Home » Jazz News » Award / Grant

183

Renowned Bassist Stanley Clarke Returns to UArts for Honorary Degree During Presidential Inauguration

Source:

Sign in to view read count
PHILADELPHIA, PA - The University of the Arts will bestow an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts upon one of its most distinguished alumni, world-renowned jazz bassist and composer Stanley Clarke, at the inauguration of Sean T. Buffington as president of the University on April 18.

After studying double bass at the Philadelphia Musical Academy, now The University of the Arts, Clarke went on to earn a Grammy Award, several other Grammy and Emmy nominations, and a place at the top of numerous reader and critic polls during his nearly 40-year career as a bass virtuoso.

Teaming with Chick Corea, Lenny White and Al Di Meola in the influential jazz fusion group Return to Forever, Clarke won a Grammy award for 1975's No Mystery, and earned two gold records. He has been honored with Bass Player Magazine's Lifetime Achievement Award; was named Rolling Stone's first “Jazzman of the Year;" received Playboy's Music Award as the best jazz bassist for 10 straight years; and is a member of Guitar Player Magazine's “Gallery of Greats." He has been honored with the key to Philadelphia and put his hands in cement as a 1999 inductee into Hollywood's “Rock Walk" on Sunset Boulevard.

“In the 1970s when electric bass was taking center stage with powerful jazz-rock 'fusion' bands, Clarke went against the grain in achieving his initial reputation, by excelling as an upright acoustic bassist with a robust, sustained tone and facile technique," said Richard Lawn, dean of the UArts College of Performing Arts. “He has enjoyed a successful career because he did something 'different,' which is precisely what we strive to teach our students on a daily basis - lead, don't follow, take chances, do something different. We are honored to have had a role in Clarke's development and take great pride, particularly now that our music program is jazz- and contemporary American music-focused, in recognizing him for his outstanding achievements with an honorary doctorate."

One of the few bassists to play acoustic and electric bass with equal ability, Clarke has worked with some of the top bandleaders of the time - Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon, Joe Henderson, Pharaoh Saunders, Gil Evans, Stan Getz and Corea. He's collaborated with guitarist extraordinaire Jeff Beck, Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones and Stuart Copeland, drummer for the Police. He has toured with George Duke, Bela Fleck and Jean Luc Ponty.

Since the 1980s, Clarke has also created film and television show scores, earning Emmy nominations for his score to “Pee Wee's Playhouse" and title themes for “Hull High" and “Knightwatch." He is currently scoring the critically acclaimed series “Lincoln Heights" on ABC Family Channel, in addition to composing the show's theme song. Clarke won the BMI Film Music Award for his score to the Oscar-nominated film Boyz 'n' the Hood, and has composed music for such films as What's Love Got To Do With It, Passenger 57, Poetic Justice, Little Big League, Romeo Must Die, The Transporter, Undercover Brother and Roll Bounce. Clarke was the composer for the Showtime series “Soul Food." All told, he has over 65 film credits and is one of the most in-demand composers in Hollywood.

On October 16, 2007, Clarke's newest CD, The Toys of Men, a collection of 13 tracks examining the emotional sweep of war, was released and, within a week, it jumped to No. 2 on Billboard Magazine's Contemporary Jazz Chart.

Visit Website

For more information contact .

Comments

Tags

Concerts

May 13 Mon
View events near Philadelphia
Jazz Near Philadelphia
Events Guide | Venue Guide | Local Businesses | More...

News

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.