Chick Corea Albums (59)
'Duet (Chick Corea & Hiromi)'
Release Date 1/1/2008
Tracks 12
Label Universal
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'Chillin' in Chelan'
Release Date 10/22/2007
Tracks 9
Label Universal
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What The Critics Say
Aside from being legendary multiple Grammy-winning jazzmen on very different instruments, Chick Corea (piano) and Béla Fleck (the world's premier jazz banjo master) have a shared love for collaboration and the infinite improvisational possibilities their chosen idiom offers them. In some ways, the two have been preparing for this masterful, musical dialogue-driven masterpiece for over ten years. Fleck, who has always credited Corea as being one of his chief influences, invited the pianist to play on the Flecktones' Tales from the Acoustic Planet, as well as the group's live CD Live Art. Some years later, in 2001, Corea found a spot for Fleck on his Rendezvous in New York DVD. Later, they toured as a duo, making the unique recording of The Enchantment an inevitable artistic extension of their on-stage chemistry. One of the standout elements is the fact that, instead of using their kinetic duality as a springboard for extended one-instrument solo sections, their percussive lines weave and intertwine beautifully throughout, like a mosaic determined to mine uncharted territory. The opening track, Corea's "Señorita," is lively, jumpy, and exotic, while Fleck's "Spectacle" blends his country-plucking guitar with Corea's dramatic, stride-influenced approach. This pattern follows throughout the disc, as the pianist's compositions take on a spicy Latin flavor while the banjo man -- on excursions like the folksy "Mountain" and the classic waltz vibe of "Waltse for Abby" -- keeps the piano alongside him on the front porch. They also ease into an interesting classical call-and-response mode on Fleck's "A Strange Romance." The lone cover is a take on "Brazil" that swirls Fleck's witty notes and Corea's shimmering ivory flow. Sounds like the continuation of a beautiful friendship. Fleck's "Spectacle" was nominated for a Grammy in 2007 as Best Instrumental Composition. ~ Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide
'The Ultimate Adventure'
Release Date 2/7/2006
Tracks 19
Label Stretch
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What The Critics Say
For the second time in two years, Chick Corea has assembled a band to give aural illustration to the fantasy writings of L. Ron Hubbard. For those who have trouble with Hubbard and his teachings, this may be a red flag to avoid the record altogether. The Ultimate Adventure is a tale that draws on characters from the Arabian Nights -- there is an ad for the book in the back of the CD booklet. With that out of the way, one has to deal with the music entirely on its own terms. Corea has spent decades playing both electric and acoustic jazz. This is the first time since 1976's My Spanish Heart that he has woven his love of both so completely into a single album. There are more than a few echoes here that call upon the ghosts of the earliest Return to Forever band -- primarily in the gorgeous flute playing of Hubert Laws and Jorge Pardo, in the saxophone artistry of Tim Garland, the drumming of Steve Gadd, and the percussion wizardry of not only Airto Moreira, but also of Hossam Ramzy -- just to name a few of this album's players. But as always, it's Corea's compositions and playing that make or break any of his outings. This one is complex, knotty, and contains nuevo flamenco sketches and exotic melodic grooves and rhythms from "North Africa" and the Middle East. The second part of the opening suite "Three Ghouls" -- which makes it ghoul number two, apparently -- showcases Corea on the electric piano and electronic percussion with Laws playing soulful and slightly funky. His flute gets double-tracked as it floats above Moreira and bassist Carles Benavent. It's spacey, airy groove is intoxicating. It morphs into the knotty percussive and slightly "out" part three, where palmas -- handclapped rhythms -- by Corea, Gadd, and Benavent are contrasted to the dissonant acoustic piano and funky Rhodes woven side by side in counterpoint. This stands in contrast to the electric, short, fused-out, three-part suite entitled "Moseb the Executioner." The first part is a tangled mix up of Garland and Corea's Rhodes. It ends in a percussion orgy by Moreira and Ruben Dantas with palmas by the entire band. There are gorgeous melodic interludes in "North Africa" courtesy of Pardo and Corea. "Flight from Karoof" is simply a fusion gem. Ultimately, Ultimate Adventure works extremely well; it's inspired, takes chances, and is compositionally a small wonder. Above all, it sounds like Corea and his band had a ball making it. Recommended for fusion-heads. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Rendezvous in New York'
Release Date 4/22/2003
Tracks 12
Label Stretch
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What The Critics Say
