Chick Corea
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea was a Massachusets-born musician of Italian descent who proved to be constantly open to both new ideas and influences as well as new technologies and technological advances throughout the course of his long career--a career that spanned
Son of a trumpeter who spent his long professional career as the leader of a Dixieland jazz band, Chick was surrounded by music the entirety of his childhood. Though introduced to piano by his father, Chick gravitated to the drums before returning to piano as a means to explore his own ideas and curiosities. Piano lessons in his teens were purely focused on Classical Music despite Chick's predilection for jazz. All of these childhood experiences and influences remained as strong presences in his music throughout his career with classical (training), Latin (family), drumming (early preference), and multiple modalities of jazz (his true love) appearing in songs, dictating album themes, or cycling through his musical interests over and over from the Sixties to the 2020s as he was touring and recording and releasing new studio material right up until shortly before his death in 2021.
My own link to Mr. Corea was through his music--specifically, through his output with his much-beloved band, Return To Forever and, specifically, their album, Romantic Warrior which my brothers and I discovered, much to our awe and wonderment, in 1976. Though I was drawn to first follow and collect the output of RTF's dynamic (force-of-nature) guitarist Al Di Meola (who was, at the time, practically my age), Chick's solo work was the second thread of discovery that I pursued. Once I discovered The Mad Hatter I was hooked as a life-long fan.
Recent explorations into the many, many albums of Chick's that I had never acquired or heard, as well as the many albums on which Chick played as a contributing collaborator have only served to elevate his esteem in my eyes. He is, without question or hesitation, my favorite piano-keyboard artist of the Jazz-Rock Fusion movement.
Below you will find the albums that Chick participated on that deserve the most recognition in terms of their contribution to the rise, peak, and evolution of Jazz-Rock Fusion.
MILES DAVIS In a Silent Way (1969)
Line-up / Musicians:
- Dave Holland / Bass
- Tony Williams / Drums
- Chick Corea / Electric Piano
- Herbie Hancock / Electric Piano
- Josef Zawinul / Electric Piano, Organ
- John McLaughlin / Guitar
- Wayne Shorter / Saxophone [Tenor]
- Miles Davis / Trumpet- Tony Williams / Drums
- Chick Corea / Electric Piano
- Herbie Hancock / Electric Piano
- Josef Zawinul / Electric Piano, Organ
- John McLaughlin / Guitar
- Wayne Shorter / Saxophone [Tenor]
A "Shhh / Peaceful" (18:17) nice clarity and definition in the soundscapes but the only fire is coming from the keyboard players. And shame of Miles for forcing Tony to play hi-hat for 18-minutes straight! (35/40)
B1 "In A Silent Way" / B2 "It's About That Time" (mixed together by Teo Maceo) (19:53) opens like a variation on some national anthem or famous folk song. (a Civil War dirge?!) as a Fender and John McLaughlin's guitar reverently move their way through. In the third minute Wayne's soprano sax takes the lead. In the fourth Miles' trumpet. The splice into "It's About That Time" at 4:05 is fairly smooth, though one can tell that the IATT jam was well under way in the place that Teo chose to start it. Repeating frog-like bass "ribbits," rim shots and light cymbal play from Tony, gentle evenly spaced Fender Rhodes chord progressions, delicate guitar flourishes and occasional organ chords, second drummer at the end of the eighth minute as the tension slowly builds to the point at which bass and organ start up a "Birdland"-like melody. Then everybody slows down for a little reset around 9:10 before the multiple keys start a discordant interplay of the same chord presentations. Soprano saxophone takes the lead for the next couple minutes. Again, I would think if I were Tony Williams I would have been totally incensed and humiliated over the task that bandleader (a penalty/punishment for his wanting to go solo? If not, certainly the impetus for his leaving the Miles Davis fold. Miles finally enters in the thirteenth minute. Teo somehow splices into a new section in which the band is cooking on a different level (with Tony given a little freedom, finally) but this is quickly ended in favor of a scrimped down, more staccato version of the "Birdland" motif as Miles continues to hold the lead. In the 16th minute everything slows down and finally comes to a stop--where Teo splices in another section of the "In a Silent Way" Civil War dirge with John and the Fenders painstakingly making their way through the fields of fallen dead as before. Miles enters at 17:45 to give the battlefield his Aaron Copeland-like version of "Taps." Interesting but shamefully void of volume, dynamic diversity, or flashy displays of instrumental virtuosity. (34.75/40)
Total Time: 38:12
Personally, I don't understand why this album is given such acclaim: the music is okay, the musicianship fine, and, yes, there are electronic instruments used and the expanded lineup with three artists covering the keyboard positions is rather novel, but the sound production and compositional dynamics are completely devoid of any of the fire and passion that define the jazz-rock fusion subgenre. Are we giving credit just for the novelty of three electric keyboard players, a dynamic drummer, and a tamed- and toned-down guitar lion? I mean, musically there is very little on this album to excite me in the way that John McLaughlin and his Mahavishnu Orchestra, the latter-day Mwandishi lineup, Italy's Area, later Return to Forever and Weather Report, and Jean-Luc Ponty will generate.
