Chick Corea Classical

"Spain" is probably Chick Corea's best-known composition. Written in 1971, it was first introduced by his Return to Forever band and played frequently by many other Corea-led groups, including his 1988 Akoustic Band trio. Here it appears again – and arguably, for all time – in a powerful, extended form through the efforts of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Steven Mercurio, Corea, and five other members of the group Origin. Combining the sounds of Spain, Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, and New York with a whiff of Gershwin and Ravel full of whispers and thunder, Corea's arrangement won the 2000 Grammy.

Believed to have been composed between August 1775 and January 1777, the Concerto In E Flat Major for two pianos technically counts as being the tenth of Mozart's twenty-seven concertos, that huge and prodigious body that would set the standards for all piano concertos from Mozart's time forward. Although it is not performed with the same frequency as his later works (especially the final eight concertos, 20-27), this "Double" piano concerto, believed to have been composed by Mozart for performance by him and his sister Maria Anna ("Nannerl"), is nevertheless a fascinating experiment of Mozart's, one that requires a pair of solid keyboard virtuosos to do (and for the composer's Seventh piano concerto, you needed three soloists).

The latest addition to Chick Corea’s remarkable discography, Plays is a captivating, intimate double album. Showcasing his charming rapport with enthusiastic audiences in these spirited renditions, he’s in good company throughout, engaging with a list of icons represents a wide swath of musical history, from the classical repertoire of Mozart and Chopin to jazz influences like Bill Evans and modern pop sensibility of Stevie Wonder. Several pieces are reprisals or spontaneously improvised.

Within the last 18 months, Chick Corea has released albums with an eight-piece Latin ensemble (Antidote with the Spanish Heart Band) and a trio (Trilogy 2 with bassist Christian McBride and drummer Brian Blade). On his new album Plays, the live audience is the band. Here I am with my piano," he says in the opening track. "The piano’s tuned up all nice, but we have to tune up. Yeah, we." Corea strikes a middle A. "Ahhh," the crowd sings back with a nervous giggle. G to A. "Aaah-aaah." So on and so forth; he teases them with increasingly complicated phrases, then settles into a lovely medley of Mozart’s Piano Sonata in F and George Gershwin’s "Someone to Watch Over Me." "It feels uncomfortable to just sit up on stage, play and nod at [people]," he says in the Plays press bio. "I like people to feel like they’re in my living room and we’re hanging out."