“font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;”>For many lovers of music in St. Louis, this is all they need to know: The musical legend Stanley Clarke is coming to town for four nights of two sets (February 2-5) at Jazz at the Bistro, 3536 Washington Ave. For many of us, nothing else need be known – the only other important information is whether or not tickets are available (they are).
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>St. Louis “font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>loves itself some Stanley Clarke. And the legendary bassist, composer and producer loves us back.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“St. Louis is a serious music town,” Clarke said in a lengthy interview with The St. Louis American.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“I always remember coming there. You knew a lot of musicians were going to come out. If you were going to St. Louis, you knew you had better get some sleep. You had to get your thing together, if you were going to St. Louis. You knew there were going to be 90 musicians –
“mso-bidi-font-style: normal;”>serious with, and 40 different parties –
“mso-bidi-font-style: normal;”>serious
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>Clarke – who has performed in countless musical groupings – is traveling to St. Louis to play with only one other musician: the Japanese pianist Hiromi. But she is a must-see and a must-hear who gets this highly decorated veteran musician bubbling like a young fan.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“She really, really can play,” Clarke said of Hiromi.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“She really is something. I have never seen an audience astounded, like, ‘Wow!’ like they are with her.”
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>Indeed, in their performances posed to YouTube, Clarke kicks back on bass at times and stares at Hiromi as she almost literally tears up her instrument. She has a physicality in her piano playing that is startling.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“You don’t see piano playing like that every day. She can kick it!” Clarke said.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“I love to bring her into places where they can’t pronounce her name, and I love to watch them as she plays. If you are prepared to come see a completely new experience on piano, come on out!”
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>In addition to these intimate duet settings, Hiromi also plays piano in the Stanley Clarke Band – a context where Clarke has more opportunity to sit back and savor her playing.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“When you play in a band, unless the music is really intense and thick, there are always moments when each guy can kind of rest,” Clarke said.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“When you play in a duet you are out there, intense, pumped up the whole time. Of course, unless you do solo pieces, and we do that too in the show. But when you play together as a duet straight out, it’s very intense.”
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>The more intimate musical pairing does not restrict their options for material.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“We are gonna play some new things, some things that are not yet written, do a lot of improvised stuff, play some tunes, some stuff we play with the Stanley Clarke Band,” he said.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“Hiromi and I can play anything as a duet we can play with the band. The fact that the drummer is there or not doesn’t matter. Please don’t tell the drummer that!
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>Without the drummer, one wonders, who keeps time? Who holds together the form of the tune?
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>Clarke said, “It’s a natural thing. I don’t even think about it. Wherever the audience hears it, that’s where it is.”
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>Where it is, this next week and weekend – where any serious lover of music would want to be – is Jazz at the Bistro, to enjoy an intimate pairing of one of the world’s most accomplished musicians and one of jazz’s hottest young international superstars.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>The intimate setting of a duet is just as exciting as the prodigious talents of the two musicians.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“A duet setting is a little less controlled, a little more exciting,” Clarke said.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“It’s kind of like race cars, just
“mso-bidi-font-style: normal;”>going I really enjoy doing it.”
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>Jazz St. Louis will present Stanley Clarke and Hiromi in two sets nightly, 8:30 and 10:15 p.m., February 2-5. Tickets are $30 Wednesday/Thursday, $35 Friday/Saturday and $15 for students. Call 314-289-4030 or visit www.jazzstl.org.
