Live 1976-77 (Stanley Clarke, Epic), Where in the World (The Bill Frisell Band, Elektra Musician).
These two artists of the amplified string attack it in very different ways. Stanley Clarke`s electric bass builds upward into jazz from basic rock. It isn`t fusion exactly, though it`s close enough. It draws the energy and fun of rock, but the riffs are sophisticated enough to hold the attention of a more exacting ear. Bill Frisell, on the other hand, works at the other end of the energy spectrum. His sound is less elemental, more ironic and as lazy as a tropical day. It is interesting, in a detached sort of way, but it lacks excitement-like a student gifted with wit but possessing no drive.
