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Stanley Clarke: Up

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Mack Avenue Records
Released: 2014,09.30
Time:
 44:57
Category: Jazz
Producer(s): Stanley Clarke
Rating:
Media type: CD
Web address: www.stanleyclarke.com
Appears with: Al Di Meola, Jean-Luc Ponty
Purchase date: 2015
Price in €: 1,00





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Pop Virgil (Stanley Clarke) - 3:17
[2] Last Train to Sanity (Stanley Clarke) - 3:32
[3] Up (Stanley Clarke) - 3:16
[4] Brazilian Love Affair [Dedicated to George Duke] (George Duke) - 6:36
[5] Bass Folk Song #13: Mingus (Stanley Clarke) - 0:57
[6] I Have Something to Tell You Tonight (Stanley Clarke) - 6:24
[7] Trust (Dedicated to Nana) (Stanley Clarke) - 3:38
[8] Bass Folk Song #7: Tradition (Stanley Clarke) - 1:52
[9] Gotham City (Stanley Clarke) - 3:42
[10] Bass Folk Song #14: Dance of the Giant Hummingbird / Bass Folk Song #15: Eleuthera Island (Stanley Clarke) - 2:04
[11] School Days (Stanley Clarke) - 5:32
[12] La Canción de Sofia (Stanley Clarke) - 4:08

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Stanley Clarke - 6-String Electric Bass, Arranger, Acoustic & Electric Bass, Acoustic Guitar, Producer, Synthesizer Bass, Tenor Bass, Vocals
Ruslan Sirota - Fender Rhodes, Piano, Synthesizer
Ronald Bruner Jr. - Drums

Chick Corea - Piano
Beka Gochiashvili - Piano
Phil Davis - Keyboards, Synthesizer
Jimmy Herring - Guitar
Michael Mitchell - Drums
Stewart Copeland - Drums
Gerry "The Gov" Brown - Drums, Engineer, Mixing
Lenny Castro - Percussion
Felipe Fraga - Percussion
Gary Grant - Trumpet
Dan Higgins - Baritone & Tenor Saxophone
Paul Jackson, Jr. - Guitar
Nick Mancini - Marimba
Andy Martin - Trombone
Greg Phillinganes - Keyboards
John Robinson - Drums
Joe Walsh - Guitar
Kamasi Washington - Saxophone
Doug Webb - Saxophone

Jessica Vautor - Vocals
Patrice Quinn - Background Vocals
Natasha Agrama - Choir/Chorus, Background Vocals
Mariela Arredondo - Choir/Chorus

Harlem String Quartet:
Jaime Amador - Viola
Ilmar Gavilan - Violin
Melissa White - Violin
Matthew Zalkind - Cello

Atron Gregory - Executive Producer
Gretchen Valade - Executive Producer
Dennis MacKay - Engineer, Mixing
Danny Johnson - Engineer
Bernie Kirsh - Engineer
Dave Luke - Engineer
Rush Anderson - Engineer
Jon Hakakian - Engineer
Bobby Campbell - Engineer
Alex Venguer - Engineer
Alex Williams - Engineer
Jason Butler - Assistant Engineer
Dan Fyfe - Assistant Engineer
Hotae Alexander Jang - Assistant Engineer
Yan Perchuk - Mixing
Brian Gardner - Mastering Engineer
Ahmed Agrama - Inside Photo
JaCarlo Hairston - Assistant
Jerry Hey - Horn Arrangements
Claire Ito - Production Manager
George Madrid - Production Coordination
Raj Naik - Art Direction, Design
Toshi Sakurai - Photography
Steven Parke - Back Cover Photo, Cover Photo
Will Wakefield - Production Manager
Monica Rodman - Production Assistant
Amanda Yamate - Production Assistant
Al Pryor - A&R

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


Jazz-fusion bass virtuoso Stanley Clarke’s latest is set to drop September 30.

UP, from The Stanley Clarke Band, promises a blend of electric and acoustic bass work from the legendary Clarke.

Clarke’s former bandmates, pianist/keyboardist Ruslan Sirota and drummer Ronald Bruner Jr. appear on the album being released by Mack Avenue Records, as do acoustic pianist Beka Gochiashivili and drummer Mike Mitchell of his current touring band. The latter two are still in their teens, while Clarke is a player with a long career and more than 40 solo albums to his credit.

