Track Listing

1. Maestros de Las Frecuencias Bajas
2. Thunder
3. Hillbillies on a Quiet Afternoon
4. Mongoose Walk
5. Tres Hermanos
6. Lopsy Lu/Silly Putty
7. Milano
8. Classical Thump [Jam]
9. Tutu
10. Lil' Victa
11. Pendulum
12. "Lemme Try Your Bass" (Interlude)
13. Grits

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2545 in Music
• Released on: 2008-08-12
• Number of discs: 1

Album 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).

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."

About the Artist
Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten - each a powerful force of nature in his own right - have done more in recent decades to redefine the electric bass and push the limits of its potential than any other musician alive today. When these three titans -collectively known as S.M.V. - converge on the low frequencies, the results are no less than earth shaking. "Thunder," their debut collaboration on Heads Up International is a high-energy phenomenon whose impact is guaranteed to resonate throughout every corner of the jazz world.

The initial idea behind "Thunder" goes back a few years, but the final push came after the three bassists played together for the first time in October 2006 at the Bass Player Live! concert in New York City. In addition to the historic convergence of three monumental bass talents on one stage in the same night, the event also included the presentation of the Bass Player Lifetime Achievement Award to Clarke.

Customer Reviews

masters at work
This is a great CD and a must for all bass players.It is great to see true masters of their art. It sure would be nice if it would inspire some real talented musicians who can play back to the music recording industry.

Great Album
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!!!

Fresh, new sound
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.