Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
Episode 112: Stanley Clarke is one of the greatest and most influential bassists of all time, both on acoustic and electric bass. His long time collaboration with Chick Corea and Return To Forever changed music. His solo albums and the success from it had him as the first bass player to ever take front and center stage. He's a multi GRAMMY winning artist, and one of the greatest living master teachers, as well as being an incredibly sweet and loving human. Stanley is one of a kind. This is the longest and deepest Stanley Clarke interview on the internet, and we're so happy that Stanley chose us for this.
Coming up in Philadelphia, how he found the bass, moved to NY and starting gigging with Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Joe Henderson, Stan Getz, and Chick Corea. We go DEEP on drummers. His work with Tony Williams, Lenny White, Steve Gadd, Billy Cobham, John JR Robinson, etc
How Chick talked him out of a classical career, the switch to electric, Romantic Warrior, why it ended, and losing Chick. We talk School Days and being the first bass player to headline his own shows. The Alembic that changed his sound, his solo records, the great George Duke, and how a jazz bass player ended up scoring, meeting a young John Singleton, and writing the music for Boyz N The Hood, Poetic Justice, and over 70 film and TV scores.
His new album Last Train To Sanity is INCREDIBLE.
Huge thanks to our friends at DistroKid! DistroKid is the easiest and fastest way to get your music on over 150 platforms worldwide! Go to distrokid.com/vip/elmo to get 20% off your first year!
Elmo Lovano drinks Intelligentsia coffee because he’s an Iced Angeleno. intelligentsia.com
Become a Patreon Member to stay in the loop as we post Patreon-only exclusive content, ad free episodes, and discussions about music and music careers. patreon.com/gowithelmo
0:00:00 - TRAILER AND INTRODUCTION
0:01:21 - INTERVIEW STARTS
0:03:11 - EARLY LIFE, CUSTOM BASS
0:05:45 - STANLEY'S MOTHER'S GREATEST LESSON
0:06:28 - PICKING AN INSTRUMENT AT AGE 12
0:09:02 - STANLEY'S FIRST ELECTRIC BASS
0:09:58 - HORACE SILVER
0:12:22 - MEETING LENNY WHITE, JOE HENDERSON
0:15:33 - ACTING PROFESSIONAL MATTERS
0:17:14 - ART BLAKEY, DRUMMERS, PLAYING DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE BEAT
0:20:21 - TONY WILLIAMS
0:21:56 - MEETING CHICK COREA
0:24:56 - STAN GETZ
0:29:52 - STARTING RETURN TO FOREVER WITH CHICK
0:32:10 - EARLY DAYS WITH CHICK, COMPOSITIONS
0:34:18 - “SPAIN,” “LIGHT AS A FEATHER”
0:36:50 - YOUR GOLDMINE MIGHT BE YOUR SIDEMAN
0:37:57 - BRINGING COMPOSITIONS TO CHICK COREA, VULCAN WORLDS
0:38:40 - ELEKTRIC BAND, HYMN OF THE 7TH GALAXY, AFTER THE COSMIC RAIN
0:40:54 - LIVE REHEARSALS
0:43:54 - CAPTAIN SENOR MOUSE RECORDING SESSION
0:45:25 - SONG TRANSITIONS, MUSIC STREAMING BUSINESS
0:48:57 - “SPAIN”
0:53:41 - BEING A PIER OF MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA
0:55:00 - STING
0:56:14 - THE SEVENTH GALAXY (STING AND STEVE GADD VERSION)
0:58:13 - ROMANTIC WARRIOR
0:58:56 - "SCHOOL DAYS"
1:02:11 - THE SECRET TO STANLEY AND CHICK'S BOND
1:04:56 - LOSING CHICK
1:05:42 - SPIRITUAL CONNECTION WITH CHICK
1:08:48 - MAD HATTER STUDIO
1:09:13 - MAMA COREA
1:11:08 - STANLEY'S SOLO CAREER
1:12:41 - TONY WILLIAMS, "LOPSY LU"
