Chick writes from Switzerland

Dear Friends,

I want to send you news from the road.

I was thinking that so much of what my life is about happens “on the road”.

Playing to live audiences is the greatest joy of being a musician. I feel lucky to be able to travel around the world and see with my own two eyes how things are and how my friends are really doing.

One of the things I like to do is keep my home team at CCAS (Chick Corea Artist Services) informed on all the great things that happen playing concerts in so many varied venues during a week.

Here’s one of the reports we send to the home team. I want to share it with you all. If you would like to receive more of these reports to home-base, write in and let us know so we can compile a special list made up of those of you that would like to receive the road reports.

Have fun, splurge on the joy of creating while we all keep the music fires burning bright!

Chick
9 July 19 – from St. Moritz, Switzerland

Chick + Made in Corea in Lillestrom, Norway

Lillestrom Kultursenter // 22 June 2019

Our bright audience in Lillestrom

Hi all!

Summer has finally brought us to the long-awaited European tour with the brand new Spanish Heart Band! Their debut album, Antidote, just premiered to wonderful acclaim and great enthusiasm from the fans, and that same enthusiasm has carried over into the live shows that have been played so far. There’s going to be much to talk about with the Spanish Heart Band and you’ll certainly be hearing about all of it!

But first, Chick actually began his summer in Europe with something completely different, and very special in many ways.

Lillestrøm is a city in Norway, about 20 minutes outside of Oslo, and is also the birthplace of a quartet called “Made in Corea”. As the name suggests, the band plays Chick’s music–exclusively, in fact.

Chick became aware of them in the early 2000s and in 2005, 4 years after the band’s inception, Chick happened to be in the same city as them and sat in during one of their shows. They became good friends after that and Chick would see them pop up in different cities every now and then when they’d come see him perform.

Some years later they proposed an idea to Chick: what if he were to come to Lillestrøm and do an entire program with them? Of course Norway was a far ways away from Clearwater, FL and finding the time to do it would be a challenge…

But the right time was finally found.

Chick flew into Oslo from Tampa on Wednesday, June 19. They were to have two days of rehearsals and then two shows over two nights. Made in Corea recruited friends and friends of friends to form a 31-piece band and orchestra which tackled Chick’s works from the 70s, including “My Spanish Heart”, “Spanish Fantasy”, “La Fiesta”, “Soft and Gentle” (which Gayle phoned in on before it was performed and told the audience all about!), and the song that they say inspired them to start the project in the first place: “Leprechaun’s Dream”. The orchestra included a string quartet, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and a female vocal choir. All that was missing, they said, was a pianist!

The performances, played to two full, exhilarated audiences, were both stellar. The reaction from those in attendance was consistent: “…unlike anything I’ve seen…” “…blown away…” “…best show I’ve ever been to!…” And this sentiment was echoed by those in the band.

“I would sometimes get lost in the middle of the song, because I was listening to all the magic that was happening around me!” vibraphonist and founding Made in Corea member, Ola, said. “It was like having my own private concert on stage–but I was a part of it!”

Beyond the immense artistic value of the experience, Made in Corea expressed their deep gratitude for Chick’s friendship and for touching their lives in ways they say they won’t soon forget.

“Seeing the way you work with people, the way you treat everyone,” the bass player, Fredrik, said to Chick, “Makes me want to be a better person. I am inspired by the way you are with others.”

Regards,

Jordin + the Chick Corea Road Crew