45 years
after his album debut, four-time Grammy® Award-winning bassist Stanley Clarke
shows he is still unapproachable on both the electric and acoustic, wielding a
vision of fusion and funk, breakbeats and bass-interpreted cello suites with a
little help from friends like rapper/beatboxer Doug E. Fresh and trumpeter Mark
Isham. Backed by a young versatile band and a collection of tunes written in
the midst of a tumultuous tour of Europe, The Message (available June 29 via
Mack Avenue Records) swells with an abundance of strength, soul and astounding
musicianship.
“I’m very excited
about our work on this album. I wanted to include some of my band members’
contributions and the result is an album that is funky, melodic, musical,
contemporary and fresh with a rich multi-genre influence,” Clarke commented.
“The guys in this band are consummate young musicians with musical spirits that
are very old.”
In 2015
Clarke brought a band through Europe consisting of keyboardists Cameron Graves
and Beka Gochiashvili and drummer Mike Mitchell. When a terrorist attack in
Tunisia prevented the band from continuing their tour (which was scheduled to
go there next), they opted to hunker down in Paris and compose.
“We were in
this great hotel and the owner was a fan,” remembers Clarke. “I said, ‘Can you
put these three guys in a room where no one can hear them?’ He found a room and
after two days, they wrote compositions that reflected their worldview and
included their versatility in many different musical genres. A lot of this
stuff I would have never written in a million years.”
A few days
later the band entered ICP Studios in Belgium and recorded an abundance of
material. Clarke returned to his home in Los Angeles with the tapes and began
to tinker. “Once I got the raw material, I fleshed it out. My ability is to
orchestrate and arrange. I’m very good with taking anything and turning it into
something.”
Much of the
material from their Paris adventure is collected on this album but the affair
opens with a homegrown homage to several soulful great friends that Clarke has
lost in the last few years including George Duke, Al Jarreau, Tom Petty, Leon
“Ndugu” Chancler and Prince. Clarke slaps out a funky riff for “And Ya Know
We’re Missing You” while renowned beatboxer Doug E. Fresh lays down an intrepid
beat. A rare pairing that seems instinctual upon first listen.
“After the
Cosmic Rain/Dance of the Planetary Prince” encompasses Clarke’s entire career
and is the first on the album from those European sessions. The basis of the
tune was written in the early ‘70s for his band Return to Forever, but this
time the Planetary Prince is keyboardist Cameron Graves. The young keyboardist,
a member of the West Coast Get Down phenomenon, has toured with Clarke for many
years. His fleet-fingered tornado is the focal point of the performance.
“Cameron played one of the most amazing synthesizer solos I heard in a long
time. I had gotten blown out on synthesizer solos from all the fusion days in
the ‘70s, but Cameron came up with a warm beautiful solo. One of the best synth
solos I’ve heard in 10 or 15 years.”
Amid
the barrage of drums and basses on “The Rugged Truth” is Gochiashvili, a native
of Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia, who has toured with Clarke for the past five
years. His piano solos in this piece hold a breathless array of eclectic ideas
and impeccable technique, integrating seamlessly with Graves’ battalion of
keys.
Now
21-years-old, Beka Gochiashvili was an award-winning child jazz piano prodigy
and has already performed with many of the jazz greats of our time. He was
brought to the US in 2008 with the help of Condoleezza Rice, then Secretary of
State and an accomplished pianist herself. Rice brought Gochiashvili to New
York to participate in auditions at the Juilliard School and at the Manhattan
School of Music. Not surprisingly, he was accepted in both schools. He has
released two of his own albums, the most recent of which is Beck Logic Project:
Chillin’ in Batums.
“Heavy,
heavy heavy,” says Clarke with a smile speaking of Gochiashvili. “Beka is a
tremendous solo pianist, who I predict one day will be as influential as Keith
Jarrett. He is truly a hard worker and dedicated musician. I’m very impressed
with him.”
The recognizable
voice of Steve Blum narrates “Combat Continuum,” an 8-bit fusion fantasy that
steps back beyond the galaxy and into a realm that burns with energy.
In a band
full of powerhouses, young Texan drummer Mike Mitchell stands out as an
incredible force. “He’s probably one of the most energetic drum geniuses that I
have ever played with. I’ve never seen a guy that is so creative with drums. If
he continues down this path, he could very easily be a Tony Williams or Elvin
Jones,” says Clarke.
“The Message”
and Bach’s “Cello Suites, No. 1” are two sides of the same coin for Clarke. He
is as at home with the electric bass as he is with the upright. But they are
still worlds apart. Here he ties them with an empathetic feel, virtuosic but
controlled. “The Bach cello suite is like a serious thing to attempt. It’s a
hard piece. I do it in the same key as the cello. I don’t change it to suit the
bass or make it easier. I worked out the fingering and I’m just trying to make
it sound pretty.”
The slow
groove of “Lost In A World” is a laidback duet between vocalists Skeyler Kole
and Trevor Wesley. Tight harmonies and Gochiashvili’s dreamy piano carry the
tune on a cloud while “Alternative Facts” burns that same piano to the ground.
The band is playful but centered. Gochiashvili shows off his acoustic chops
with startling clarity and control.
“The Legend
of Abbas and the Sacred Talisman” is a calming meditation from Clarke on
upright bass and Gochiashvili’s piano. They dreamily float on the same
wavelength, effortlessly drifting along as though they have played together for
decades. The warmth and musicianship is undeniable as the ship points the way
home to “Enzo’s Theme,” a track from the European session bolstered by the
welcome additions of trumpeter Mark Isham and saxophonist Doug Webb.
The Message
is unmistakably a Stanley Clarke record. Five decades of unapproachable bass
mastery doesn’t come easy and Clarke has no interest in relinquishing his
throne. Propelled by the youthfulness of his bandmates, Clarke reaches even
deeper into his bag of tricks for an incredibly satisfying listen.
“Our message
is simple. It is a message of love. There is nothing really profound about our
message. It’s just love. A lot of artists have said it in their own way. This
is ours.”
The Stanley
Clarke Band · The Message
Mack Avenue
Records · Release Date: June 29, 2018
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