#tom malone

1983 - Miles Davis Septet and the Gil Evans Orchestra - Yomiuriland Open Theater East - Tokyo

Miles Davis (tp), Bill Evans (sax), John Scofield (g), Mike Stern (g), Tom Barney (b), Al Foster (dr), Mino Cinelu (perc)

Stanley Clarke: School Days (1976)

Stanley Clarke’s fourth album as a leader, School Days, is another case of “a fusion too far” for this rock fan; I can’t put my finger on anything truly wrong with it, but neither do I hear something spectacularly right -- for me.

That being said, this cat can really slap da bass.

In fact, on the opening tile track’s extended mid-section, Clarke slaps it like a beeotch, but he also firmly holds down the funk at both ends of the song while guitarist Ray Gomez burns up his fretboard.

On “Quiet Afternoon,” Stanley leisurely duels with E Street Band escapee David Sancious, and on “The Dancer” he weaves a Brazilian melody and samba beat behind a copacetic synth part that strangely reminds me of a Frank Zappa tune (don’t ask me which).

Coincidentally, longtime Zappa sideman George Duke plays keys on the standout “Life is Just a Game,” which sizzles like nothing else on this LP, thanks to Billy Cobham’s won’t-be-ignored aggression, and another red hot guitarist, improbably named Icarus Johnson.

Backtracking a bit, there’s a dreamy meditation called “Desert Song” featuring John McLaughlin on acoustic guitar (!), and a petit disco exercise named “Hot Fun,” where Clarke bubbles like it’s bath time.

So, while I’m not quite ready to revise my initial verdict, I will say upon further reflection that School Days has at least one performance I won’t likely forget in “Life is Just a Game.”