Stanley Clarke and Stewart Copeland reunite for the 'serendipitous' Santa Monica Jazz Festival

Jazz elephantine and celebrated bassist Stanley Clarke says launching and curating the caller Santa Monica International Jazz Festival was serendipitous. Held successful conjunction with the BroadStage, the metropolis of Santa Monica and SM Festivals crossed assorted locations successful Santa Monica, the festival, which started May 1 and runs done Saturday, includes a John Coltrane centennial tribute featuring Lekecia Benjamin and Isaiah Collier connected Friday. The festival’s debut comes astatine a clip erstwhile jazz is enjoying a monolithic uptick successful popularity and vulnerability successful Los Angeles.

As Clarke explained during a caller associated interrogation with him and legendary drummer, composer and longtime person Stewart Copeland — who volition articulation Clarke connected signifier to execute astatine Tongva Park connected Saturday — helium has been gathering toward the 2026 debut since 2023. As an creator successful residence astatine BroadStage, helium recognized Santa Monica arsenic an perfect locale for a jazz festival.

So overmuch truthful that helium made expanding the in-house festival into a overmuch bigger citywide programme a information for doing the creator successful residency and teaching. When it was clip to publication the fest, Clarke said Copeland was his archetypal call. Listening to the 2 friends banter backmost and distant similar the “Odd Couple” of jazz, it is precise wide why. If they jam unneurotic similar they banter, this is going to beryllium 1 joyous and memorable closing set.

Jazz fable Stanley Clarke has been readying the Santa Monica International Jazz Festival, present underway, since 2023.

(Raj Naik)

What prompted this festival successful Santa Monica now?

Stanley Clarke: I was successful L.A. for the past mates of years. I inactive walk astir of my clip there. I walk immoderate clip down present successful Florida. But erstwhile I’m there, I was teaching a large band/jazz people astatine Santa Monica College. I had a three-year residency there. I said, “Yeah, I’ll bash this three-year residency due to the fact that I truly similar teaching music.” But they had this small festival that they had in-house that they wanted maine to curate. It’s a truly tiny festival with conscionable kids and immoderate things. So, I enactment immoderate bands together. I said, “Listen, I’ll bash this for you. But successful the 3rd year, we’re going to person to instrumentality this outside.” Me and my woman utilized to locomotion down the Third Street Promenade successful Santa Monica. There are a batch of vendors, and you spot musicians playing connected the street. And I ever wondered wherefore they ne'er had a jazz festival there. You person the backdrop — the beach, thenar trees, tons of traffic, people, the pier, restaurants, hotels. It’s a cleanable spot for a jazz festival. So, I sprung it connected the school. I said, “Hey, this is what we should do.”

They thought I was crazy, of course. Then what I did was I got a partner, whose sanction is Martin Fleischman. We formed a accumulation institution for doing concerts and things. All I tin accidental is if I ne'er knew the meaning of the connection serendipity, I definite cognize it now. All these things conscionable happened. It conscionable happened the twelvemonth I wanted to bash it was the centennial solemnisation of Miles Davis and John Coltrane and a fewer others arsenic good arsenic Route 66. The metropolis was mode into it; they were gathering immoderate stages for america astatine 4 locations. Just a batch of radical wanted to get unneurotic and bash this thing. It’s a large look. It reminds maine of those large European festivals wherever the full assemblage is simply a portion of it. A batch of nutrient vendors and restaurants are into it. A mates of hotels are signed connected and going to assistance america out. And 1 of the archetypal radical I thought that should play successful this festival is this antheral implicit here, Stewart.

Stewart Copeland: Yeah, I’m known for my jazz proclivities.

Clarke: Yeah, that’s wherefore I wanted him to play. His proclivities successful jazz are mammoth. But I’ve got to archer you something. The word jazz, arsenic we question done time, possibly it’s fluid oregon little fluid. But it’s truly an undefined term. For maine now, anyone that plays immoderate benignant of euphony that has improvisation wherever they’re playing solos, it falls nether the umbrella of jazz, due to the fact that jazz has go much of a feeling now, little of a strict similar “We’re going to travel the chord changes of Charlie Parker to the nonstop note.” All I mean is that worldly is agelong gone. This is simply a young festival. I deliberation maine and Stewart are the oldest guys there. Did you cognize that?

Copeland: Hey, Stanley, however astir this for a explanation of jazz? And I’m conscionable making this up arsenic we’re talking. In popular music, the musicians are determination to enactment the song. And successful jazz, we say, “The opus is determination to marque the set look good. We’re not determination to service the song. The opus is determination to service us.” God bless the jazz fans. Because the jazz fans privation to travel out, and they privation to spot players play.

How acold backmost does the relationship go?

Clarke: One of the chill things astir the fusion euphony that we came up with, and adjacent Stewart, the euphony that you were doing with the Police and beyond, was ever precise progressive-sounding to me.

Copeland: Well, [guitarist] Andy [Summers] did person those jazz chords.

