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SUBJECT:	Chick Corea, a dying breed Back to Subjects
Gyuri Mar 20 2020 at 3:12 PM	I have a relatively limited knowledge of the jazz world. I have become familiar with most of the prominent figures of the genre through PM and on recommendations from here and there. Not until recently have I got round to exploring in earnest Chick Corea’s art. I was 14 when I heard "Mad Hatter" - couldn’t make any sense of it back then. Now, 40+ years later that’s a different story altogether. I have and will always put Pat at the height of heights ever since I was first exposed to his music but CC belongs right there with him. I am now delving into his trio music right from the start and find it absolutely flabbergasting. Interestingly, - unless I have missed something - noone has devoted a subject to him on this forum. Is it maybe because his genius is so obvious that it is almost a cliché not to be considered a big deal?
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HAMBONE Oct 12 2020 at 5:15 PM	I’ve experienced the many layers of Chic’s music several times-in 76 with RTF during the Romantic Warrior tour, in 78 with Herbie Hancock on face-to-face pianos, in 08 with the RTF reunion tour,in 09 with the 5 Peace Band, in ’11 solo at the Berks JazzFest and later that same year with the RTF IV tour. They were all great shows in their own right. But I do prefer his trio settings as my personal favorite works, of which I’ve yet to see him perform live. He also has released a big band cd which is a take-off from 70s My Spanish Heart called Antidote which is remarkable. Along with Hancock and Zawinul, he has made up my triumvirate of favorite jazz pianists of my lifetime.
yossarian Oct 02 2020 at 6:27 PM	I think with CC he changes the setting a lot. I loved the Stanley Clarke incarnation of RtF but didn’t get to see that line- up but the next one... which I didn’t like as much. I loved the quartet with Bob Berg with Gomez and Gadd. Wow. I’ve loved every gig of CC’s I’ve been to... there are always electrifying moments. The last gig I saw was the classic Electric Band lineup and yes there was showboating and showing off aplenty but it was stupendously good! But ultimately, it’s about the songs and La Fiesta, Spain, Window, Lenore, 500 Miles High, The Wish (from Time Warp) Armando’s Tango (from the brilliant Change album 1999), and many other songs are just magical. Amazing to think he did 13-14 albums, including live recordings, with Miles Davis! One of my favourite Chick recordings is the one with Bob Berg, Enter the Spirit. Brilliant vibe on that record. A true legend of jazz.
MarcNebo Sep 02 2020 at 11:01 AM	Gyuri : I have mixed experiences with Chick Corea. I liked Return To Forever, but preferred Weather Report more. I saw him several years ago with his new electric band project. I was very disappointed and after an hour they were done, but did one song encore. Probably 75 minute show total and tickets were $88 (very expensive for the venue). Around that same year I saw him with Gary Burton as duo. Also dissapointed by the show, I liked Burton, but they sounded out of sync. In 2019 I saw the Chick Corea Trio with Christian McBride and Brian Blade. I did like the show but was more impressed by Christian and Brian’s playing. Just one person’s opinion, but I have been listening to Jazz since 1977 and I have seen a lot of Jazz legends.
mugsy Mar 23 2020 at 10:04 PM	Many years ago, my wife and I took our nephew who was about 7 or 8 years old, to a Chick Corea/Gary Burton show. Our nephew sat through the entire 2.5 hours without ever moving. (I thought at one point that maybe he fell asleep) At the end of the show I asked him what he thought. He looked at me in a "spacey way" and said: "I was mesmerized!" So cute... and he is now twenty something, in grad school and listens to jazz!!
franksexton Mar 23 2020 at 3:03 PM	in response to naut , Song to John Part 1 in even better. Chick’s solo in that is sublime. I am a big fan of the original Retuen to Forever lineup as well. Not to mention the Crystal Silence album with Gary Burton.
hman01 Mar 23 2020 at 9:54 AM	I went to two concerts of Chick. Just absolutely brilliant. One was with a quartet. But, the one that wowed me even more was a concert he did at University of South Florida where he did a concert with big band arrangements. His compositions , like Pat, form an abstract narrative for me., but in a different way.
Gyuri Mar 23 2020 at 6:09 AM	Thank you, Naut and Kooltrane, for the tips. I have listened to "Tones for Joan’s Bones" and "Now he sings, now he sobs" and find them amazing. Have already set my sights on the other recommended albums. Exploring Chick’s music I feel like a newborn baby finding everything that comes his way brand new and exciting. Looks like I will spend at least a year discovering his gems.
naut Mar 22 2020 at 5:10 PM	Gyuri, if the early trio records that got you flabbergasted were Chick’s Circle trio, it’s understandable to see why you feel that way. That was an early sideroad he took into the ultra avant garde, which he later abandoned to better communicate with an audience. His later trio work, evident on the Akoustic Band & New Trio records, Super Trio, Trilogy and Five Trio recordings, is much more accessible and masterful. Along with "3 Quartets," another terrific album from that same period is "Friends." Can’t go wrong with either. His duo collaborations with Burton, Hiromi, McFerrin and others are also very good.
Kooltrane Mar 22 2020 at 12:52 PM	Too many to choose from. Try "3 Quartets" w/ M. Brecker, Gadd and Gomez. Magnificent playing.
naut Mar 20 2020 at 7:50 PM	Chick is one of the most prolific jazz recording musicians, so it’s somewhat difficult to focus on one period or several albums. However, I will recommend two of his earlier records: "Tones for Joan’s Bones" and the magnificent "Now He Sings, Now He Sobs." You’ve probably heard "Like Minds," which has Chick, Pat, Gary Burton, Dave Holland & Roy Haynes on it. Other than "Musicmagic" all the RTF stuff is good. One of my favorite all-time songs is "Song to John Part 2," on Stanley’s "Journey to Love," which has Chick, Stanley and John McLaughlin on an all-too-brief acoustic trio tribute to Trane. Enjoy your unending discoveries of Chick, Gyuri.
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