87.1875 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a surprisingly dull and suppressed 38 minutes of music from a lineup that had incredible potential. In the military we would call this "unrealized potential" or "a dud."
I've been listening to this album with great attention for the past couple years, trying to fully comprehend the accolades it has received over the years--especially from a prog perspective--as well as in the context of Miles' own personal evolution. What I've truly come to appreciate, more than anything else, is Miles' amazing, almost unique desire to grow, to absorb all that he hears, to gather, listen to, and integrate the leading innovators of the younger generations around him. His track record is truly astounding (and perhaps a bit of a psychological issue: feeding like a vampire off of fresh, young blood and then taking all the credit). For fifteen years Miles had been learning how to command and squeeze the best out of his studio musicians in as little time as possible, and Bitches Brew offers yet another example of this.
After a year of introduction to modern psych-pop culture via socialite wife Betty Mabry, the changes in Miles manifest in everything from clothes, food, and cars, to music, social circles, and concert attendance choices. Miles was now hep to Hendrix, Sly Stone, James Brown, The Byrds, Aretha Franklin, and Dionne Warwick/Burt Bacharach. Then came the 1969 Newport Jazz Festival in July. Witnesses say that after that--after seeing James Brown staged next to Frank Zappa and the Mothers and Dave Brubeck and Art Blakey, as well as a roster that included Sun Ra and his Arkestra, Roland Kirk, Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans and Freddie Hubbard, B B King, Sly and the Family Stone, Led Zeppelin and Blood, Sweat and Tears--Miles was super stoked to get back into the studio. (His first funk-infused album, In a Silent Way was already in the can but would not be released for another three weeks!) He was itching to try out some of the musicians and styles and recording techniques that he'd been hearing, seeing, learning about. Over the course of three days in August, using a kind of revolving door of musicians and multiple instrumentalists at each main instrument (three keyboard players, two drummers, two bass players [one acoustic, one electric], four drummers [not all at once; two at a time], and three percussionists, three horn players and electric guitarist John McLaughlin, the expanded or "new style big band" ensemble rehearsed and laid down six long tracks, only one of which had been composed and performed before ("Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" was one of the songs he played in his 24-minute set with his quartet at Newport--which may be one reason that song occupied all of Saturday, August 20). Then it was Miles' permission given to producer Teo Macero that led to much of the magic that we hear in the final release as he used many editing techniques in the post production, including tape loops, tape delays, reverb chambers and echo effects as well as splicing and micro-edits. In effect, it is the production work of Teo Macero that really brought Miles' work and Bitches Brew into the realm of modern sound recording and, thus, the attention and adulation of experimental rock and jazz musicians. While not the start of the jazz-fusion movement (that honor would have to be wrestled for between Gary Burton, Herbie Mann, Don Ellis, Larry Coryell, and Jimi Hendrix [this latter due to his influence on The Soft Machine), Bitches Brew was certainly the album that blew open the floodgates for musicians EVERYWHERE to experiment and dabble in the "dark arts." For me, the contribution of Bitches Brew is more in the story, the lineup, the production, the rather noticeable (some might say "drastic") shift in the direction of Miles' sound, not in the songs, per se. I find the songs interesting but none have ever found their way into my jazz-rock/jazz fusion playlists. Thus my four star rating: while the entire album is fascinating and essential for the observation of the evolution of Miles Davis, I would not recommend any of these songs as introductions to the world of jazz-rock fusion.
