PHOTOS / VIDEO | Stanley Clarke @ City Winery 3/21/18

By: John 'Nunu' Zomot

As a music veteran, Stanley Clarke can fly a little bit under the radar, but when he pops up you best pay attention.

The man is an absolute beast on the bass.  City Winery goers were treated to a full-on clinic during his March visit with his talented touring ensemble.

Equally adept at the stand-up and electric basses, Clarke navigated both instruments through jazz arrangements that flirted with the impossible.  

Whether foiled by the jazz violin or some punchy piano lines, Clarke held together with a remarkable groove, evoking Return To Forever era work while pushing the boundaries of his music ever forward.

Clarke is one of our connections to an era of jazz that turned the world upside down.  Coming up in that world as a teenager in 1971, he worked with giants of the genre (bandleaders like Horace Silver, Art Blakey, & Pharaoh Saunders) before putting his own stamp with pianist Chick Corea and forming Return To Forever.

And man does he still have the chops.

This extended excursion on the stand-up is well worth fifteen minutes of your time.

Click thumbnails for full-size images.