Clarke: Yeah, helium had chords, and you had a singer. I knew Sting backmost successful the days erstwhile I called him Gordon. [Gordon Sumner] utilized to play successful this set successful Newcastle.

Copeland: And, by the way, you are the lone idiosyncratic connected the satellite qualified to code him arsenic Gordon. I’m not there. In the bass world, Mr. Clark, you tin telephone Sting immoderate damn happening you want.

Clarke: Stewart, you person that successful your blood, man. It’s successful there. Improvisation, playing. If you tin play your instrument, you should beryllium heard.

Copeland: My daddy raised maine to beryllium a jazz musician, which is beauteous overmuch wherefore I respect jazz arsenic being euphony astir the household heart, a harmless place. It’s similar household Sunday lunch. But past you, Stanley, pointed retired that I was raised connected incorrect jazz, which is to accidental achromatic large set jazz, Stan Kenton, Woody Herman. I wholly missed Miles due to the fact that that was beauteous overmuch erstwhile Jimi Hendrix came out. And the infinitesimal I heard that guitar blazing, that was it for trombones and trumpets. So, I wholly missed each the fusion until Return to Forever came around. And that took it to a full caller place, which sounded thing astatine each similar Woody Herman.

Talk astir your past philharmonic relationship.

Copeland: We person played immoderate jazz before.

Clarke: We did that 1 circuit of each the jazz festivals successful Europe.

Copeland: And we burned down the location each night. And the happening that I retrieve astir of each was the acceptable list. The popular set goes retired determination and it’s an evening with whoever, Oasis, Police oregon whoever. You’re going to get 20 songs, thing similar that. This jazz happening is six songs, including encore. Because it’s astir the playing. It’s astir the chill interaction. And I person to say, Mr. Clarke, don’t get each embarrassed oregon anything, but sitting connected signifier determination with Stanley taking disconnected connected that treble bass, I genuinely consciousness that I americium successful the beingness of the cosmos. That was 1 of those fewer times erstwhile I’m really connected signifier thinking, “Gosh, darn it.”

Clarke and Copeland are longtime friends. They person antecedently performed astatine jazz festivals together.

(Toshi Sakurai)

What did you look for successful different acts connected the bill?

Clarke: All these bands that we person connected this festival are truly cool. I truly excavation it, I similar being a promoter and paying myself. Then I said, “I’m going to telephone Stewart. And we’re going to hook this up.” Then each these different radical showed up. And it’s immoderate bully bands.

For you guys, however overmuch amusive is it for some of you who’ve been astir this for truthful agelong to stock the measure with each these young musicians who are bare and excited?

Clarke: I’ll archer you something. I person this thing, and possibly I picked this up from the aboriginal jazz musicians, due to the fact that they’ve benignant of instilled this successful my thinking: It’s ever young radical that propulsion it forward. Miles Davis was 21 astatine 1 time. So was Coltrane. I was amazed they were some the aforesaid age. I ever thought Miles was a small older. But I’ll archer you, 1 of the things I similar astir this festival is presenting caller people. One of my favourite promoters of each the promoters I’ve ever dealt with was Bill Graham. Bill Graham was a feline that could person the biggest stone set astatine wherever successful San Francisco, and if you’re playing astatine a nine and he’s promoting it, helium would amusement up to speech to you, inquire is everything OK and occasionally he’d beryllium down and person a speech with you. And I retrieve 1 speech helium said, “Man, what you guys are doing is great.” And that’s wherefore we opened up for tons of bands similar Fleetwood Mac, Santana and each that worldly that helped Return to Forever.

Then evidently you person Kamasi Washington who is simply a prima successful L.A.

Clarke: I took him to Brazil. This is going to beryllium a bully spot for Kamasi. I’ve known Kamasi since helium was precise young. And I’m conscionable truly blessed for him. I’m a large instrumentality of musicians successful general. And I cognize Stewart is arsenic well. It’s going to beryllium a batch of fun. And I’m truly looking guardant to this thing.

“I respect jazz arsenic being euphony astir the household heart, a harmless place,” Copeland says.

(Jessica Lehrman)

What are you looking guardant to, peculiarly astir this festival?

Copeland: Yeah, Stanley, you and I got to spell retired determination and bang immoderate worldly physically. We’ve got to spell there. But actually, I emotion that.

Clarke: I really similar it.

Copeland: Yeah, maine too. After 74 years, we’re some the aforesaid age. We’re astir the aforesaid age. I’m enjoying it much and much each year.

Clarke: Yeah, I truly bask it now. I utilized to bash determination betwixt 60 and 90 shows a year. Now it’s similar 40 to 50 shows a twelvemonth and astir apt it’ll really get less. I privation to play euphony with radical that I cognize tin play and radical that I get on with precise well. And effort to travel up with thing unusual. Have fun. As a musician, I’m having a large time. Back to this festival, I’m conscionable truthful blessed everybody that’s travel on wants to beryllium progressive successful this thing. And everyone is moving along. It’s just, again, serendipitous. All this worldly is conscionable coming together. The beingness has said it shall be.