

Jeff Berlin On Why You Should Not Practice With A.Eric Johnson's Setup Secrets - Part II.Nine Inch Nails Selling Tour Gear On eBay!.Stanley Clarke with Chick Corea and Lenny White.Matt Schofield To Release Instructional DVD.PRS Guitars Sweepstakes - Win a PRS SE Custom 24.Billy Gibbons and Robben Ford - Birthday Tribute.Steve Vai Duets With The Jemini Distortion Pedal.Cort Guitar Factory Workers Protest Layoffs At Fra.

PRS Torero SE | Poised To Capture the Shred Guitar.Royce Campbell Plays The Christmas Song.1958 Gibson Les Paul Standard Formerly Owned By Ga.Gibson Releases The Jimmy Page 'Number Two' Les Paul.Orianthi, Rick Nielsen and Brian Ray Pay Tribute T.I just hope that fans will not have to wait three decades for another reunion. Sometimes an artist needs to re-invent and play his composition a little differently, especially if it's a tune that's been played a million times at concerts, gigs and jam sessions around the world!Īll in all it was a great night for music. Interestingly, Corea chose not to play the main melody to Spain, letting Stanley's striding bassline dominate. In those couple of minutes, he painted a musical picture of his entire life. Impactful and introspective at the same time, there was a longingness in his playing. If die-hard Return To Forever fans in the audience had been watching this concert with mouths open thus far, After The Cosmic Rain had their jaws touching the floor!īut the highlight of the evening for me was Corea's Concerto de Aranjuez piano intro to Spain, probably his most well-known composition. Lenny approached the first half of the tune in typical mainstream fashion before ramping it up toward the middle with his original heavy-hitting classic drum parts. The trio's revisit of the Return To Forever classic After The Cosmic Rain saw Corea losing nothing in translating his original synth and Rhodes keyboard parts to the grand piano. Up close, I was surprised by how light his touch actually was, even on the heavier tunes. His ultra-taut snare, resonant, unmuffled kick drum and his unique touch on the cymbals bore the trademark early Return To Forever sound I'd become all too familiar with. Lenny's solo on Corea's composition Bud Powell from his Remembering Bud Powell tribute concert was especially memorable. A picture of concentration with his eyes closed, he was supremely alert and ready to interact and respond to any spontaneous rhythmic gesture from Chick and Stanley. From my vantage point in the first row (!), I really dug watching Lenny. Technique served the music and not the other way around. Whether it was ripping lightning fast pizzicato lines or executing a beautiful arco bowed passage, his technique was merely there to elicit an emotional response in the listener. I realized about minute into his solo that it wasn't about his incredible chops, his impeccable intonation or the warm, clear tone he was getting from his instrument.Įverything he did hit at an emotional level. It was an education just watching the master at work. Their second tune, Waltz For Debby by jazz piano legend Bill Evans featured Stanley's first solo of the night. The trio brought a pretty varied set to the night's program. I was reminded of an excellent South Indian vegetarian meal I'd had 20 years ago - didn't miss meat at all! But watching him absolutely tear it up on the upright made me feel I was not missing anything. Now, a part of me was hoping that Stanley would play his Alembic electric bass. The instruments were set-up in close proximity like how they would be in a small jazz clu b. The setting on the concert stage was intimate with the Yamaha grand piano facing the drums, and the upright bass in between. Having recently stepped off what was undoubtedly a high-volume, electric Return To Forever reunion tour, Power Of Three was all-acoustic. The Return To Forever reunion tour with Al Di Meola did not make it to my neck of the woods, so when Power Of Three was publicised, I could not miss the chance. It was as a Return To Forever fan that I checked out their sold-out concert in Singapore on December 5th. There are not many bass players whose first names have become synonymous with their instrument. And no wonder - a lot of their music was hard.Īnd holding down the bottom-end with Return To Forever with amazing dexterity and clarity of tone from his Alembic basses was Stanley. When I was listening to the pioneering fusion groups of the 70's, I realised that Return To Forever alone had that complete balance of forces. What can I say? Stanley Clarke has always been one of my favorite bass players.
