STANLEY CLARKE

Stanley Clarke is a four-time Grammy Award-winning recording artist, performer, composer, conductor, arranger, producer, a composer for recordings and film, as well as one of the most celebrated acoustic and electric bass players in the world. Known for his musicality, dexterity, and ferocity on the acoustic and electric bass, Clarke was the first jazz fusion bassist to headline tours, selling out performances around the world.

Originally a double bass player who aspired to play in the Philadelphia Orchestra, Clarke was seduced by jazz, and moved to New York City to work with Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Stan Getz and, most importantly, Chick Corea. Clarke and Corea formed the legendary cutting-edge jazz-rock fusion band Return to Forever, and during that time Clarke developed an entirely new way of playing the bass, liberating it from the rhythm section to become a lead instrument. His creativity has been recognized and rewarded in every way imaginable. In 2022, Clarke was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts, and in 2011 he received the highly prestigious Miles Davis Award at the Montreal International Jazz Festival in recognition of his body of work.