Thunder

S.M.V. | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 12, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Heads Up
• ASIN: B001BP4U5O
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,810 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

From the Artist

"We wanted to make a bass record with a sound that would be somewhat unexpected to the listener," says Stanley Clarke, the elder statesman of the three-man crew, all of whom share songwriting credits on the recording. "The biggest hurdle was to make a record with three basses - very low-end instruments, by definition - that would still be as musical as possible, and I think we achieved that."

"Vic had had this idea to do a bass thing a while back, but we really didn't know when we'd do it," Marcus Miller explains. "After we jammed at the award ceremony, it was clear that it would be pretty easy to do musically. Each one of us found a space to operate that didn't compete with the other. We fell into it pretty naturally. I saw Stanley at the airport the next day and said, `You know we should do this soon, right?' he agreed. We knew Vic was down, because it was his idea in the first place."

Victor Wooten was definitely down: "That performance made us realize how easy it was to play together," he says. "We knew that we had to do it again. We were able to naturally find our own space with and around each other. That's not always easy, especially when three people are all playing the same instrument."

Product Description

SMV is a bass supergroup formed in 2008. The group's name comes from the initials of each of its members, Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, and Victor Wooten. SMV's debut release is the Thunder album. Marcus Miller (bass clarinet, synthesizer, electric bass); Stanley Clarke (acoustic bass, electric bass) and Victor Wooten (electric bass).

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Album, August 14, 2008

By 

Jean Ndap (Butler, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Thunder (Audio CD)

I pre-ordered this album a while ago and received it yesterday. I absolutely recommend it to every fan of Stanley, Marcus and Victor. This is to my opinion the Jazz album of year. S,M & V show here why they are the best at what they are doing. There is no showing off as pretends one of the reviewers; S, M & V just have uncommon technical skills with their instrument. There are Great compositions, great arrangements and great a sound; in summary, this is great music! The leading and supporting roles are appropriately shared. I find the first song of the album ("Maestros de las Frecuencias Bajas") outstanding. The rhythm used in "Mongoose Walk" is similar to what can be found in some of Richard Bona's albums, a typical central African rhythm: this was perhaps a little salute to Richard. "Los Tres Hermanos" and "Milano" just melt you down, Waooooo!! The harmonies from the basses don't make you feel like you are missing the presence of an electric guitar. The re-arrangement of "Tutu" is outstanding: Stanley's line on the acoustic bass is awesome. Butterscotch does a cool vocal beat box in "Pendulum".

This album is simply GREAT!!!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fresh, new sound, September 29, 2008

By 

N. Schwager (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Thunder (Audio CD)

We saw these three at the Hollywood Bowl and were amazed at their music. Different and interesting. Not every song is great, but the majority of them are worth listening to again and again. I would definitely make this purchase again.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A bass player/student's dream!, February 4, 2009

By 

Phil Alexander (East Flat Rock, NC, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Thunder (Audio CD)

There are people who won't appreciate this album, but they won't be bassists, music students or jazz aficianados. To listen to the three masters at work is chilling to this longtime student of the instrument. Victor Wooten's double-thumping style is unmistakable; I saw him do it in a college classroom and still can't get it. Stanley Clarke's tenor bass work on the Spellbinder custom is like no other player out there and reminds this reviewer of the late 80s work, If This Bass Could Only Talk, in which Clarke featured the late jazz-tap dancer Gregory Hines. Having a tap-dancer on a record was unheard-of in its day, and Clarke cuts new ground again with a bass trio that he clearly leads. Yet it is Miller who is the glue, often as the pacesetter with slap-pops and other rhythms but also as the producer of the album and its main keyboardist. And if my ear and knowledge of the prior works of these three treats me well, it is Miller that plays the perpetual motion lead bass line in "Classical Thump." Even though all three of these cats play with similar technique, what makes this album most delightful is trying to decide who is doing which line.

An instrumental masterpiece. Maybe a follow-up would include Louis "Thunderthumbs" Johnson just to drive the point home.