Between 1978 and 1986, Bay Area-born composer-pianist Rodney Franklin released eight albums for Columbia Records. Flourishing in the period where jazz met R&B and funk head-on, Franklin charted seven singles in the United States and scored one major hit in the United Kingdom (1980's "The Groove"). Now, Cherry Red's Robinsongs imprint has collected all eight of his Columbia albums on two CD sets, four albums per set. Having had the opportunity to meet such legendary jazz figures as Oscar
Bassist Stanley Clarke has long been one of jazz's leading lights. The Philadelphia-born musician and composer's career, which flourishes to the present day, has recently been anthologized by Cherry Red's Robinsongs label. The Definitive Collection concentrates on the period of 1975-1990 during which time he was recording for the Nemperor and Epic labels as a solo artist. Philadelphia-born Clarke first rose to prominence showcasing his bass wizardry as part of Chick Corea's fusion jazz
With the latest two additions to its growing Complete Albums Collections roster, Legacy Recordings and Epic Records are looking to two musical pioneers for which the description “jazz artist” seems largely inadequate. George Duke, keyboard virtuoso, and Stanley Clarke, electric and acoustic bass pro, have extensively toured and recorded together, but these forthcoming box sets turn the clock back to their solo periods on the Epic label. George Duke has proven himself equally adept at jazz,