The Stanley Clarke Band – June 27, Theatre Maisonneuve LiveEvents June 21, 2015 6250 Festival International de Jazz de Montréal presents The Stanley Clarke Band Bassist and composer Stanley Clarke made his name in the early 1970s with the jazz fusion ensemble Return to Forever. A native of Philadelphia, he began his career working with the likes of Gil Evans, Horace Silver and Pharoah Sanders. Equally at ease in acoustic and electric modes, Clarke developed a very funk percussive style, known as slap bass, influenced by Larry Graham. He takes a soloist’s approach to the bass, and is recognized for making use of the instrument’s entire melodic potential. Alongside his adventure with Return to Forever, he recorded several discs as leader, collaborated with numerous artists and composed for film. Recipient of the 2011 Miles Davis Award, he floored audiences with his memorable participation in the 2012 Invitation series, and now virtuoso bassist Stanley Clarke returns with a new highly ambitious album, aptly entitled Up. Unveiling a high-voltage jazz fusion with a profusion of funky melodies, the rhythmic opus turns out to be his most energetic and playful to date. He’s a master renowned for taking the bass anywhere he wants to, landing here with a pair of brilliant companions, Beka Gochiashvili and Mike Mitchell. For tickets and information: www.laplacedesarts.com 514-842-2112 or 1-866-842-2112 Ranked as the world’s largest jazz festival by Guinness World Records, the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal has been synonymous with a passion for music for over three decades. Every year, the metropolis welcomes global music fans to 10 days of jazz-centric celebration, where fans of all types of jazz-related music rub shoulders with aficionados of the genre in its purest form. The Festival hosts some 30 countries, 3,000 musicians and public entertainers, 1,000 concerts and activities—two-thirds of them free – in 15 concert halls and on 8 outdoor stages, welcoming more than 2 million visitors to the city, from noon to midnight! And it all happens in the heart of Montreal’s downtown core, in an area off-limits to car traffic! There’s no doubt – Montreal is the heartbeat of Planet Jazz! Check out the full festival line-up at www.montrealjazzfest.com