Stanley Clarke: Children of Forever

This composition "Butterfly Dreams" by Stanley Clarke was my first hearing him on acoustic bass - before the Return To Forever band(s) - both versions.
This tune was used as a late-nite jazz DJ's theme song in Buffalo, NY.
Very "trippy" jazz from 1972.
Thanks.

 

Stanley was really the first double bass shredder i had ever heard via Return to Forever albums like Romantic Warrior and No Mystery. They would always pop an acoustic tune or two on those albums where Stanley is doing some amazing things.

Personally i don't wonder how his double bass playing would had been if he didn't play electric since to me he really hit an impressive pinnacle on both. Also, i always consider him a double bass player first and electric player second. His electric right hand technique always seemed to be adapted from double bass to me.

 

Sincere thanks for your candor and welcome to The Dark Side of TB. It's never too late, Doc!

Let's start at the top. This piece was inescapable during the 70s for the best of reasons:

 

Oddly, my first time really noticing Stanley’s URB playing was on a song from his pop band,
Animal Logic’s 2nd album. “What looks good on the outside.”
Fabulous track,and his playing on the upright is superb.

 

I think Stanley is one of the few people who has managed to be distinctive on both instruments. I seen him a few years ago and his double bass broke mid solo because he was playing it so aggressively, he picked up the electric and continued like nothing else.

There was a few Chick Corea piano and bass duets with Stanley that appeared to promote some online workshop of Chick but they were playing all those fusion tunes acoustic. Stanley was all over them like it was nothing and I felt the tunes actually sounded so much better acoustically rather than electric.