Line-up / Musicians:
Bass – Dave Holland
Bass [Fender] – Harvey Brooks
Bass Clarinet – Bennie Maupin
Trumpet – Miles Davis
Drums – Don Alias, Jack DeJohnette, Lenny White
Electric Guitar – John McLaughlin
Electric Piano – Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul (tracks: A to C1, D2), Larry Young (tracks: A, C1 to D1)
Percussion – Jim Riley
Soprano Saxophone – Wayne Shorter
Bass [Fender] – Harvey Brooks
Bass Clarinet – Bennie Maupin
Trumpet – Miles Davis
Drums – Don Alias, Jack DeJohnette, Lenny White
Electric Guitar – John McLaughlin
Electric Piano – Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul (tracks: A to C1, D2), Larry Young (tracks: A, C1 to D1)
Percussion – Jim Riley
Soprano Saxophone – Wayne Shorter
A "Pharaoh's Dance" (19:25) the long, slowly developing opening is kind of unusual for its meandering, amorphous way, but eventually the band members seem to get into their own individual grooves. One can easily sense that the trumpet player is in command with each other soloist getting a nod of permission for their turns in the spotlight, no more. The song chugs along, moving but never really getting anywhere; it's like a 19-minute video clip of a train motoring through Wyoming. (35/40)
C1 "Spanish Key" (17:30) definitely a more rock-oriented rhythm track, which is probably why the keys and guitar (and drums) are more aggressive and abrasive. (31/35)
C2 "John McLaughlin" (4:23) If this was Miles' nod to John, why didn't he let the guitar innovator use more of the distortion and other effects he was using on his other State-side shows and recording gigs? (8.75/10)
D1 "Miles Runs The Voodoo Down" (14:03) just a little too much on the bluesy side of R&B for my tastes, though I actually love the perfect recording and mix of all the instruments in the weave. My favorite part is the tenth and eleventh minutes when the Chick Corea's dirty Fender Rhodes and Larry Young's organ (as well as the bassists) go bat shit crazy--not a typical phenomenon in a Miles song. (26.5/30)
D2 "Sanctuary" (10:54) opens with rich Fender Rhodes support of Miles' plaintive, almost-tender trumpet play. I love it when Dave Holland and Bennie Maupin join during the second minute, Bennie trying to second Miles' melody line (but being a bit off). Until the song gels into its "solid form" at 3:!5 the drummers feel as if they're just warming up, each in their own universe. Joe Zawinul also has a rather unusual way of play off the beat (Teo Maceo's choice?) and yet, this is probably the album's most accessible song for me and, thus, my favorite. (18/20)
A little more exciting, diverse, and dynamic than its predecessor, In a Silent Way, I still have great difficulty understanding what people see in this album's music that elevates it to such high ratings. I understand the landmark it represents historically in the rise and development of that which will become the Jazz-Rock Fusion sub-genre, but there are very few moments on this album in which my blood gets pumpin' or my brain gets blown away by the solos, duels, or interface of these expanded lineups and their "new and exciting" electrified instruments. I mean, had I heard them in the day--in the context of what was going on sonically, evolutionarily, at that time, sure I would probably have been impressed. But, would it have made me inspired to become a musician? Would I have been blasting these songs across the Quad from my dormitory windows? Would I have been wearing out the grooves of my vinyl copy because I was playing it so much? I seriously think not!
Total Time: 93:00
88.29 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a ground-breaking album, as they say, but to me this is just a rather messy conglomeration of highly creative musicians who have been given a certain amount of instruction, a little more freedom, and a lot of time. I mean, let's give credit where credit is due: Teo Macero took the tapes from the recording sessions and made whatever he thought sounded good to him, right? I mean, how much say did Miles or any of the other musicians have in the finished product that was released seven months after the recording sessions? Probably very little, so, then, in reality, how much credit should Miles receive for this product? Did he ever perform these songs live, in concert, the way they appeared here on vinyl? I seriously doubt it. I think we've been giving too much credit to a bandleader who had very little to do with the product that the world and posterity can own when in fact it is, according to what I've read, Teo Macero who shaped the finished product.
