The most prescient comment to come out of the numerous on line tributes to Chick Corea today has referred to his comment that it that it is important for there to be more artists largely due to the fact that making music is fun. For me, this underscores Corea's music. I was fortunate enough to see numerous bands he put together over the last twenty-odd years and every time I saw him in concert he was totally engaged with the audience. The music was never a cold, academic exercise for him and it was effectively a tool for communication so the the people listening could enjoy themselves. He was amongst the most charismatic of leaders I have encountered and frequently very funny. Coming away from the numerous gigs of his I have been to over the ages, he always came across as a really good bloke. On numerous occasions, I have witnessed him getting the audience to participate with him in a finale with his inviting them to sing along increasingly more complex 4-bar exchanges on piece like "Spain" - the big screens at Vienne revealing Corea to find putting these challenges to the audience to be something he hugely enjoyed and also found extremely amusing. Difficult not to come away from a gig with Chick and not be smiling afterwards. I always imagined that he must have been a really nice bloke.
Up to the age of 18, I was adamant that Bill Evans was the ultimate jazz pianist but hearing Chick Corea's duet with flautist Steve Kujala on the record "Voyage" was an epiphany for me and I have to say made me quickly realise that Evans had not been the culmination of jazz piano but a stepping stone for further exploration. For me, the best music he made was with the trio with Roy Haynes and Miroslav Vitous which , coupled with John Taylor's playing, seemed to offer the main thrust of exploring the the legacy of Bill Evans' efforts. This is one of the best piano trios ever.
I think it is also prudent to note that Chick Corea shared the ability that only a handful of jazz musicians have had of performing extremely sophisticated music which managed to acquire a wider, popular appeal. The other great example of this is Pat Metheny. Sometimes this manifested itself in projects like the "Electrik band" which I saw in Vienne around 2002 and which was too fusion orientated and a reminder of the different tastes which existed in the 1970s which allowed Corea to produce work which was towards the margins of jazz. Hearing "Return to forever" for the first time, I was shocked that this was the same musician who produced some of the most inspired acoustic jazz piano recorded. I appreciate that the more electric / fusion / Spanish music has a huge following. However, I think that Corea's legacy will very much rest of the exceptional, acoustic playing. Albums like "Now he sings, now he sobs" demonstrate just how "outside" he could go whilst also providing ample evidence of the fact that his playing always took the audience with him. Essentially, his affection for other pianists such as Monk and Powell ensured that his best work was solidly within the jazz tradition, something his ability as an exceptional composer also ensured he significantly added to.
Up to the age of 18, I was adamant that Bill Evans was the ultimate jazz pianist but hearing Chick Corea's duet with flautist Steve Kujala on the record "Voyage" was an epiphany for me and I have to say made me quickly realise that Evans had not been the culmination of jazz piano but a stepping stone for further exploration. For me, the best music he made was with the trio with Roy Haynes and Miroslav Vitous which , coupled with John Taylor's playing, seemed to offer the main thrust of exploring the the legacy of Bill Evans' efforts. This is one of the best piano trios ever.
I think it is also prudent to note that Chick Corea shared the ability that only a handful of jazz musicians have had of performing extremely sophisticated music which managed to acquire a wider, popular appeal. The other great example of this is Pat Metheny. Sometimes this manifested itself in projects like the "Electrik band" which I saw in Vienne around 2002 and which was too fusion orientated and a reminder of the different tastes which existed in the 1970s which allowed Corea to produce work which was towards the margins of jazz. Hearing "Return to forever" for the first time, I was shocked that this was the same musician who produced some of the most inspired acoustic jazz piano recorded. I appreciate that the more electric / fusion / Spanish music has a huge following. However, I think that Corea's legacy will very much rest of the exceptional, acoustic playing. Albums like "Now he sings, now he sobs" demonstrate just how "outside" he could go whilst also providing ample evidence of the fact that his playing always took the audience with him. Essentially, his affection for other pianists such as Monk and Powell ensured that his best work was solidly within the jazz tradition, something his ability as an exceptional composer also ensured he significantly added to.
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