1:15:25 - “SCHOOL DAYS”
1:18:07 - JEAN LUC PONTY, CHICK, BILLY COBHAM, LENNY WHITE, TONY WILLIAMS
1:19:30 - THE CLARKE/DUKE PROJECT, SWEET BABY, JOHN JR ROBINSON
1:21:20 - A QUESTION FROM JOHN JR ROBINSON
1:24:24 - GEORGE DUKE
1:24:30 - LEGENDARY DRUMMERS
1:27:54 - TONY WILLIAMS
1:31:45 - RON CARTER
1:32:52 - BRINGING ELECTRIC BASS TO THE FOREFRONT
1:33:57 - SOUND AND TECHNIQUE
1:38:43 - PAUL MCCARTNEY, GEORGE MARTIN
1:40:42 - SLAP BASS, LARRY GRAHAM
1:42:29 - SCORING MUSIC
1:43:00 - MICHAEL JACKSON
1:45:19 - JOHN SINGLETON, STANDING UP FOR YOUR COMPOSITION
1:47:01 - BOYS IN THE HOOD
1:47:47 - SCREAMING SAXOPHONES SONG
1:48:38 - ICE CUBE, FLAVOR FLAV
1:50:08 - ICE CUBE, PROFESSIONALISM
1:50:57 - BASS PLAYER LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
1:53:29 - MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL SHOWS, QUINCY JONES
1:54:50 - SANTA MONICA INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL
1:55:50 - COMPARING THE RELEASE OF MIDI TO USING AI TODAY
1:57:58 - HERBIE HANCOCK, DX7
1:59:15 - MORNING ROUTINE
2:01:10 - "LAST TRAIN TO SANITY"
2:03:49 - "MEDIEVAL OVERTURE," "LAST TRAIN TO SANITY," BAND MEMBERS
2:05:08 - WHAT STANLEY LOOKS FOR IN YOUNG MUSICIANS
2:09:23 - JACO PASTORIOUS
Stanley Clarke, George Duke - Sweet Baby: youtube.com/watch?v=d6AHjroSkfM
Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!
Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: elmolovano.komi.io
Follow Stanley:
instagram.com/stanleyclarke
Follow Go With Elmo:
instagram.com/gowithelmo
tiktok.com/@gowithelmo
https://x.com/gowithelmopod
Follow Elmo Lovano:
Instagram.com/elmolovano
https://x.com/elmolovano
#stanleyclarke #chickcorea #returntoforever #fusion
Episode 112: Stanley Clarke is one of the greatest and most influential bassists of all time, both on acoustic and electric bass. His long time collaboration with Chick Corea and Return To Forever changed music. His solo albums and the success from it had him as the first bass player to ever take front and center stage. He's a multi GRAMMY winning artist, and one of the greatest living master teachers, as well as being an incredibly sweet and loving human. Stanley is one of a kind. This is the longest and deepest Stanley Clarke interview on the internet, and we're so happy that Stanley chose us for this.
Coming up in Philadelphia, how he found the bass, moved to NY and starting gigging with Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Joe Henderson, Stan Getz, and Chick Corea. We go DEEP on drummers. His work with Tony Williams, Lenny White, Steve Gadd, Billy Cobham, John JR Robinson, etc
How Chick talked him out of a classical career, the switch to electric, Romantic Warrior, why it ended, and losing Chick. We talk School Days and being the first bass player to headline his own shows. The Alembic that changed his sound, his solo records, the great George Duke, and how a jazz bass player ended up scoring, meeting a young John Singleton, and writing the music for Boyz N The Hood, Poetic Justice, and over 70 film and TV scores.
His new album Last Train To Sanity is INCREDIBLE.
Huge thanks to our friends at DistroKid! DistroKid is the easiest and fastest way to get your music on over 150 platforms worldwide! Go to distrokid.com/vip/elmo to get 20% off your first year!
