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.

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Requisites

Blues For Harvey ~ Johnny Griffin | By Eddie Carter

It’s been a while since I listened to one of my favorite tenor saxophonists, Johnny Griffin, so I chose an album that became the inspiration for this morning’s discussion. Blues For Harvey (SteepleChase Records SCS-1004) is an excellent 1973 live date, and Johnny’s working with a stellar supporting cast: Kenny Drew on piano, Mads Vinding on bass, and Ed Thigpen on drums. My copy is the 1976 U.S. Stereo reissue (Inner City IC 2004). Johnny began his career in the forties playing the alto sax. He changed to tenor after joining Lionel Hampton’s Orchestra, and he’s played with Art Blakey, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band and Thelonious Monk, to name a few.

The quartet begins the set with a trip to That Party Upstairs, the first of four by Johnny Griffin. The ensemble’s melody begins at an easy swing before stepping aside for Johnny’s lengthy opening statement. Kenny takes an interesting turn next; then Mads finishes with a carefree stroll ahead of the foursome’s theme restatement and close. Alone Again is a pretty ballad that Kenny introduces gently segueing into Johnny’s delicately tasteful theme and opening chorus. The pianist follows with an elegantly stylish interpretation; then, Mads makes a few intimate remarks preceding Griff’s return for a touching theme reprise and finale.

Side Two starts with Soft and Furry. Griff and Mads open with a dialogue over Ed’s soft supplement into the quartet’s haunting theme. Johnny opens the solos with an exceptionally rich tone. Kenny takes an exquisite performance next, and then Mads gives a tender interpretation before the tenor and bass reappear to lead the foursome to a beautiful climax. Blues For Harvey is dedicated to the Montmartre bartender, Harvey Sand. Griff sets the tone in the introduction and the quartet’s melody. Johnny takes the lead in an incredibly fleet interpretation. Kenny adds a bit of fire and drive in the second reading, and Ed has a vigorous exchange with the leader, leading to the ensemble’s brisk conclusion.

Rhythm-A-Ning by Thelonious Monk starts with the foursome’s quirky theme before Johnny takes flight with a speedy interpretation that seamlessly switches to The Theme before the song ends with Griff’s introduction of the quartet. Johnny Griffin and Nils Winther produced Blues For Harvey, and Nils also did double duty behind the dials of the recording. The album’s sound quality is good for a seventies live date, placing the listener in the Montmartre audience, and the quartet’s performance is enjoyable throughout. If you’re a fan of Griff’s playing or in the mood for hard bop, I offer for your consideration, Blues For Harvey by Johnny Griffin. It’s a little-known release in his extensive discography deserving of greater recognition and worthy of checking out for a spot in your library!

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TAKE 6

Take 6 is Claude McKnight, Mark Kibble, Joel Kibble, Dave Thomas, Alvin Chea and Khristian Dentley, and has been heralded by Quincy Jones as the “baddest vocal cats on the planet!,” is the quintessential a cappella group and the model for vocal genius.

With 10 Grammy Awards, 10 Dove Awards, a Soul Train Award, and they as Members of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, this musical phenomenon  has six virtuosic voices united in crystal clear harmony, against a backdrop of syncopated rhythms, innovative arrangements, and funky grooves that bubble into an intoxicating brew of gospel, jazz, R&B, and pop.

With collaborations and praise from such luminaries as Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Brian Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald and Whitney Houston, the multi-platinum selling sextet has toured across the globe, collaborated across genres, and is recognized as the pre-eminent a cappella group in the world.

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DAVE STRYKER TRIO WITH WARREN WOLF

Dave Stryker – Guitar | Warren Wolf – Vibes | Jared Gold – Organ | McClenty Hunter – Drums

Whether you’ve heard guitarist Dave Stryker leading his own group (with 30 CD’s as a leader to date), or as a featured sideman with Stanley Turrentine, Jack McDuff, and many others, you know why the Village Voice calls him “one of the most distinctive guitarists to come along in recent years.” Hot House magazine awarded him Best Guitarist Fans Decision for 2017.  He was recently voted once again as one of the top Jazz Guitarists in the 2019 Downbeat Critics and Readers Polls for the 10th time.

Warren Wolfis a multi-instrumentalist from Baltimore, MD. From the young age of three years old, Warren has been trained on the Vibraphone/Marimba, Drums, and Piano. Under the guidance of his father Warren Wolf Sr., Warren has a deep background in all genres of music. Vibraphonist Warren Wolf is one of the hardest swinging virtuosos in all of modern music.

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CHRISTIAN SANDS

Christian Sands, jazz pianist and composer was mentored by pianist Billy Taylor, who allowed the teenager to close one of the sets that Taylor played at the Kennedy Center. Sands went on to study at the Manhattan School of Music. The school’s Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, led by Bobby Sanabria, recorded the album Kenya Revisited Live in 2009; it was nominated for a Latin Grammy. After graduating, Sands joined Inside Straight, one of bassist Christian McBride’s bands. In 2014, Sands cited as influences McBride, Wynton Marsalis, Kenny Garrett, and Marcus Roberts, because “They’re coming from the tradition of bringing people into the music, but also moving it forward into new directions”. In the same year, Sands became an American Pianists Association Jazz Fellowship Awards Finalist.

His third album for Mack Avenue Records, Be Water, was released in 2020 and received a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Instrumental Composition category for the song “Be Water II.” On his stunning new album, Be Water, pianist Christian Sands takes inspiration from water’s tranquility and power and muses on the possibilities offered by echoing its fluidity and malleability. Just embarking on his 30s, Sands has already enjoyed a remarkable career trajectory, touring and recording with Christian McBride’s Inside Straight and Trio, as well as collaborating with the likes of Gregory Porter and Ulysses Owens.

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