STANLEY CLARKE — School Days (review)

STANLEY CLARKE — School Days album cover Album · 1976 · Fusion Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
js
'School Days' is the third and final album in Stanley Clarke's great trio of classic fusion albums ('Stanley Clarke', 'Journey to Love', 'School Days') that he released in the mid-70s. Although maybe not always quite as ambitious as the first two albums, 'School Days' is probably the most mature and developed, making it the best of the three. Curiously enough all three of these albums seem to follow a pattern: one lengthy orchestrated jazz fusion 'suite', a modal acoustic number featuring McLaughlin, Corea or both and a few high octane virtuoso rock/funk numbers with guitar shredding by Ray Gomez or Jeff Beck. There's a difference with this third album, the melodies and songwriting are just better. The first two songs feature catchy tunes that tempt you to hum along, how many fusion records out there really have a melody that doesn't sound like someone taking random shots at a fretboard or keyboard. The third song, 'The Dancer', is about one of the finest I have ever heard. Stanley sets up this ultra-tasty groovelicious world beat/funk circular thump-pop pattern over which Ray Gomez and David Sancious harmonize a Zappaesque lydian melody. Optimistic, bright and slightly Caribbean, I never get tired of hearing this one.

'Desert Song' opens side two with McLaughlin and Clarke playing rapid fire acoustic solos. Their skills are admirable, but that 70s style of overly flashy fretwork gets old to me. This song does have one section where it sounds like McLaughlin is channeling Pete Townsends chord work on 'Underture'. Next up, 'Hot Fun' gets things back on track with a catchy melodic funk bass line and great horn and string arrangements. Once again it's the superior melodies that make the difference.

The album closes with one of Stanley's big orchestrated jazz suites with a bit of his usual, for that time, shot at EW&F vocals. This is the only song on the album that features Billy Cobham and George Duke and they raise the already virtuoso playing on here by yet one more notch. Unfortunately Clarke will take a turn for the commercial after this album.

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

About (or On)First Visit Avant-Garde Jazz
ELLERY ESKELIN
Buy this album from MMA partners
Noah Kaplan Quartet : Out Of The Hole Avant-Garde Jazz
NOAH KAPLAN
Buy this album from MMA partners
To Walk On Eggshells Avant-Garde Jazz
RUSS JOHNSON
Buy this album from MMA partners
Snakeoil : Snakeoil Ok Avant-Garde Jazz
TIM BERNE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Poetry of Place (from the exhibit by painter Karen Allen) Jazz Related Improv/Composition
CHRIS DINGMAN
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Satoko Fujii Tokyo Trio Dream a Dream
SATOKO FUJII
js· 1 day ago
Wojciech Jachna Squad - Ad Astra (Promo Teaser)
WOJCIECH JACHNA
snobb· 4 days ago
Nitty Gritty
RUSS SPIEGEL
js· 4 days ago
Never in a 100.000.000 Dreams
SUPERSISTER
js· 5 days ago
Love is a Fire that Burns Unseen
PETER MADSEN
js· 5 days ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed