Illusion Suite (2023 Remaster) Stanley Cowell Trio

• 1Maimoun07:48
• 2Ibn Mukhtarr Mustapha04:45
• 3Cal Massey06:02
• 4Miss Viki05:21
• 5Emil Danenberg08:29
• 6Astral Spiritual07:40
• Total Runtime40:05

Info for Illusion Suite (2023 Remaster)

On Illusion Suite, “the charms are quiet”, as Down Beat put it, reviewing the album in 1974. “it creeps up on you and hits you in the ear in subtle ways. Things you hadn’t noticed keep jumping out. This album most directly and accurately pictures [Stanley Cowell’s] fresh keyboard approach”. On the album – Cowell’s only recording for ECM – the pianist’s trio is completed by Stanley Clarke on bass and Jimmy Hopps on drums.

"Six trio selections by the Stanley Cowell Trio, featuring Stanley Clarke on bass and Jimmy Hopps on skins. Elastic and flowing best describe the mellow "Maimoun"; Cowell's crisp keyboarding is determined and feisty, and Clarke's dark, moody bass solo consummates the excursion. Cowell and Clarke display amazing technique on "Ibn Mukhtarr Mustapha," and Hopps' impressionistic drumming is head clearing. On "Cal Massey," Hopps plays as if he has four hands with a drumstick in each, Cowell's rolling piano chords are matched in fever by Clarke's bass work. "Miss Vicki" has a stalking beginning, and Clarke's bass preys like a big cat on the LP's most commercial track. The spacing is remarkable on "Emil Danenberg" and gives Clarke ample room to work his magic between Cowell's pensive playing that becomes bolder as the song progresses. An invigorating finale, "Astral Spiritual" finds each player exploring seemingly different territory keeping the listener in a tizzy trying to take it all in. Cowell composed all the material, and Manfred Eicher coordinated this pleasing production." (Andrew Hamilton, AMG)

"Stanley Cowell was a highly influential figure within the jazz community who somehow never broke through to the mainstream despite his long and storied career. Cowell started out in the late 60’s playing in groups led by legends like Marion Brown, Max Roach, Gary Bartz, and Jack De Johnette, before beginning his own career as a bandleader in 1969. In the early 70’s, Cowell co-founded the influential, artist-owned jazz label Strata-East, which released the seminal album Winter in America by Gil Scott-Heron along with a slew of works by forward-thinking artists like Billy Harper, Clifford Brown, and Cecil McBee. Despite all his successes, Cowell remained under the radar throughout most of his career, and his 1973 release on Manfred Eicher’s ECM is similarly overlooked. Illusion Suite showcases Cowell’s virtuosic piano technique and mastery of the jazz language, touching on multiple styles including spiritual, modal, bop, fusion, and free jazz, while also incorporating elements from African music. Highlights include the joyous “Maimoun” which features beautiful bowed bass from Stanley Clarke and the rare groove, electric fusion jam “Miss Viki.” Copies of this one are getting harder to come by so we recommend finding one soon, if you can…" (Phil Cho)

Stanley Cowell, piano
Stanley Clarke, bass
Jimmy Hopps, drums

Recorded November 29, 1972, at Sound Ideas Studio, New York
Produced by Manfred Eicher

Digitally remastered by Christoph Stickel

Stanley Cowell
is Professor Emeritus of Jazz Piano at Rutgers-Mason Gross School of the Arts and a Steinway Artist. He performs and records as solo pianist in jazz venues and concert halls using African thumb piano, electroacoustic processes, in diverse ensemble formations from duos to orchestras. He has an impressive list of recordings as a composer and pianist, having performed with Max Roach, Miles Davis, Charles Tolliver, Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins, The Piano Choir, Nasheet Waits, Roy Haynes, Art Pepper, Clifford Jordan, Jimmy Heath, and many more.

His formal training in music includes a bachelor's degree and an honorary doctorate in music from Oberlin Conservatory, a Master of Music from University of Michigan, study at the Mozarteum Akademie in Salzburg, Austria, and graduate work at Wichita State and University of Southern California. Recent compositions and/or performances include Asian Art Suite for Orchestra, Jazz Sextet & Asian Percussion with Toledo Symphony, tour of Italy, Billboard Tokyo, Kennedy Center, Mezzo TV-France, Lincoln Center, Strata-East All Stars European Tour, Village Vanguard. Recent CDs: It’s Time, Are You Real, Reminiscent (SteepleChase), Juneteenth (Vision Fugitive). Article: October, 2015 JazzTimes magazine feature.

Stanley Clarke
Clarke’s bass-playing, showing exceptional skill on both acoustic and electric bass, has made him one of the most influential players in modern jazz history. In addition to his solo career, Clarke, as a founding member of the legendary jazz-rock fusion band Return to Forever, has helped redefine the sound of jazz over the last 50 years. Return to Forever—Clarke with fellow seminal members Chick Corea, Lenny White, and Al Di Meola—would become one of the most popular jazz bands of its day, pulling fans from the rock world to achieve commercial success. As part of his strong belief in giving back, he also established the Stanley Clarke Foundation, a charitable organization which awards scholarships to talented young musicians each year.

Clarke grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with his mother encouraging him to study music. He first played the violin and cello before settling on the bass, attending the Settlement Music School, where his focus was on studying classical bass repertoire. Clarke made his professional debut at age 15, joining saxophonist Byard Lancaster at the Showboat jazz club. Following studies at the Philadelphia Musical Academy, Clarke moved to New York City, soon working with legendary performers such as Art Blakey, Gil Evans, Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon, and Horace Silver.

With growing notice of Clarke’s remarkable abilities on the bass, he embarked on a solo career, transporting the bass from the back of the stage to the front as the lead instrument. In the 1970s, Clarke released a trilogy of successful albums—Stanley Clarke, Journey to Love, and School Days—that cemented his career as a soloist. He teamed up with keyboardist George Duke in the 1980s, touring and recording together and scoring a top 20 pop hit, “Sweet Baby.” Clarke continued playing with a host of artists from various genres, from Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones to violinist Jean-Luc Ponty. Always, his distinctive bass stood out. In addition to his innovations with the bass guitar, he also developed instruments such as a piccolo bass guitar and a tenor bass guitar.

Since the 1980s, Clarke has scored for film and television, with more than 75 credits to his name, including the films What’s Love Got To Do with It?, Boyz‘n the Hood, Romeo Must Die, Poetic Justice, and The Transporter.

Honors received by Clarke include the Miles Davis Award from the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal (2011) for his entire body of work, numerous Downbeat Reader's and Critic's Poll "Best Electric Bass Player" wins, Bass Player Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award, membership in Guitar Player Magazine’s “Gallery of Greats,” and an honorary doctorate from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. He is an invited member of the exclusive Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. In 2016, some of Clarke’s instruments and recordings became a part of the permanent collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, DC. To date, Clarke has won three Grammy Awards and one Latin Grammy. He is still actively touring, composing, and recording.

This album contains no booklet.