Stanley Clarke

A revolutionary force on bass guitar, Stanley Clarke set a new template for jazz fusion with his 1976 album "School Daze," and he hasn't slowed down since. Between stints joining Chick Corea in multiple twists on their days partnered in the group Return to Forever, Clarke's solo material has remained challenging and frequently funky, including a Grammy-nominated album in 2010 that featured keyboardist Hiromi and drummer Ronald Bruner Jr. (also known as brother to bassist and rising star on the Brainfeeder label, Thundercat)

Whether leading the various incarnations of fusion innovators Return to Forever or continuing to explore duets with Gary Burton, this jazz piano great has hardly slowed down. Fresh off another pair of Grammy wins and helping open the new SFJAZZ Center earlier this year, Chick Corea's restless musical muse finds him exploring the trio form backed by Return to Forever bassist Stanley Clarke and Clarke's longtime drummer, Ronald Bruner Jr. Catalina Jazz Club, 6725 W. Sunset Blvd., L.A. Thu.-Sat.

Record labels may not require brick-and-mortar buildings anymore, but Grammy-winning bass legend Stanley Clarke knows that it still takes a strong foundation to build one. Maybe that's why the idea of naming one after his old high school sounded so appealing. "It was all-stone, like you were walking into a government building," Clarke said. "Just a solid piece of granite. " While attending Roxborough High School in Philadelphia in the late '60s, Clarke, 59, spent hours toiling on the bass, practicing with school bands in between schoolwork and basketball practice.

Record labels may not require brick-and-mortar buildings anymore, but Grammy-winning bass legend Stanley Clarke knows that it still takes a strong foundation to build one. Maybe that's why the idea of naming one after his old high school sounded so appealing. "It was all-stone, like you were walking into a government building," Clarke said. "Just a solid piece of granite. " While attending Roxborough High School in Philadelphia in the late '60s, Clarke, 59, spent hours toiling on the bass, practicing with school bands in between schoolwork and basketball practice.

Stanley Clarke got an offer last year that he couldn't refuse . . . once he picked himself off the floor. The bassist/producer, who appears Saturday at the two-day Long Beach Jazz Festival this weekend, was approaching the end of his deal with CBS Records and contemplating a label shift. But it wasn't a big money offer that surprised Clarke; it was the suggestion by label execs that he make the kind of record he wanted to without taking commercial considerations into account.

It's movies, movies, movies for Stanley Clarke these days. The award-winning bassist, a perennial top contender in the jazz instrumentalist polls, has been carving out a new career as a highly productive film composer. His most recent score can be heard in the new Tina Turner bio-pic "What's Love Got to Do With It." And next month John Singleton's "Poetic Justice," featuring Janet Jackson, will arrive, also with Clarke's music.

Listening to bassist Stanley Clarke and keyboardist George Duke talk about the first time they met reveals a lot about the way they work together. Duke: "It was 1971." Clarke: "George was with Cannonball (Adderley). I was with Chick (Corea). Was it Finland?" Duke: "Yep. Pori Jazz Festival." Clarke: "Some hotel. George had a big Afro then; I had a big Afro. Two big Afros walking down the hall.

Mention the name Stanley Clarke, and jazz and rock fans alike will probably think of the funk-hungry electric bassist with the crisp, crackling sound. Understandable, since it was that side of Clarke that came out during his tenure with Chick Corea's ground-breaking Return to Forever band of the '70s as well as when he subsequently formed his own high-powered groups, sometimes in association with a fellow crossover artist, keyboardist George Duke.

Ever go to a jazz show and have a pop concert break out? Pardon the reference to the old joke about hockey games and boxing, but that's sort of what happened at Wednesday's Corea, Clarke and White show at the Hollywood Bowl. At the second reunion in as many years of the original members of '70s fusion favorites Return to Forever (Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Lenny White), the group was midway through a Chaka Khan-led cover of the Gershwin standard "I Loves You Porgy" when a black-clad Stevie Wonder was led to the stage.

