It seems like every month we lose more musical greats than we can count. Certainly more than I can feature in Weekly Music Commentary. Nevertheless, some of them are very hard to pass without the benefit of a discussion. Such is the case of jazz pianist Chick Corea. Last month, in the middle of Black History Month as I prepared to feature great jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, the announcement came about the death of Corea. Because I am tied into several press agencies my email and social media was buzzing with stories and acknowledgements surrounding the life and career of the legendary jazz artist. I joined in and responded to a few tweets and stories, but nothing of note. Until today.
It was ironic that while preparing a historic look at the life and career of jazz giant Oscar Peterson, another one was falling in death. Unless you are a fan of jazz music, you might not recognize either. Hopefully when you finish reading this post you will know some things about Chick Corea. Therefore, allow me to get started in breaking down a great life and career.
Armando “Chick” Corea was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, to parents Anna and Armando J. Corea. He was of southern Italian descent, his father having been born to an immigrant from Albi comune, in the Province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region. His father, a jazz trumpeter who led a Dixieland band in Boston in the 1930s and 1940s, introduced him to the piano at the age of four. Surrounded by jazz, he was influenced at an early age by bebop and Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Horace Silver, and Lester Young. When he was eight, he took up drums, which would influence his use of the piano as a percussion instrument.
Corea developed his piano skills by exploring music on his own. A notable influence was concert pianist Salvatore Sullo, from whom Corea started taking lessons at age eight and who introduced him to classical music, helping spark his interest in musical composition. He also spent several years as a performer and soloist for the St. Rose Scarlet Lancers, a drum and bugle corps based in Chelsea.
Given a black tuxedo by his father, he started playing gigs when in high school. He enjoyed listening to Herb Pomeroy’s band at the time and had a trio that played Horace Silver’s music at a local jazz club. He moved to New York City, where he studied music at Columbia University, then transferred to the Juilliard School. He quit after finding both disappointing, but remained in New York City.
At this time Chick Corea started his professional music career. Interestingly, I knew several musicians from college who moved to New York to start their jazz careers. I questioned their choices at the time, but it worked for most of them. One thing is certain: there are more opportunities because there are many more live music venues in New York than Miami. It’s the same in Chicago. However, I’m sure back in the 1960s there were many more opportunities than even today. Could Chick Corea take advantage of the opportunities? Without a doubt. He recorded his debut album, Tones for Joan’s Bones, in 1966 (released in 1968). Two years later he released a trio album, Now He Sings, Now He Sobs, with Roy Haynes and Miroslav Vitous.
Corea started playing with Miles Davis and touring extensively with him into the 1970s. He was part of a powerhouse band consisting of saxophonist Steve Grossman, electric organist Keith Jarrett, bassist Dave Holland, percussionist Airto Moreira, drummer Jack DeJohnette, and, of course, Davis on trumpet.
Holland and Corea departed the Davis band at the same time to form their own free jazz group, Circle, also featuring multi-reed player Anthony Braxton and drummer Barry Altschul. This band was active from 1970 to 1971, and recorded on Blue Note and ECM. Aside from exploring an atonal style, Corea sometimes reached into the body of the piano and plucked the strings. In 1971, Corea decided to work in a solo context, recording the sessions that became Piano Improvisations Vol. 1 and Piano Improvisations Vol. 2 for ECM in April of that year.
There were two things that I will always remember about Chick Corea. 1) He was one of the innovators that introduced a jazz fusion sound that brought younger fans to the jazz genre. 2) Corea will always be known for his fantastic duet recordings.
Named after their eponymous 1972 album, Corea’s Return to Forever band relied on both acoustic and electronic instrumentation and initially drew upon Latin American music styles more than rock music. On their first two records, Return to Forever consisted of Flora Purim on vocals and percussion, Joe Farrell on flute and soprano saxophone, Airto Moreira on drums and percussion, and Stanley Clarke on acoustic double bass. Drummer Lenny White and guitarist Bill Connors later joined Corea and Clarke to form a second version of the group, which blended the earlier Latin music elements with rock and funk-oriented sounds partially inspired by the Mahavishnu Orchestra, led by his Bitches Brew bandmate John McLaughlin. This incarnation of the group recorded the album Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy, before Connors’ replacement by Al Di Meola, who was present on the subsequent Where Have I Known You Before, No Mystery, and Romantic Warrior.
Corea had some legendary duets with several musicians, but the one I remember quite well were his duets with Herbie Hancock. during the late 1970s. These concerts were presented in elegant settings with both artists dressed formally and performing on concert grand pianos. The two played each other’s compositions, as well as pieces by other composers such as Béla Bartók, and duets. I actually bought an album of one of these live performances. It was interesting because at the time I was gravitating toward R & B and Pop music. However, jazz was very much still a part of my regular listening. This duet of the two master keyboard players with no other musicians, was a classic and I knew it. Oh but there was a lot more.
There is Chick Corea’s most recognized piece of music: Spain. “Spain” was composed in 1971 and appeared in its original (and best-known) rendition on the album Light as a Feather, with performances by Corea (Rhodes electric piano), Airto Moreira (drums), Flora Purim (vocals and percussion), Stanley Clarke (bass), and Joe Farrell (flute). It has been recorded in several versions, by Corea himself as well as by other artists, including a flamenco version by Paco de Lucía, Al Di Meola and John McLaughlin in the 1980s, and a progressive bluegrass version by Béla Fleck in 1979. A version with lyrics by Al Jarreau, “Spain (I Can Recall)”, appeared on the 1980 album This Time.
My best memory of the song Spain was from my college jazz band. They played it the year before I joined. I wished I could have been a part of the ensemble that performed the piece. I was eager to be challenged. Oh well, I was challenged by other pieces.
After all has been said about Chick Corea, there is so much more to talk about. Including his two Grammy awards he received a little over a month after his death. Numbers 24 and 25. The best thing that can be said about Chick Corea is that his music will be with us forever. It still feels like he died way too soon.