Chick Corea 2023

Ritmo, Tribute to Chick Corea was recorded live back in July 2021 at the ADDA Auditorium in Alicante (Spain) during the FIJAZZ Festival. Conceived and produced by conductor/drummer Josep Vicent, ADDA Symphony Orchestra’s Music Director, with arrangements by Argentinian Latin Grammy Award Winner pianist and composer Emilio Solla, RITMO is a celebration of Chick Corea’s music and its tremendous influence in contemporary Jazz and its fusion with Latin music.

Jazz master Chick Corea’s unconventional vision of a classical performance shines through in his interaction with the Orchestra da Camera Della Sardegna, turning the acclaimed chamber orchestra into a large-scale jazz ensemble. His unorthodox approach adds a touch of playfulness to the Mozart & Gershwin pieces performed while upholding Corea’s obvious reverence for their music. His joyous fusion sets the tone for the musicians and the audience, creating a truly captivating and boundary- pushing experience. The recording captures the essence of Corea’s musical vision, his appreciation for classical traditions, and his undeniable genius as a performer and improviser. It stands as a testament to his lasting influence and his eternal quest to push the boundaries of music. Through his work as a composer and a performer, he sought to bridge the gap between genres, embracing the universality and enduring power of classical music. Corea realized this ambition fully during this live performance as was eager to release the recording as an album that would inspire jazz and classical music lovers equally.

Led by the legendary pianist and composer Chick Corea - the venerated 27-time Grammy winner and National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master - The Elektric Band stormed onto the jazz scene in the mid-1980s, making an immediate and lasting impact on the genre. With their electrifying performances and innovative blend of jazz fusion, the group produced a series of albums that set the bar for excellence in contemporary jazz. Featuring a core lineup of virtuosic musicians - John Patitucci on bass, Dave Weckl on drums, Eric Marienthal on saxophone and Frank Gambale on guitar - the group created a dynamic and electrifying sound that came to define the jazz fusion style.

A Beautiful orchestral version of "What Game Shall We Play Today" along with new arrangements of some of Chick's classic Children's Songs, plus new compositions and improvisations! "When I first experienced how creatively Erlend was able to re-imagine my songs and combine them with compositions of his own, I became very excited. And since then, every performance we have done together with this great Trondheim Jazz Orchestra has been a creative joy! " - Chick Corea, April 2018

This LP features pianist Chick Corea, bassist Dave Holland and drummer Barry Altschul during the brief period that, along with Anthony Braxton, they were members of the fine avant-garde quartet Circle. The music heard on this set is not quite as free as Circle's but often very explorative. Four of the six songs are Corea originals which, in addition to Holland's "Vedana" and Wayne Shorter's "Nefertiti," form a very viable set of adventurous jazz, recorded just a few months before Corea changed direction.

Two years after the demise of Return To Forever, virtuoso fusioneers Chick Corea and Al Di Meola are joined on stage by legendary drummer Tony Williams and fretless bass wunderkind Bunny Brunel. The set, mainly of Corea compositions, also features All Blues, a tribute to his former employer Miles Davis. The band is tight, the solos are state-of-the-art and the Live Under The Sky crowd are very enthusiastic. Performed at the Den-en Coliseum, Tokyo on the 27th July 1979 and originally broadcast by NHK-FM.

The Chick Corea Band featured here is a high energy quartet plus saxophonist Sadao Watanabe. In fact, the concert feels at times like a showcase for the world's preeminent Japanese jazz musician who was very much a local hero. The music is electric jazz with heavy Latin and funk elements rather than high concept fusion. Bunny Brunel on fretless bass and Tom Brechtlein on drums were Corea regulars at the time and the addition of legendary (even then) percussionist Don Alias makes this 1980 Live Under The Sky performance something special. Performed at the Denen Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan, 27 July 1980 and originally broadcast on NHK radio.