Product Description

Clarke's second album as a leader announced him as a true virtuoso of the electric bass. Though he first came to attention playing with such venerated jazzmen as Pharoah Sanders and Horace Silver, Clarke's own music was squarely in the fusion realm. His solo debut, CHILDREN OF FOREVER, alternated embryonic electric jazz with vocal-oriented tunes full of thecosmic/post flowerchild lyrics typical of the era. Here, Clarke limits the vocals to a single song, concentrating instead on a driving, syncopated sound that more closely echoes his pioneering work with Return To Forever.
His slapping, thumb-popping lines lead the funk charge, as high-energy, R&B-inflected fusion workouts mix with affecting acoustic ballads (Clarke is equally impressive on acoustic bass). Interacting with nimble synths and powerhouse drumming, Clarke's bass work is both rhythmically infectious and technically masterful. His subsequent recordings became progressively more commercial, but STANLEY CLARKE is the bassist's most satisfying artistic statement.

Track Listing

1. Vulcan Princess
2. Yesterday Princess
3. Lopsy Lu
4. Power
5. Spanish Phases For Strings And Bass
6. Life Suite
7. Life Suite
8. Life Suite
9. Life Suite

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #84870 in Music
• Released on: 1994-04-25
• Number of discs: 1

From Amazon.com
No one ever accused Return to Forever of playing too few notes, and bass wonder Stanley Clarke commits a few similar sins of excess on his first solo album (see "Life Suite, Parts 1-4"). But, hey, this was 1975, and there's no denying Clarke's genius for sublime grooves and fancy fretwork. As funky as Larry Graham and more fun than Jaco Pastorius, he moves agilely between the convoluted pleasures of "Lopsy Lu" and the more highbrow charms of "Spanish Phases for String and Bass." The album is one of the best showcases for Clarke's mastery of both double bass and electric. --Billy Grenier