One of Chick Corea's most ambitious projects was the recording of almost 60 hours of music with nine different groups over a three-week run at the Blue Note in December 2001; it must have been a challenge to choose the dozen performances for this two-CD set. The first disc begins with scat singer par excellence Bobby McFerrin joining the pianist to scat his way through three selections, including a stunning medley of an excerpt from Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez" and Corea's "Spain." Bassist Miroslav Vitous and ageless drummer Roy Haynes provide the pulse to his extended work "Matrix." Corea's well-crafted tribute to Bud Powell, with Terence Blanchard and Joshua Redman in the front line, combines two of Powell's greatest works, "Glass Enclosure" and "Tempus Fugit." But Corea is at his most lyrical when old friend Gary Burton joins him to revisit the pianist's masterpiece, the shimmering "Crystal Silence." The second disc is also full of great music, though disc one clearly gets the edge, with the possible exception of the virtuoso duo piano interpretation with Gonzalo Rubalcaba of the same medley performed with McFerrin on the first CD. It is safe to say that no fan of Chick Corea will be disappointed with this wide-ranging compilation of live music, and itis also a great starting point for those not familiar with his voluminous works. Highly recommended. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
'Past, Present & Futures'
Release Date 4/10/2001
Tracks 11
Label Stretch
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What The Critics Say
In their first offering of recorded music as a trio, the Chick Corea New Trio has masterfully interpreted ten excellent, original compositions written by Chick Corea and one jazz standard written by Thomas "Fats" Waller on their Stretch Records CD titled Past, Present, and Futures. Just as the mind interprets what the ear hears, the trio's mind builds on Corea's meticulous and beautiful inspirations and arrive at concepts that are spiritual, metaphysical, and open-minded. Playing a variety of musical genres and styles including the blues and flamenco, bassist Avishai Cohen and drummer Jeff Ballard provide total agreement for Corea's thematic forms through their unlimited creativity and combination of multiple textures, time signatures, and different tempos. The program opens with "Fingerprints," a tip of the hat to Wayne Shorter's classic "Footprints." Corea uses a 12-bar form in C minor with an unusual harmonic twist for the last four bars, as with Shorter's classic. Ballard is sensational on his drum solo and on his exciting percussive heartbeats. Cohen burns on bass, and presents a fascinating and exciting bass dance that is highly enjoyable. The only standard on the CD is Waller's great "Jitterbug Waltz" -- one of the first jazz waltzes ever written. Corea's blithe interpretation is a reflection of the past, resurfacing in the present with vastly different results. The colorful composition is further enhanced as both Corea and Cohen artfully dance on their instruments, playing their top-to-bottom command of the scales with the kind of beauty and grace that the waltz form captures so consistently. "Dignity" is also a jazz waltz and is certainly the most beautiful song on the CD. Dedicated to Armando Corea's wife, it is the consummate portrayal of a woman's sensitivity and spirituality, and her reflective, loving, and dignified nature is captured gracefully in Chick Corea's piano melodies. The title track is absolutely astounding in its artistry, harmony, and rhythmic beauty. Corea escorts his listeners into several musical scenarios, catching the beat of the particular time, space, and moment by varying the cadence and harmonic positions. Where Cohen's amazing use of pizzicato techniques to represent multiple images of time (in this instance, past, present, and futures) is sure to enchant the listener, his piano mastery becomes an event and a springboard for three different musical perspectives from Ballard and Cohen. Corea rolls out formidable lines and brilliant improvisory passages on "Life Line," with both Ballard and Cohen displaying the technical brilliance of the virtuoso performer in their compatible note-for-note rim shots and basslines. This song shows the mastery of the trio at its core, with both Cohen and Ballard putting themselves in the middle of a blaze of piano dialogue that connects their skills to the nucleus of Corea's brilliant accomplishment. This song is awesome. The Chick Corea New Trio is exceptional in their execution of Corea's compositional integrity, incorporating the themes of past, present, and futures throughout the set with continued sequences and modulations that develop its sustained intensity, musical subtext and text, and deep listening opps. The musical concepts on Past, Present, & Futures, as played by this trio, present no comparisons to previous Corea bands, and this release contains some of the freshest and finest compositions of Corea's career. A must-have. ~ Paula Edelstein, All Music Guide
'Live from Blue Note Tokyo'
Release Date 5/16/2000
Tracks 7
Label MVP Japan
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