune, "Bassically Taps," where my sharp percussive pops and
Hines' taps blend together almost seamlessly! Also, Stanley covers (and
transforms) Mingus' "Goodbye, Porkpie Hat" (dedicated to Gil Evans and
Jaco Pastorius, whose playing Stan and I occasionally evoke here), as
well as Janet Jackson's hit "Funny How Time Flies." Don't miss "Workin'
Man," where we show our rock chops, and the trad-style swing of
"Traditional." And yo, don't I look right nice on the album jacket?
CMJ.com
"Stories To Tell" ist ein unspektakuläres Beispiel für
Stanley Clarkes Baß-Klasse. Er läßt die Saiten
swingen, singen, jammern, funkt gar zu ge- stepter Percussion
("Bassically Taps"). Trotz Koryphäen wie Wayne Shorter oder
Freddie Hubbard geht im ätherischen Fusion-Ambiente oft der Faden
verloren.