Bloomberg Businessweek talked to Chick this week as he approaches the halfway point of his month-long Birthday Bash at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City. After kicking off with Return to Forever Unplugged and the Five Peace Band, Chick this week welcomes a first for the Blue Note: the Harlem String Quartet will join him, with longtime …
Gayle Moran Corea at Carnegie Hall: Review from Eye on Dance Blog
Gayle Moran Corea — you know her as the stellar vocalist of Mahavishnu Orchestra and Return to Forever, and Chick’s lovely wife of 42 years — sung at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall last week, in the much-anticipated “New Genre! Part 2” concert led by marimba master Mika Stoltzman. The evening began with impeccable readings of new arrangements on …
All About Jazz: Forever is “Sublime”
Listening to Corea, Clarke & White’s upcoming 2-CD set Forever, All About Jazz hears a signal jazz piano trio recording: “Trio recordings like this clearly define the division between ‘simply exceptional’ and ‘without peer.’ All three musicians so command their instruments that they exist on a performance plane defying supportive/lead roles, in favor of absolute equality.” The album—out June 7 …
Bass Musican: “When Music Was Music”
The upcoming release of Corea, Clarke & White’s 2-CD set Forever received another shot of critical praise this week, as Bass Musician magazine called out the album’s artistry: “All throughout these CDs Corea, Clarke, and White tear it up, while the sense of a great composition is never undermined. For the record, Stanley is at his best all throughout both …
Jazz Chicago: “Stellar” Set from Corea, Clarke & White
Corea, Clarke & White’s 2-CD set Forever hits the streets June 7. Here’s what Jazz Chicago had to say about it: Corea sparkles on piano throughout, White retains his powerhouse drum propulsion, while Clarke is playing as strong as ever — adding several memorable solos and a new original number — ‘La Cancion de Sophia.’ Ponty and Connors both do …
All About Jazz: “The impossible is familiar territory”
“It seemed impossible that two human beings could play such intricately melodic material, at that speed, in unison. The impossible was, however, clearly familiar territory for Chick Corea and Gary Burton.” That’s what All About Jazz had to say about the “virtuosic fireworks” during the encore for Chick and Gary’s show earlier this month at Anthology in San Diego. …
West Australian: RTF IV’s “Rich Sound Palette”
Return to Forever IV didn’t waste time on their tour of Australia. At their first show, in Perth, they leapt full force into their signature sound. Perth’s Wester Australian was on hand to catch it. Here’s what they had to say: It’s a no-brainer to say all five musicians are virtuosos, a fact laid bare in the finale, …
What Does the Name “Return to Forever” Mean?
”The poetic thought behind [that title] was that in music and in art in general, when one puts their attention on creativity, what you’re doing is returning to a very natural home ground of yourself, of the spirit, of something that everyone has in common,” Corea said. ”I’m always trying to communicate from that place and return to it. You …
“Spain” on NPR’s Top 100 Jazz Songs
One of Chick’s best-known contributions to the jazz canon, “Spain,” was just named among the top 100 jazz songs of all time by the listeners of NPR. 1,500 listeners cast ballots of their favorite tunes, and “Spain” landed at #23, right between two of Chick’s heros: Horace Silver and Miles Davis. “Spain” was first released on the 1972 album …
NY Times: “Intense, Masterly” Set with Jazz at Lincoln Center
Chick spent three nights in concert with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra last week, with a survey of Chick’s entire career as a composer. The New York Times had some kind words to say about the show on Friday: The collaborative passages were intense and interactive, almost little stand-alone concerts themselves. Mr. Corea was masterly with …
All About Jazz: Corea & Bollani “Incredibly Harmonious”
All About Jazz was on hand for the first of Chick’s three shows with the brilliant Italian pianist Stefano Bollani in Italy, over New Year’s. Here’s what they had to say: The musical and personal encounter assumed the shape of a meeting between a Zen monk (Corea) and a butterfly (Bollani). Corea’s crystalline sound and meditative choice of pauses was …
NY Daily News: Chick Says NYC “Bubbling with Creativity”
Chick’s in New York City this week prepping for 3 shows with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and the New York Daily News took the opportunity to talk to him about the city he calls his “spiritual home.” “Corea moved to New York in 1959 because ‘all of my jazz heroes were living and working in …
Ottawa Citizen: Top Jazz Shows of the Year
The Ottawa Citizen named its top jazz shows of the past year this week, and Corea + McBride + Blade’s set from October was among the chosen. The Citizen also takes home the award for brevity in jazz writing—here’s what they had to say about the show: “Cats can play. Seriously.” The trio just wrapped up its world tour with …
DownBeat: June 2011 Release for Corea, Clarke & White’s “Forever”
Just Announced: Corea, Clarke & White’s 2-CD album Forever will be released in the US on June 7, 2011 on Concord. Forever is currently available only as a Japanese import. DownBeat covered the announcement with a recap of the album’s origins: Disc 1 was recorded live on the group’s US tour, collecting the best takes of their repertoire. Disc 2 …
