Stanley Clarke facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stanley Clarke
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Stanley Clarke at Leverkusener Jazztage (Germany), November 7, 2016
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| Background information | |
| Born | June 30, 1951 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1966–present |
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| Associated acts | Return to Forever, the New Barbarians, George Duke, Animal Logic, Trio!, SMV, Primus |
Stanley Clarke (born June 30, 1951) is an American musician. He is famous for playing the bass guitar and composing music. Stanley Clarke was a founding member of Return to Forever. This was one of the first jazz fusion bands.
Clarke helped make the bass guitar a very important instrument in jazz music. He was the first jazz-fusion bassist to lead his own tours. He sold out shows around the world. His recordings even became "gold" records, meaning they sold a lot of copies.
Stanley Clarke has won five Grammy Awards. He was nominated 15 times! In 2022, he received the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship. This is a very high honor for jazz musicians. You can even see one of his electric basses. It is on display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C..
Contents
Stanley Clarke's Music Career
Early Life and Music Studies
Stanley Clarke was born in Philadelphia on June 30, 1951. His mother loved opera and sang in a church choir. She encouraged him to learn music. He first tried the accordion, then the violin.
When he was 12, he was already over six feet tall. The small violin felt awkward in his big hands. He saw an acoustic bass in the corner and decided to try it. He took lessons on the double bass for five years. He also learned to play the bass guitar as a teenager. This allowed him to play at parties and with rock and pop bands.
After high school, Clarke went to the Philadelphia Musical Academy. In 1971, he moved to New York City. He started playing with famous jazz musicians. These included Curtis Fuller, Joe Henderson, and Pharoah Sanders. He also played with Tony Williams Lifetime Experience and Art Blakey.
Joining Return to Forever
Clarke first wanted to play classical music in the Philadelphia Orchestra. But then he met jazz pianist Chick Corea. Corea was forming a new band. This band soon became Return to Forever.
The first version of Return to Forever played mostly Latin-style music. They used acoustic instruments. The band included singer Flora Purim, drummer Airto Moreira, saxophonist Joe Farrell, and Clarke on bass. Their first album, Return to Forever, came out in 1972. Their second album, Light as a Feather (1973), had the famous song "Spain".
Later, some members left. Guitarist Bill Connors and drummer Lenny White joined. The band's sound changed. They started playing "fusion" music. This was a mix of rock and jazz.
Clarke helped create this new style of music. He used new ways of playing the bass guitar. He made the bass a main instrument, not just part of the rhythm section. He showed that the bass could play melodies and solos. Other bassists like Jaco Pastorius and Paul McCartney also inspired him.
Clarke stayed with Return to Forever until 1977. He later toured with Chick Corea again. He also worked with other musicians like Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. In 1998, he started a band called Superband.
Stanley Clarke's Solo Music
Chick Corea helped produce Clarke's first solo album. It was called Children of Forever (1973). Clarke played both double bass and bass guitar on it.
His second album, Stanley Clarke (1974), featured Tony Williams on drums. It also had Jan Hammer on synthesizer.
British guitarist Jeff Beck heard Clarke's music. They toured together. Beck also played on some of Clarke's albums. These included Journey to Love (1975).
The album School Days (1976) made Clarke very famous. The song "School Days" became a huge hit. Fans would always ask him to play it at concerts.
Playing Rock and Funk Music
Stanley Clarke has also played a lot of music outside of jazz. In 1979, Ronnie Wood from the Rolling Stones formed a band called the New Barbarians. Clarke played with them.
Two years later, Clarke and keyboardist George Duke formed the Clarke/Duke Project. They mixed pop, jazz, funk, and R&B music. Their song "Sweet Baby" became a top 20 pop hit. They continued to tour together for many years.
In 1981, Clarke played bass on two albums by Paul McCartney. These were Tug of War (1982) and Pipes of Peace (1983).
The Stanley Clarke Band
Stanley Clarke started his own band, The Stanley Clarke Band, in 1985. They released their first album, Find Out!.
Later, with a new group, The Stanley Clarke Band released an album also called The Stanley Clarke Band. This album won a Grammy Award in 2011. It was for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. Their album The Message came out in 2018.
Band Career and Albums
The band's first album, Find Out!, was released in 1985. The Grammy-winning album The Stanley Clarke Band featured Stanley Clarke on bass. It also had Ronald Bruner Jr. on drums and Ruslan Sirota on keyboards. The talented pianist Hiromi also played on the album.
The song "No Mystery" from that album was nominated for another Grammy. The Stanley Clarke Band, with Clarke, Bruner Jr., and Sirota, later released The Message.
