Тheir concert turned into duets: Stanley Clarke band in Tbilisi jazz festival 2017: Video, Photos

Тheir concert turned into duets: Bassist Stanley Clarke brought his band to 20 year Tbilisi Jazz Festival 2017, Georgia, for a sold out performance on 05.11.2017. An original member with keyboardist Beka Gachiashvili, Stanley Clarke performed a stirring set switching back and forth between upright and electric bass.

Stanley Clarke, possibly our worls’s most influential, pioneering bassist. Known for his unprecedented dexterity and consummate musicality, Stanley Clarke is a true pioneer in jazz and jazz-fusion. Stanley Clarke put the bass on the map as a lead instrument. See for yourself why Stanley Clarke is considered one of the finest bassists of all time.

Stanley Clarke may well be the busiest musician at the Tbilisi Jazz festival: Beka Gachiashvili – piano; Shariq Tucker – Drums; Salar Nader – Tabla; Sean McCampbell – Keys.

They’ve accomplished so much-both in the onstage-that it’s easy to forget that Stanley Clarke and Beka Gachiashvili have only been working together for a relatively brief time period (at least by jazz standards).

The show was an absolute smorgasbord of individual jazz chops-amazing hand speed, dizzying runs and joyfully complex solos-delivered equally from artists. Yet it was the sense of synergy that really made this night special.

It was there right from the very start, as the duets opened the set with a delicious run through “3 Wrong Notes,” the Jazz in the Garden cut that, Clarke explained, does indeed have three wrong notes. They followed with another exhilarating Clarke composition, “Paradigm Shift”, also from Jazz in the Garden. The duets was running on rocket fuel by the time.

Clarke, however, is no slouch when it comes to mesmerizing solos. His slap-happy solo, which utilized both the body and the strings of the bass, drew another standing ovation from the crowd.

Four-time Grammy Award-winning bass Virtuoso Stanley Clarke performs with electric and acoustic ferocity, backed by a stellar troupe of exciting young musicians. A veteran of over 40 albums and Rolling Stone’s first Jazzman of the Year, Stanley Clarke’s creativity has been recognized and rewarded in every way imaginable.

Riding the crest of a musical wave created by The Stanley Clarke Band album – awarded the 2011 Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album.

Simon Sargsyan

Artem Grigorents