If you look at the creative trajectory of most artists and non-steroidal athletes , it tends to slowly rise to a creative peak in the mid to late twenties, and then slowly descend or level off. The eternal struggle with any artist is to find a new way to express himself, and invigorate the creative flow. As Satchel Paige used to say, “You’ve got to jangle the juices.”
Bassist Stanley Clarke, who made a name for himself back in the 70s with the famed fusion band Return To Forever and his own albums (most notably School Days) seemed to have dropped of the touring scene for awhile, and became the number one person on the list of “whatever happened to…?” Clarke, currently on tour with his band in support of their eponymous album, seems bemused by the fact that he “went away,” as he states, “I never really got out of the scene, but I understand what you mean. I’m always doing music. Even when I’m off the road I’m doing stuff, whether it’s film music or something else. It’s just that I came back to performing live. It was just the right time to do it. I usually don’t make records when it doesn’t feel right, and record companies hate me for that, but that’s the way it is!”
A couple of years ago, things changed dramatically. An exciting dvd (Night School) opened the gates, with a hot solo disc (The Toys Of Men) waking everyone up. Even more intriguing was a Richter Scale inducing tour with Victor Wooten and Marcus Miller in support of their fantastically satisfying Thunder. If you saw that band live, you probably still remember how loose your neck felt after a couple hours of bobbling it to the incessant grooves. Clarke is fondly reminiscent of that once in a lifetime tour, “It was great, incredible.”
From there, a pair of tours with the famed Return To Forever, one with Al Dimeola and the second with Bill Connors on guitar. Clarke enjoyed the return to the past, as it gave him a chance to get back into the feel of playing before a large crowd, as well as reuniting with players who are now major stars in their own right. He lost no step in either tour with the change in guitarists, simply observing, “Al’s a faster player, and Bill’s a more melodic player.”
Taking a break from plugging in, Clarke put out a fiery acoustic trio disc with piano wunderkind Hiromi (“She’s a powerhouse. I just finished touring with her a couple of weeks ago,” stated Clarke) and buddy Lenny White (Jazz In The Garden) that simply knocked everyone out, being on many critic’s Top Ten List. That tour, showed an inspired Clarke much more loose, comfortable and relaxed as he played on acoustic upright and acoustic bass guitar.
Now, he’s mixed and matched for his latest release (The Stanley Clarke Band); a collaboration with touring band mates Hiromi, Ruslan Sirota/p, Ronald Bruner/dr ad guests Bob Sheppard/sax and Cherle Bentyne/voc. Clarke is excited about this new release, “I had fun just getting everyone together. It was more of a group effort. A lot of the guys wrote the material. It was a killing, great time.”
This was the essence of the band that he recently brought to Catalina’s before a packed house of enthused fans. There, he unveiled yet another new group consisting of Deron Johnson/key, Rusland Sirota/p, Ronald Brunner and a 4 man horn section lead by saxist Doug Webb. This evening, Clarke used his 1 ½ of music evenly divided by a quartet of tunes, allowing the band to expand, contract, rise and fall through a variety of exciting solos and tight ensemble interplay. The opening “No Mystery” set the tone, as it featured Clarke on his acoustic bass delivering his patented big thundering sound, yet able to use his nimble fingers to go from whole notes to 64ths at the blink of an eye. The galloping rhythm section shifted gears before finally popping into overdrive, while the intricate yet rhapsodic “Paradigm Shift” flowed like a soaring eagle. Doug Webb’s tenor on this tune, as well on the gliding and bluesy “Black Narcissus” was a perfect foil to Clarke’s elastic string work and the soaring pair of keyboards (what did you expect from someone who played with Corea?). The closing “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” was given an electrical treatment by the leader, with some intricate fusion creating a giant crest of sound that erupted and unfolded like a volcano. The Richter scale was put to good use on this enjoyably earth shattering night of bass desires.
Catching up with Clarke after the thrilling set, Clarke admitted that he’s fitting into the touring scene quite well. “I like going out there and playing. I’m more confident now,” he beamed in front of a room full of fans. With a band like the one he has, and the rejuvenation that comes with hiring enthused youth, Clarke is becoming the Nolan Ryan of jazz, getting better with age.