Discography
- Find Out! (Sony BMG, 1985)
- The Rite of Strings (Gai Saber, 1995)
- The Stanley Clarke Band (Heads Up, 2010)
- Up (Mack Avenue, 2014)
- The Message (Mack Avenue, 2018)
Other Music Groups and Projects
In 1988, Clarke formed a band called Animal Logic. He started it with Stewart Copeland, the drummer from the rock band the Police.
In 2014, Clarke played with the band Primus on stage. He had a "bass duel" with their bassist, Les Claypool.
In 2020, Clarke was invited to teach at a Bass Bootcamp. This was a camp for bassists of all ages in Philadelphia.
More Jazz Groups
In 2005, Clarke toured as part of a group called Trio! He played with Béla Fleck and Jean-Luc Ponty. Clarke and Ponty had also played together in 1995.
In 2008, Clarke formed SMV with two other famous bassists. They were Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten. They recorded the album Thunder.
In 2009, he released Jazz in the Garden with the Stanley Clarke Trio. This group included pianist Hiromi Uehara and drummer Lenny White.
His 2014 album Up featured many guest musicians. These included his old bandmate Chick Corea and Stewart Copeland.
In 2018, Clarke released The Message. This album featured a new lineup for The Stanley Clarke Band. It also had rapper Doug E. Fresh and trumpeter Mark Isham.
In 2019, The Stanley Clarke Band changed again. New members joined, including Shariq Tucker on drums.
Music for TV and Movies
Clarke has written music for many TV shows and movies. His first music score was for Pee-wee's Playhouse. It was nominated for an Emmy Award.
He also composed music for movies like Boyz n the Hood and Passenger 57. He wrote music for TV shows such as Lincoln Heights and Static Shock. He even wrote music for Michael Jackson's video "Remember the Time".
In 2007, Clarke released a DVD called Night School: An Evening of Stanley Clarke and Friends. It was a concert recorded in 2002. He played both acoustic and electric bass. Many guest musicians joined him, including Stewart Copeland.
His music can also be heard in films like First Sunday (2008) and The Best Man Holiday (2013). His latest movie music was for the documentary film Halston (2019).
Stanley Clarke's Record Label
In 2010, Stanley Clarke started his own record company. It is called Roxboro Entertainment Group. He named it after Roxborough High School, where he went to school.
The company's first releases were by guitarist Lloyd Gregory and composer Kennard Ramsey. Roxboro also works with keyboardist Sunnie Paxson and pianists Ruslan Sirota and Beka Gochiashvili.
How Stanley Clarke Plays Bass
When Stanley Clarke plays electric bass, he has a special way of holding his hand. His fingers move like they would on an upright bass. This helps him create a unique sound.
For solos, he hooks his fingers under the strings. When he lets go, the strings hit the frets. This makes a sharp, percussive sound. He also uses a "slap-n'-pop" technique. This is a funky style where he hits and pulls the strings.
Clarke has used Alembic short-scale basses since 1973. Alembic even makes special Stanley Clarke Signature Bass models.
Awards and Honors for Stanley Clarke
Grammy Awards
Stanley Clarke has won several Grammy Awards. He has also been nominated many times for his amazing music.
| Year | Nominee/work | Category | Result |
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| 1976 | No Mystery (Track) | Best Jazz Performance by a Group | Won |
| 1977 | Life is Just A Game (Track) | Best Instrumental Arrangement | Nominated |
| 1979 | Modern Man (Album) | Best R&B Instrumental Performance | Nominated |
| 1982 | The Clarke/Duke Project (Album) | Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals | Nominated |
| 1985 | Time Exposure (Track) | Best R&B Instrumental Performance | Nominated |
| 1987 | Overjoyed (Track) | Best Pop Instrumental Performance | Nominated |
| The Boys Of Johnson Street (Track) | Best R&B Instrumental Performance | Nominated | |
| 2004 | Where Is The Love (Track) | Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals | Nominated |
| 2011 | The Stanley Clarke Band (Album) | Best Contemporary Jazz Album | Won |
| No Mystery (Track) | Best Pop Instrumental Performance | Nominated | |
| 2012 | Forever (Album) | Best Jazz Instrumental Album | Won |
| 2015 | Last Train To Sanity (Track) | Best Instrumental Composition | Nominated |
Other Awards and Recognitions
- In 2011, Clarke won a Latin Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Album. This was for the album "Forever". He shared it with Chick Corea and Lenny White.
- He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Bass Player magazine in 2006.
- He has received honorary doctorates from two universities.
- In 2011, he won the Miles Davis Award.
- He was named an NEA Jazz Master Fellow in 2021.
Discography and Filmography
See also
In Spanish: Stanley Clarke para niños
