Chick Corea, the pioneer piano and orchestra leader who passed away on Tuesday at 79, will forever be considered an important architect of jazz-rock fusion.
It is an appropriate tribute to one rule. Whether he was on his own, the leader of the collective Return to Forever or accompanying giants like Miles Davis (on rural albums including ‘In a Silent Way’ and ‘Bitches Brew’), Corea helped enrich the lexicon of jazz and to combine its harmonious language with the heaviness. (and reinforcement) of rock and funk. But no description, even so broad, can include a vision so unlimited.
“After all, formal styles are only an afterthought – an outgrowth of the creative impulse,” Corea told The New York Times in 1983. “No one sits down and decides to write specifically in a predetermined style. A style is not something you learn as much as something you synthesize. Musicians do not care if a given composition is jazz, pop or classical music. All they care about is whether it’s good music – whether it’s challenging or exciting. ”
For more than five decades, Corea has changed its sound to follow the simple maximum – chasing the whims of bebop to free jazz to fusion to contemporary classics. He has recorded nearly 90 albums as an orchestra leader or co-leader. And he always put melody and musicality first and foremost as a low-calorie show (although few could compete with his raw skill on the Fender Rhodes).
Here are 12 of his elite studio and live performances.
‘Miles Runs the Voodoo Down’ (1970)
Corea and Joe Zawinul form a wall of Rhodes on this slippery, funky track from Miles Davis ‘”Bitches Brew,” which is suppressed by John McLaughlin’s ice-picking guitars and Davis’ sighing trumpet. The rhythm section is so dense, that it’s hard to enjoy everything: two electric basses (Dave Holland and Harvey Brooks), two drum kits (Don Alias and Jack DeJohnette) and the congas of Juma Santos. Good thing it lasts 14 minutes. The keyboard players move from question marks to exclamation marks – one moment they stick against the groove, the next moment in colorful outbursts. “Trust yourself,” Corea said in 2020, was Davis’ philosophy. “When he says, ‘Play what you do not hear,’ he means, trust your imagination. Trust yourself to say, ‘I do not know what I’m going to do next, but I’m just going to do it because it’s fun. Because I love it. ‘”
‘Chris’ (1970)
Corea splashes electric piano over this nine-minute sample of guitarist Larry Coryell’s “Spaces,” a pillar of early fusion. The arrangement seems to alternate between structure and improvisation, straight groove and cosmic freedom. The series is the definition of a supergroup: Corea and Coryell, plus John McLaughlin on guitar, Miroslav Vitouš (later Weather Report) on double bass and Billy Cobham on drums.
The rare fusion with a shelf life as jazz standard, “Spain”, remains Corea’s distinctive composition – covered by artists as diverse as Stevie Wonder and Béla Fleck. The original, from Return to Forever’s “Light as a Feather”, is untouchable: in almost 10 minutes, the keyboard’s hands clatter joyfully over the Rhodes, its soft melodies matching Flora Purim’s quiet chorus and Joe Farrell’s fluttering flute. The chorus, with its clipped keyboard phrases and enthusiastic hand knobs, counts along with Weather Report’s main theme “Birdland” as one of the most beautiful moments in fusion history.
‘Space Circus, Part I’ / ‘Space Circus, Part II’ (1973)
In his infancy, Return to Forever has fought against the intensity of most rock bands from the 70s. But that sounds positive on his third album, adding two new recruits (drummer Lenny White and guitarist Bill Connors), leaving Stanley Clarke to switch to the bass. The group showed off their full dynamic range on this duo of Return to Forever’s “Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy,” which began with Corea’s dreamy Rhodes theme before erupting into a densely packed funk. Connors’ bruising guitar and Clarke’s twisted bass drift to psych-rock territory – but even when the keyboard lies back a bit, his steady chords remain the heartbeat of the ensemble.
