This 2CD set by Chick Corea - recorded in Quebec - contains several tracks called Chick Talks. During the first, he explains, "I have to begin by getting a feel for this piano…I have no plan for this evening", so I was prepared for free improvisations and a scholarly lecture. But when Corea says "Welcome to my living room" we are transported from the concert hall to an intimate solo recital that is coloured by his relaxed, conversational introductions. How Deep is the Ocean? eventually emerges empirically from a collection of apparently unrelated phrases, after which Corea comments, "I don’t know where that came from". Although there is a lot of improvisation in this piece, all of the other pieces are premeditated. Corea prefaces each batch of tunes with background details and personal reminiscences.
Reissue with the latest DSD remastering. Comes with liner notes. It's unlikely that two major musicians could have more in common than Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock. Born a year apart, they both got their starts on Blue Note sessions in the early 1960s, worked extensively with Miles Davis (albeit in very different periods), and were among the architects and biggest successes of fusion in the 1970s. Equally distinguished as pianists and composers, they share many of the same influences, both in classical music (Ravel, Debussy, Bartók) and jazz (Davis, John Coltrane, and Bill Evans), and in the late 1970s, both were dividing their time between electric and acoustic projects.
On An Evening with John Patitucci & Andy James, two gifted performers join forces to conjure an intimate evening of captivating music. At a time when jazz aficionados around the world have been starved for musical experiences, the album recreates the sultry atmosphere of a candlelight nightclub as some of the most revered musicians in modern jazz perform classic standards.
Herbie Hancock recorded for Columbia between 1972 and 1988. During that period, between the label's American and Japanese divisions, he released 31 albums, both solo and with an astonishing variety of players in an equally breathtaking panorama of styles, from straight-ahead post-bop, to fusion, jazz-funk, disco, R&B, smooth jazz, and even hip-hop. Though Hancock had a celebrated career before signing to Columbia, it was his longest label association; and during his tenure there, he experienced his greatest commercial success and his name was etched permanently into the history of popular music. This box set contains 34 discs – 28 single and three double albums – all housed in handsome individual LP and gatefold sleeves.
A wonderful collector's edition of jazz pianists' records in almost all styles from the first ragtimes to modern jazz.