Elmo Lovano drinks Intelligentsia coffee because he’s an Iced Angeleno. intelligentsia.com
Become a Patreon Member to stay in the loop as we post Patreon-only exclusive content, ad free episodes, and discussions about music and music careers. patreon.com/gowithelmo
0:00:00 - TRAILER AND INTRODUCTION
0:01:21 - INTERVIEW STARTS
0:03:11 - EARLY LIFE, CUSTOM BASS
0:05:45 - STANLEY'S MOTHER'S GREATEST LESSON
0:06:28 - PICKING AN INSTRUMENT AT AGE 12
0:09:02 - STANLEY'S FIRST ELECTRIC BASS
0:09:58 - HORACE SILVER
0:12:22 - MEETING LENNY WHITE, JOE HENDERSON
0:15:33 - ACTING PROFESSIONAL MATTERS
0:17:14 - ART BLAKEY, DRUMMERS, PLAYING DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE BEAT
0:20:21 - TONY WILLIAMS
0:21:56 - MEETING CHICK COREA
0:24:56 - STAN GETZ
0:29:52 - STARTING RETURN TO FOREVER WITH CHICK
0:32:10 - EARLY DAYS WITH CHICK, COMPOSITIONS
0:34:18 - “SPAIN,” “LIGHT AS A FEATHER”
0:36:50 - YOUR GOLDMINE MIGHT BE YOUR SIDEMAN
0:37:57 - BRINGING COMPOSITIONS TO CHICK COREA, VULCAN WORLDS
0:38:40 - ELEKTRIC BAND, HYMN OF THE 7TH GALAXY, AFTER THE COSMIC RAIN
0:40:54 - LIVE REHEARSALS
0:43:54 - CAPTAIN SENOR MOUSE RECORDING SESSION
0:45:25 - SONG TRANSITIONS, MUSIC STREAMING BUSINESS
0:48:57 - “SPAIN”
0:53:41 - BEING A PIER OF MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA
0:55:00 - STING
0:56:14 - THE SEVENTH GALAXY (STING AND STEVE GADD VERSION)
0:58:13 - ROMANTIC WARRIOR
0:58:56 - "SCHOOL DAYS"
1:02:11 - THE SECRET TO STANLEY AND CHICK'S BOND
1:04:56 - LOSING CHICK
1:05:42 - SPIRITUAL CONNECTION WITH CHICK
1:08:48 - MAD HATTER STUDIO
1:09:13 - MAMA COREA
1:11:08 - STANLEY'S SOLO CAREER
1:12:41 - TONY WILLIAMS, "LOPSY LU"
1:15:25 - “SCHOOL DAYS”
1:18:07 - JEAN LUC PONTY, CHICK, BILLY COBHAM, LENNY WHITE, TONY WILLIAMS
1:19:30 - THE CLARKE/DUKE PROJECT, SWEET BABY, JOHN JR ROBINSON
1:21:20 - A QUESTION FROM JOHN JR ROBINSON
1:24:24 - GEORGE DUKE
1:24:30 - LEGENDARY DRUMMERS
1:27:54 - TONY WILLIAMS
1:31:45 - RON CARTER
1:32:52 - BRINGING ELECTRIC BASS TO THE FOREFRONT
1:33:57 - SOUND AND TECHNIQUE
1:38:43 - PAUL MCCARTNEY, GEORGE MARTIN
1:40:42 - SLAP BASS, LARRY GRAHAM
1:42:29 - SCORING MUSIC
1:43:00 - MICHAEL JACKSON
1:45:19 - JOHN SINGLETON, STANDING UP FOR YOUR COMPOSITION
1:47:01 - BOYS IN THE HOOD
1:47:47 - SCREAMING SAXOPHONES SONG
1:48:38 - ICE CUBE, FLAVOR FLAV
1:50:08 - ICE CUBE, PROFESSIONALISM
1:50:57 - BASS PLAYER LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
1:53:29 - MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL SHOWS, QUINCY JONES
1:54:50 - SANTA MONICA INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL
1:55:50 - COMPARING THE RELEASE OF MIDI TO USING AI TODAY
1:57:58 - HERBIE HANCOCK, DX7
1:59:15 - MORNING ROUTINE
2:01:10 - "LAST TRAIN TO SANITY"
2:03:49 - "MEDIEVAL OVERTURE," "LAST TRAIN TO SANITY," BAND MEMBERS
2:05:08 - WHAT STANLEY LOOKS FOR IN YOUNG MUSICIANS
2:09:23 - JACO PASTORIOUS
Stanley Clarke, George Duke - Sweet Baby: youtube.com/watch?v=d6AHjroSkfM
Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!
Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: elmolovano.komi.io
Follow Stanley:
instagram.com/stanleyclarke
Follow Go With Elmo:
instagram.com/gowithelmo
tiktok.com/@gowithelmo
https://x.com/gowithelmopod
Follow Elmo Lovano:
Instagram.com/elmolovano
https://x.com/elmolovano
#stanleyclarke #chickcorea #returntoforever #fusion