During the two years after participating in the August 1969 recording sessions for Mile Davis' seminal album, Bitches Brew, Chick had participated in the recording of many diverse albums--from Miles Davis' live albums to Wayne Shorter and Larry Coryell's experimental First Wave Fusion albums Supernova and Spaces, respectively, but more, he chose to hang around his more steadfast jazz compatriots Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland, Eric Kloss, Joe Farrell, and Gary Burton. Return to Forever marked his own first
Line-up / Musicians:
- Chick Corea / Fender Rhodes
With:
- Joe Farrell / flute, soprano saxophone
- Stanley Clarke / bass, double bass (4)
- Airto Moreira / drums, percussion
- Flora Purim / vocals, percussion
1. "Return to Forever" (12:06) now I know where the idea for The Northettes (and other Canterbury female vocals) came from! Flora Purim's angelic and ethereal wordless vocalese performs as if another instrument in the weave with Chick's Fender Rhodes, Stanley Clarke's fairly-untreated electric bass, Airto Moreira's classical jazz drumming, and Joe Farrell's background flutes. (24/25)
2. "Crystal Silence" (6:59) a beautiful Fender Rhodes song that features the respectful and only intermittent inputs of Joe Farrell's soprano sax and Airto Moreira's shakers and bells--a song that would be expanded upon significantly with vibraphonist Gary Burton on the album of the same name that would come out later in the same year. (14.5/15)
3. "What Games Shall We Play Today?" (4:30) a gentle Latin-bossa nova light (reminding me of Burt Bacharach/Hal David's "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?") with Flora actually singing over the Fender Rhodes, Latin drums and bass lines and BOB JAMES-like keyboard and flute melodies. A light, innocuous song illustrating Chick's pop capabilities. (8.875/10)
4. "Sometime Ago / La Fiesta" (23:13) the whole of Side Two is occupied by this sprawling tune--a -part suite that starts out with Chick's vibrating Fender Rhodes being reacted to from the right side by Stanley's gentle, respectful double bass play. Eventually, in the third minute, Chick backs off to allow Stanley some solo time bowing his bass. Then Joe Farrell's flute and Airto's full drum kit get into the act for a couple minutes of more active, full-ensemble play until things begin being dismantled at the end of the seventh minute. By 7:30 a new more Latin/Brasilian motif starts up over which in the ninth minute Flora Purim begins singing (a rather simple, cheesy English lyric--which makes me wonder how beautiful this might have been had it been sung in Flora's native Portuguese tongue). Both Chick and Joe continue mirroring and creating variations on the main melody that Flora's vocal uses (rather rigidly, I might add). Both are creative but never really getting very daring--until, finally, the 12th minute when Chick and Airto seem to egg one another on--sweeping Joe up into the frenzy (with piccolo?). Overall, this light and delightful second movement lasts for about six minutes before there is a slow down and return to Chick's solo Fender Rhodes, tout seul. For the next couple of minutes he continues to gently, introspectively explore the main melody that he, Flora, and Joe had just been using before a slow down and complete stop at 15:25 signals an opportunity for the whole band to jump back in with a more percussive Latinized version of the four chord vamp they'd been using, this time with Joe playing his soprano sax up front. At 7:18 the whole key signature shifts and with it the melody line, now sounding much more aligned to a different, more Spanish theme and melody (Olé!)--but the shift was so subtle! If you weren't paying attention you might not even notice it! Joe swoops and soars covering the entire octaval capacity of his sax until the 20th minute when the band pretty much comes together to carry the melody together. Then Chick, Airto, and Stanley switch into a different kind of style while maintaining their carry of the same melody (basically), giving Joe a break for a minute. Stanley is walking all over that fretboard and Chick is really hammering and tickling his keys. Then Flora's hand percussion and Joe's sax step back in to liven up the final 90 seconds. Fun, melodic, sophisticated, though not as individually flashy as future RTF albums. (41/45)
Total Time 46:48
2. "Light as a Feather" (10:57) opening with a quick fade-in on a Flora Purim vocal that was already in progress usually does not bode well for the presentation of finished compositions, but the length of this with its many smooth and melodic performances overcomes any obstacle presented by recording and editing processes. The performance of now-21 year old bass prodigy Stanley Clarke displays the young artist's continuing development of his own signature sounds and styles--though more in the solos than in the sometimes stiff and rote-sounding supporting chord arpeggios. The performances are all great--so smooth and professional--even presenting some creative and spirited solos from Joe Farrell on tenor sax, as well as Stanley and Chick. Flora's Latinized vocal, however, feels not only a continuation of/carryover from the previous song and is not really missed for the nine-tenths of the song in which it is absent. (18/20)
