Arthur Clarke Itaalian

Albums came less frequently from Stanley Clarke in the 1990s as film scores took up more and more of his time. Not only that, the ideas and functions of film music play a large role in East River Drive, where selections come as often as not in the form of cue-like vamps, as well as two actual themes from Clarke's scores for the films Poetic Justice and Boyz N the Hood. Oddly enough, Clarke's music benefits from his film immersion, for his compositional ideas are sharper and more sophisticated here, and he applies them to a range of electric music idioms.

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.

Perhaps aware of some creeping staleness in his records, Stanley 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."

Synth-pop’s greatest architect, Vince Clarke, presents his solo debut album after more than 40 years spent shaping the future, richly indulging a widescreen vision of instrumental atmospheric music relating to formative passions for Pink Floyd, Kraftwerk, and OMD.

If you are an electric bass player, this album will keep you busy for a while, listening to Mr. Clarke's excellent work. His range of tone qualities and techniques are amply exhibited here. This is a showcase for Stanley Clarke's virtuosity, and really an encyclopedia of the state of electric bass technique at the end of the 20th century.

Europe's hottest big band of the 60s swings hard and tight with its trademark two-drummer-sound and exciting solos by European and American jazz legends. "All Smiles" is a first rate powerhouse session.

The occasion for this trio to work together was a 2010 concert that celebrated violinist Jean-Luc Ponty's 50th anniversary as a recording artist. Both the violinist and Stanley Clarke had collaborated before (a previous electric trio set with Al Di Meola, the Rite Of Strings was issued in 1995), but neither had collaborated with French jazz guitarist Bireli Lagrene prior to that evening. In playing for a mere 20 minutes, they created the impetus for D-Stringz – though it took two years for them to clear their schedules and get into a Brussels studio. These ten tunes are an assortment of standards and originals. The album is an acoustic, straight-ahead date that employs flawless swinging bop and post-bop, as well as 21st century takes on gypsy and soul-jazz and funk.

After returning unexpectedly from a 20-year retirement with successful comeback album Resurgence in 2019, the voice of The Hollies - Allan Clarke - is back with I'll Never Forget. The album reunites Allan with his old Hollies bandmate, Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills And Nash fame. The two old friends from Manchester began writing together during the pandemic after over 40 years, resulting in the effortlessly catchy Buddy's Back, a tribute to the rock & roll great The Hollies were named after. Graham's beautiful trademark harmonies are present throughout the album, but this is very much Allan's record.

Drummer Kenny Clarke became a fixture on the Paris jazz scene after moving there in 1956. One of his best records from his early days abroad, originally released by Phillips, is finally available on CD as a part of Verve's Jazz in Paris reissue series. With superb arrangements by Andre Hodeir, and a rotating cast of musicians over three separate recording sessions, the drummer sticks to providing brushwork behind the scenes. "Bemsha Swing," jointly written by Clarke with Thelonious Monk, centers around Martial Solal's playful solo, while the brass and reeds seem to be coming at each other from all angles in Monk's "Eronel." Hodeir's composition "Oblique" sounds like something that would have fit in perfectly as part of the repertoire of the Miles Davis Birth of the Cool sessions, a period which Hodeir explores with his chart of Gerry Mulligan's "Jeru," in which the improvisations are actually written out…