“My aim here was to make a record with my friends. Every single recording session was nothing but fun,” Clarke says. That’s particularly evident with the title track, which he recorded with drummer Stewart Copeland (formerly of The Police.) “His vibe is one of the most upbeat and positive that I know, and that consciousness carries throughout the song.” Other stars, like keyboardist Greg Phillinganes, pianist Chick Corea, and guitarist Joe Walsh appear on the record.

The album also includes some more of Clarke’s signature “Bass Folk Songs”, a song featuring the Harlem String Quartet and even a tune that’s a homage to Clarke’s love of superheroes in both films and comics. There’s even a re-recording of Clarke’s own mid-1970s piece, “School Days”.

“Surrounding myself with people I enjoy being with made the sessions effortless. Everyone came prepared and ready to play,” Clarke says. “All were great musicians and they came to the studio to give everything they had.”

We’ll be counting the days to September 30th.

© 2015 No Treble



Legendary bassist Stanley Clarke considers his upcoming Mack Avenue Records release, The Stanley Clarke Band’s UP, to be the most energetic, rhythmic and upbeat album that he has ever done—and with more than 40 solo albums under his belt, that’s saying quite a lot. Clarke’s signature bass virtuosity and technical acumen is present throughout, but the enjoyment he had in making this album is also apparent. Unlike his predominantly acoustic bass work on the last few albums, UP is almost equal parts electric and acoustic bass.

“My aim here was to make a record with my friends. Every single recording session was nothing but fun,” says Clarke. “Surrounding myself with people I enjoy being with made the sessions effortless. Everyone came prepared and ready to play. All were great musicians and they came to the studio to give everything they had.”

Much like his last Grammy® Award-winning album, Stanley Clarke Band, this new release features the inclusion of former bandmates pianist/keyboardist Ruslan Sirota and drummer Ronald Bruner, Jr., who toured with him for seven years and were Clarke’s co-Grammy Award winners for the Best Contemporary Jazz Album of 2011. Two of Clarke’s current touring band members, acoustic pianist Beka Gochiashvili and drummer Mike Mitchell, are also represented on the album. Both are quite young, in their teens, and talented way beyond their years.

Among these other friends Clarke invites to shine on UP are: guitarists Joe Walsh, Jimmy Herring and Paul Jackson, Jr.; drummers Stewart Copeland, Gerry Brown and John Robinson; keyboardist Greg Phillinganes; Phil Davis on synthesizer and keyboards; Chick Corea on acoustic piano; saxophonists Kamasi Washington, Doug Webb and Dan Higgins; vocalists Jessica Vautor, Natasha Agrama and Patrice Quinn; trumpeter Gary Grant and trombonist Andy Martin on horns; percussionist Lenny Castro; Nick Mancini on marimba; and the Harlem String Quartet with violinists Ilmar Gavilán and Melissa White, Jaime Amador on viola and cellist Matthew Zalkind.

The first track on the album, a song with a warm funky and bluesy feel that reminds Clarke of his grandfather, is “Pop Virgil,” featuring Michael Jackson’s session rhythm section: Robinson, Jackson, Jr. and Phillinganes. Clarke considers “Last Train To Sanity” one of the best pieces he has ever written and it is the only track on the album that deals with the music as a film composition. “I’m so glad that the Harlem String Quartet, who I’ve toured with a bit over the last year, was willing to be part of this recording,” says Clarke.

The title track “UP,” is the essence of the album’s sensibilities. “Drummer Stewart Copeland was on my mind with this song,” says Clarke. “His vibe is one of the most upbeat and positive that I know, and that consciousness carries throughout the song.” The bassist also pays homage to George Duke with “Brazilian Love Affair – Dedicated To George Duke,” one of his favorite compositions. A tremendous arrangement augmented by robust rhythms and a vigorous samba predominate the song.

As in previous recordings, Clarke unveils more bass compositions in UP that he has dubbed “Bass Folk Songs.” Clarke says, “They’re very specific compositions. I started writing them when I was much younger and have about 20 now. They are specifically written for a solo bass.” “Bass Folk Song #13: Mingus” is a homage to Charles Mingus done on acoustic bass. “Bass Folk Song #7: Tradition” evolved from thoughts on musicians Clarke played with early in his career including Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Joe Henderson and Stan Getz; ironically it’s an Alembic electric tenor bass solo. And “Bass Folk Song #14: Dance Of The Giant Hummingbird/Bass Song #15: Eleuthera Island” are two Bass Folk Songs put together for solo acoustic bass.

