Stanley Clarke
1, 2, To The Bass

If you go to buy a jazz CD, it's because you want to listen to jazz.
If you enter the store and discover that one of the most renowned jazz bassists in the world has released a new product, you might think it's for you.
If you see on the back of the CD the participation of: Joe Satriani (guitar); George Duke (keyboards); Vinnie Colaiuta (drums); Q-Tip (rap); you buy the CD without a second thought. It doesn't occur to you that Clarke might adapt to Satriani and Q-Tip; you think it’s the other way around (it's Clarke's CD, not Satriani's). It doesn't enter your mind that Clarke has spent the last few years making educational bass DVDs (it's a music CD, not educational).
The only thing you convince yourself of is that you have a great high-class jazz CD in your hands.

Then you get home, put it in the player while preparing dinner, and listen to the evolutions of a great bassist. You realize it’s over and think: Clarke is really talented... but wasn't it a jazz CD?

Pratically if the title had been: "I'm so great I'm amazing, and now I'll prove it to you," it would have done it more justice.
In twelve tracks, tenor bass, piccolo electric bass, and double bass are played, all in the theme of the guest artist: folk, rock, r&b, funk, rap, even a soundtrack for a poem; something for everyone... but wasn't it a jazz CD?
Everything is of excellent craftsmanship, well-played and structured, but it's the initial expectation that gets in the way; only with "Just Cruzin" do you remember that you wanted to listen to that specific genre.

Three weeks later, I still can't figure out if I like it or not: the author puts on a show, juggles genres like the great master he is, each guest upholds the name they carry, so what's the problem?
The problem is that I wanted to listen to good songs (even if not jazz, but still songs), I didn't want to see if he was so good that he could adapt to every environment, given that the result is more similar to an educational CD, only the scores are missing; not to mention the practically non-existent thread, it seems sent on "shuffle".

In the end, it's not all his fault; you should never trust the cataloging of music stores.
Rating for Stanley Clarke as a bassist: 5/5, rating for Stanley Clarke as a CD producer...