Re Megan Fenner's letter (Aug. 27) proclaiming Kristen Pfaff to be "the greatest bass player of all time": Jack Bruce, Paul McCartney, John Entwistle, John Paul Jones, Bill Wyman on the rock 'n' roll side, Stanley Clarke and Ron Carter on the jazz side. These are pretty good bass players. I never heard of Kristen Pfaff before she died, but I know that she couldn't carry those bassists' instruments. Great? Not even close. Broaden your horizons, Megan. JEFF PETERSON Huntington Beach If anyone deserves the title, it would probably be James Jamerson (who, incidentally, was the Motown sound)

Ever go to a jazz show and have a pop concert break out? Pardon the reference to the old joke about hockey games and boxing, but that's sort of what happened at Wednesday's Corea, Clarke and White show at the Hollywood Bowl. At the second reunion in as many years of the original members of '70s fusion favorites Return to Forever (Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Lenny White), the group was midway through a Chaka Khan-led cover of the Gershwin standard "I Loves You Porgy" when a black-clad Stevie Wonder was led to the stage.

Chick Corea is smiling. In fact, he's beaming. Seated behind his Minimoog and his Fender Rhodes keyboards, arms and hands in motion, kicking out one brisk rhythmic phrase after another, making constant eye contact with the musicians around him -- guitarist Al Di Meola, bassist Stanley Clarke and drummer Lenny White -- he's obviously feeling great. Wait a minute: Corea, Di Meola, Clarke and White?

The Twin Palms restaurant in Pasadena was overflowing with a conservative-looking dinner crowd Thursday night. White-aproned waiters moved busily through the warmly atmospheric, tent-covered room, and business-suited, evening-frocked men and women dined in quiet tranquillity. It was not exactly the sort of environment in which one expected an explosion of funk-driven fusion music. But that's exactly what happened when Stanley Clarke and his quartet took the stage.

Re Megan Fenner's letter (Aug. 27) proclaiming Kristen Pfaff to be "the greatest bass player of all time": Jack Bruce, Paul McCartney, John Entwistle, John Paul Jones, Bill Wyman on the rock 'n' roll side, Stanley Clarke and Ron Carter on the jazz side. These are pretty good bass players. I never heard of Kristen Pfaff before she died, but I know that she couldn't carry those bassists' instruments. Great? Not even close. Broaden your horizons, Megan. JEFF PETERSON Huntington Beach If anyone deserves the title, it would probably be James Jamerson (who, incidentally, was the Motown sound)

STANLEY CLARKE, AL DiMEOLA, JEAN-LUC PONTY "The Rite of Strings" Gai Saber, I.R.S. * * * Each of these musicians is known as a fusion pioneer--Clarke and DiMeola for their stint with Chick Corea's band Return to Forever, Ponty for his associations with Frank Zappa, George Duke and the Mahavishnu Orchestra--and each continues to be overwhelmingly popular for his electric work.

Mention the name Stanley Clarke, and jazz and rock fans alike will probably think of the funk-hungry electric bassist with the crisp, crackling sound. Understandable, since it was that side of Clarke that came out during his tenure with Chick Corea's ground-breaking Return to Forever band of the '70s as well as when he subsequently formed his own high-powered groups, sometimes in association with a fellow crossover artist, keyboardist George Duke.

The Twin Palms restaurant in Pasadena was overflowing with a conservative-looking dinner crowd Thursday night. White-aproned waiters moved busily through the warmly atmospheric, tent-covered room, and business-suited, evening-frocked men and women dined in quiet tranquillity. It was not exactly the sort of environment in which one expected an explosion of funk-driven fusion music. But that's exactly what happened when Stanley Clarke and his quartet took the stage.

It's movies, movies, movies for Stanley Clarke these days. The award-winning bassist, a perennial top contender in the jazz instrumentalist polls, has been carving out a new career as a highly productive film composer. His most recent score can be heard in the new Tina Turner bio-pic "What's Love Got to Do With It." And next month John Singleton's "Poetic Justice," featuring Janet Jackson, will arrive, also with Clarke's music.