Clarke made his bones as a jazz sideman, earning his reputation with the likes of Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon and, of course, Return To Forever. However, there's very little jazz to be found on Hideaway, which is essentially a pop/r&b album - Billboard tagged it as "quiet storm." But, labels aside, I find this disc to be enjoyable, if not slightly uneven. Clarke certainly grabbed the guest stars: Stanley Jordan, George Howard, Angela Bofill, Herbie Hancock, David Sancious, Larry Graham, Stewart Copeland, etc. I like it better than his earlier solo output, not only because of that great supporting cast, but I think the songwriting here is better than his earlier solo work. Now that I mention it, I think that earlier solo output is about due for a revisit.
Album chart peaks:
- US Billboard 200: Did not chart
- Billboard Jazz: #15
- CashBox Jazz: #8
Tracks: Seven instrumental tracks and three tracks with vocals. My picks are the title track, a cover of the Stevie Wonder tune Overjoyed (featuring Stanley Jordan), and the upbeat Basketball. The most commercial smooth jazz track here is My Love Her Inspiration, a tasty ballad featuring George Howard. Nothing to skip here, not even in the slightly more experimental middle part of the disc. I could do without the drum machine on a few tracks, but it was the mid-'80s [shrug].
Overjoyed was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Pop Instrumental Performance, losing to the Top Gun Anthem, while The Boys Of Johnson Street was nominated in the category of Best R&B Instrumental Performance, losing to And You Know That.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None. I didn't own this album in '86, but it is certainly in line with some of the stuff I was listening to at that time.
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