‘Song to John (Part I)’ / ‘Song to John (Part II)’ (1975)
Corea’s acoustic piano slips into the lush New Age area in the first half of these tracks from Stanley Clarke’s “Journey to Love,” which is a fanfare featuring Clarke’s curved bass and John McLaughlin’s acoustic guitar. The group nailed an intense Latin groove in the second half, with McLaughlin and Corea setting off fireworks. In the notes, Clarke dedicated the two-piece to John Coltrane – and it complies with the invoice.
‘Sorceress’ (1976)
The definitive Return to Forever series – Corea, Clarke, White and guitarist Al Di Meola – splintered after the album “Romantic Warrior” from 1976. But as this funky odyssey proves, they went on to a near climax. White is credited here as a composer, and his wobbly drum groove definitely keeps the engine going. But “Sorceress” also finds Corea at its perhaps most versatile, keyboard-like – weaving in atmospheric pillows, winding synth leads and Latin themes on acoustic piano.
‘Spanish fantasy’ (1976)
Corea has always been influenced by Latin music, explaining to Billboard in 2019 that ‘that taste, I find, is mostly in everything I do’. “It’s a part of me. I do not know how to distinguish it. But he never delved deeper than on his 10th solo LP, “My Spanish Heart.” The recording culminates with this whiplash quadruple suite, ranging from elegant string and brass leaves to acoustic piano, to the finest jazz-rock accolades on this side of Steely Dan’s “Aja”.
‘Short Tales of the Black Forest’ (1976)
Compiled by Corea for his Forever orchestra partner Di Meola’s debut solo album “Land of the Midnight Sun”, Corea uses his virtuoso flash – both players sound like they can air some of their instruments drift away. But there are many graceful melodies packed into these five and a half minutes. Halfway through, Corea slips into soft chords as Di Meola climbs up and the scales drop. Corea can even showcase its marimba skills, adding extra drama to a climax.
‘Homecoming’ (1979)
Corea and Herbie Hancock, two of the elite keyboard players of fusion, undertook an acoustic duo tour in 1978, and the pair, both veterans of the Miles Davis groups, stabbed each other in a frightening way on the two live LPs that appeared from those dates. One highlight is a 19-minute rendition of ‘Homecoming’ by ‘CoreaHancock’, which expertly merges their instruments into one organism. They move on a double from beauty to ugliness – halfway turning the piece into a section of throaty growling, percussion beating and prepared piano madness.
‘Rumble’ (1986)
Like most fusion giants that survived into the mid-80s, Corea embraced the colors and contours of the time and formed his Electric Band with drummer Dave Weckl, bassist John Patitucci and alternate guitarists Scott Henderson and Carlos Rios. The rhythm section runs free on this neon-covered track from “The Chick Corea Electric Band”, defined by its winding, Zappa-like rhythms and Corea’s comically bright synthesizers.
‘Spain (Live)’ (1992)
Corea has stretched ‘Spain’ like tough throughout the decades and retained its interest by reworking it for different settings and band configurations. (“By 1976 or so, I was starting to get tired of the song,” he told The Atlantic in 2011. “I started playing really twisted versions of it – I would just refer to it for a moment and then I would go on an improvisation. ”) One of his most beautiful renditions of the later day is this lively acoustic duet from ‘Play’ with singer Bobby McFerrin, who breathes new life into the piece with his divine falsetto, rumbling bass lines and body percussion. For all the sublime techniques, the greatest revelation to hear these two giants include perfect symmetry over the main theme.
‘Crystal Silence’ (2008)
Corea has teamed up again with vibraphonist Gary Burton for the Grammy-winning live CD, ‘The New Crystal Silence’ with double disc, which is largely built on reworked pieces from Corea’s back catalog. The duo have been working together on and off for decades, and the music here feels natural and lived-in – even a full-fledged Zen, as in the extensive recording of ‘Crystal Silence’. Trapped in sharp studio-level fidelity, Corea and Burton trade phrases and counterpoint patterns, with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra rounding off the windy conversation.