The collaboration is intuitive with former bandmates Sirota and Bruner, Jr. on “I Have Something To Tell You Tonight,” with Washington on sax creating a dreamy improvisational jam. “Trust – Dedicated To Nana” is a straight ahead jazz piece dedicated to Clarke’s daughter Nana (Natasha). It arose from a family discussion one evening, and though lyrics would seem appropriate to convey the conversation, here Clarke captures the feel and emotion of the exchange instrumentally. Ramping up the album’s ambiance again, Clarke and the musicians have fun with “Gotham City.” A fan of superheroes in films and comics since childhood, this is Clarke’s homage to the genre.

“I knew the idea of re-recording ‘School Days’ was potentially dangerous, but just because a song is good and deemed to be a classic doesn’t mean you can’t record it again,” Clarke states. The legendary Jimmy Herring does the dynamic guitar lead on this version and is joined by Gerry Brown, who was the original “School Days” drummer in 1975.

The album concludes with “La Canción de Sofia.” Written for Clarke’s wife Sofia, who is from Chile, this track is a live performance of an acoustic duet with Chick Corea recorded in 2013 at the Kitara Hall in Sapporo, Japan.

© 2014 All About Jazz



Stanley Clarke’s Up is an utterly welcome throwback, a fizzy reminder of everything that made his 1970s-era solo albums great — from his utilization of both the electric and the acoustic bass to the project’s deep well of complementary and sometimes surprising guest stars.

That’s the way it was with projects on 1975’s Journey to Love and 1979’s I Wanna Play For You, both of which featured Jeff Beck. With Up, just out on Mack Avenue, we find Clark working with Joe Walsh (the James Gang, the Eagles), Stewart Copeland (the Police), Lenny Castro (Boz Scaggs, Toto, Fleetwood Mac), Jimmy Herring (Widespread Panic) and Greg Phillinganes (Eric Clapton, Toto), along with more expected figures like Clarke’s longtime Return to Forever bandmate Chick Corea, Jimmy Herring, Paul Jackson Jr. and others.

And so we have “Pop Virgil,” a warm and inviting blues-inflected opener powered by Michael Jackson’s rhythm section. And a title track featuring the thwackingly fleet drumming of Copeland, and these shaggy-dog asides from Walsh. But also “Last Train to Sanity,” with the Harlem String Quartet. And “Brazilian Love Affair” and “Bass Folk Song No. 13: Mingus,” touching tributes to the late George Duke and Charles Mingus, respectively. “Trust” and the closing “La Cancion de Sofia,” the latter of which features Corea in a delicate duo format, speak to more personal emotions, as well — dedicated, as they are, to Clarke’s daughter and wife, respectively.

All of this speaks to a different time, when genres weren’t pegged as square or round, when imaginations roamed free across boundaries — a period that Clarke once helped define.

“With Return to Forever, Billy Joel was a huge fan of Chick Corea,” he tells me, in an exclusive Something Else! Sitdown. “Elton John used to come to see us when I would come to England; he would let us use his Rolls Royce. There were all these kind of stories. You don’t see so much of it now, because there are bigger partitions between the genres of music. I think it has to do with the managers, and the business. They want to keep everything separate. Most of my friends were rock musicians or funk musicians.”

He makes the connection more directly with a risky redo of 1976’s “School Days,” a signature moment of Clarke’s rightly named bass liberation movement. With this, he would set a new template for the way the instrument was approached, performing both the typical foundational role but also as an innovative soloist. Many radio listeners, at that time, were familiar with Larry Graham’s slap technique from his work with Sly and the Family Stone — but Clarke incorporated it into the structure of the song. He had effectively opened the door for bassist to become band leaders.

Almost 40 years later, and after a period firmly dedicated to more acoustic sounds, Clarke succeeds again in the way he did long ago — throwing a curveball by featuring an angular and assertive Herring on guitar on this “School Days” update. Gerry Brown, the drummer on Clarke’s original take, helps hold down the bottom — even as Clarke tangles brilliantly with his offbeat foil. It’s new, but at the same time, reminiscent of everything that’s always made Clarke such an intriguing figure in music.

“Still to this day, I’m going over to Stewart Copeland’s house and we hang out,” he tells us. “I think it was more common back then. It’s a shame that it doesn’t happen as much now. I don’t want to say that musicians were better back then. Maybe they were, or maybe it was just an attitude. They were more flexible. Who knows? Maybe it will come back.”

Clarke’s doing his level best on Up to make sure of it.

Nick DeRiso - October 3, 2014
Copyright © 2015 Something Else!
 

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