Stanley Clarke • School Days

Review by Richard S. Ginell
Every pro electric-bass player and their mothers wore out the grooves of this record when it first came out, trying to cop Clarke's speedy, thundering, slapped-thumb bass licks. Yet ultimately, it was Clarke's rapidly developing compositional skills that made this album so listenable and so much fun for the rest of us, then and now. The title track not only contributed a killer riff to the bass vocabulary; it is a cunningly organized piece of music with a well-defined structure. Moreover, Clarke follows his calling card with two tunes that are even more memorable -- the sauntering ballad "Quiet Afternoon" and an ebullient, Brazilian percussion-laced number with a good string arrangement and a terrific groove, "The Dancer." Clarke also brings out the standup bass for a soulful acoustic dialogue with John McLaughlin on "Desert Song." Evidently enthused by their leader's material, David Sancious (keyboards) and Raymond Gomez (guitars) deliver some of their best solos on records -- and with George Duke on hand on one cut, you hear some preliminary flickerings of Clarke's ventures into the commercial sphere. But at this point in time, Clarke was triumphantly proving that it was possible to be both good and commercial at the same time.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/school-days-mw0000649444

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Reseña de Richard S. Ginell
Todos los bajistas eléctricos profesionales y sus madres agotaron los surcos de este disco cuando salió por primera vez, intentando copiar los rápidos y estruendosos licks de bajo de Clarke. Sin embargo, en última instancia, fue el rápido desarrollo de las habilidades compositivas de Clarke lo que hizo que este álbum fuera tan escuchable y tan divertido para el resto de nosotros, entonces y ahora. El tema que da título al disco no sólo aporta un riff asesino al vocabulario del bajo; es una pieza musical astutamente organizada con una estructura bien definida. Además, Clarke sigue su carta de presentación con dos temas aún más memorables: la balada "Quiet Afternoon" y un número efervescente, con percusión brasileña, con un buen arreglo de cuerdas y un groove estupendo, "The Dancer". Clarke también saca el bajo de pie para un conmovedor diálogo acústico con John McLaughlin en "Desert Song". Evidentemente, entusiasmados por el material de su líder, David Sancious (teclados) y Raymond Gómez (guitarras) ofrecen algunos de sus mejores solos en los discos - y con la participación de George Duke en un corte, se escuchan algunos destellos preliminares de las incursiones de Clarke en la esfera comercial. Pero en ese momento, Clarke estaba demostrando triunfalmente que era posible ser bueno y comercial al mismo tiempo.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/school-days-mw0000649444

 

stanleyclarke.com ...

Tracklist:
1 - School Days - 7:52
2 - Quiet Afternoon - 5:08
3 - The Dancer - 5:24
4 - Desert Song - 6:55
5 - Hot Fun - 2:52
6 - Life Is Just A Game - 9:00

Credits:
    Acoustic Guitar – John McLaughlin (tracks: 4)
    Bass [Piccolo Bass Guitar With Instant Flanger] – Stanley Clarke (tracks: 2)
    Bass [Piccolo] – Stanley Clarke (tracks: 3, 6)
    Bass, Songwriter, Producer – Stanley Clarke
    Bells [Handbells] – Gerry Brown (tracks: 1), Stanley Clarke (tracks: 1)
    Brass – Albert Aarons, William Peterson*, Robert Findley*, Buddy Childers, Dalton Smith, Gary Grant, George Bohanon, Jack Nimitz, Lew McCreary, Stuart Blumberg
    Congas, Triangle – Milt Holland (tracks: 4)
    Drums – Gerry Brown (tracks: 1, 3 to 5), Steve Gadd (tracks: 2, 5)
    Drums, Synthesizer [Moog 1500] – Billy Cobham (tracks: 6)
    Gong, Chimes, Acoustic Bass – Stanley Clarke (tracks: 6)
    Guitar – Icarus Johnson (tracks: 6), David Sancious (tracks: 5), Ray Gomez (tracks: 1, 3, 5)
    Humming – Stanley Clarke (tracks: 3)
    Keyboards – David Sancious (tracks: 1), George Duke (tracks: 6)
    Organ – David Sancious (tracks: 3)
    Percussion – Milt Holland (tracks: 3)
    Piano – Stanley Clarke (tracks: 2, 3)
    Strings – David Campbell, Dennis Karmazyn, Gordon Marron, Janice Adele Gower, John Wittenberg, Karen Jones , Lya Stern, Marcia Van Dyke, Marilyn Baker, Robert Dubow, Rollice Dale, Ronald Strauss, Thomas Buffum
    Synthesizer [Mini Moog] – David Sancious (tracks: 2, 3)
    Vocals – Stanley Clarke (tracks: 1, 6)

Notes
Originally released in 1976.
Recorded at Electric Lady Studios, New York, New York - June, 1976.
Track 6 recorded at A&M Studios, Los Angelos, California - June, 1976.
Re-mixed at A&M Studios, L.A., Calif.

Label: Epic ‎– 468219 2
Series: Columbia Jazz Contemporary Masters –
Genre: Jazz
Style: Jazz-Funk, Jazz-Rock

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