3. "Captain Marvel" (4:53) some uptempo Latin jazz with some awesome performances from Stanley and Chick, some rather weak and uninspired wordless vocals from Flora, and some poorly recorded and mixed kit drumming from Airto (too far in the background--as if being played in a pit while being recorded by microphones hanging from 20 feet above--while Airto and Flora's hand percussion tracks are recorded as if right in your lap. (8.875/10)
1. "Children Of Forever" (10:42) an odd song that sounds part Broadway musical part gospel song. Despite some odd quirks and descrepencies in the sound quality and mix levels, many of the idiosyncratic trademark riffs and tricks of both Chick and Stanley are on full display in this song--trademarks that will become much more refined and as the varieties in sound-treatments and instrumental choices increase over the next few years. The real weakness of this odd, odd song is in the weird vocals (and lyrics): they sound as if they are coming straight off of a stage of a production like Pippin, Hair, or Godspell.only a much lower grade/quality play. (17.375/20)
2. "Unexpected Days" (5:53) despite the same quality of sound engineering for the vocalists and instrumentalists, the switch to lone vocal leadership of Dee Dee Bridgewater is more palatable (I guess I'm finding Andy Bey's stiff and formal vocals to be too contrasting to those of the gorgeous and souluful Ms. Bridgewater. The music and instrumental passages on this one are much better--far more engaging and more-fully sculpted--on this song than on its predecessor--the contributions of Arthur Webb's flute and the electric piano, in particular, adding a lot of serene accessibility. (8.875/10)
89.58 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; an inconsistent though future-illuminating exploration into First Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion that earns near-masterpiece status. Chick is definitely flying at Jonathan Livingston Seagull speeds while his young protégés are learning, working hard to try to catch up.
Total Time 46:48
An album that really explored the more spacious, contemplative potential of the newly emerging wave of Jazz-Rock Fusion, Chick used his Return To Forever project as a means to exploring his curiosities with the world of electrified instruments and emerging new sound treatments--as well as some of his fire and vigor.
93.03 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; despite the feeling that these guys are just getting into their exploration and exhibition of Jazz-Rock Fusion, the music here is so melodious and the musicianship so high (though never mind-blowing as the future RTF individuals would display) this is truly a masterpiece of First or Second Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion. (First for the exploration of "uncharted territory," second for the use of forms and sounds that are already being explored by others--like Weather Report.)
GARY BURTON & CHICK COREA Crystal Silence (1973)
Recorded in Oslo, Norway on November 6, 1972 at Arne Bendiksen Studio for Manfred Eicher's relatively new ECM Records
Lineup / Musicians:
- Gary Burton / vibraphone
- Chick Corea / piano, composer
1. "Señor Mouse" (6:20)
2. "Arise, Her Eyes" (5:08) a cover of a composition by guitarist Steve Swallow
3. "I'm Your Pal" (4:02) another Steve Swallow composition
4. "Desert Air" (6:26)
5. "Crystal Silence" (9:05) previously released on the debut Return To Forever album,
6. "Falling Grace" (2:42) the third and final Steve Swallow composition
7. "Feelings and Things" (4:46) a Mike Gibbs composition
8. "Children's Song" (2:11) the first of a series of Children's Songs that Chick composed and recorded d
9. "What Game Shall We Play Today" (3:46) obviously Chick had children on his mind at this time as he had two with first wife Joanni
RETURN TO FOREVER Light as a Feather (1973)
The deal is sealed: Chick Corea's Return To Forever is more than just a single album issue: it's now a band, a collective with a singular purpose: to explore the expanding and ever-elastic boundaries of the new medium that will become known as Jazz-Rock Fusion.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Chick Corea / electric piano, producer
- Joe Farrell / flute, tenor saxophone
- Stanley Clarke / double bass
- Airto Moreira / drums, percussion
- Flora Purim / vocals, percussion
1. "You're Everything" (5:11) Chick's gentle, melodic electric piano musings that are joined in the second half of the first minute by Flora Purim's very traditional Ella Fitzgerald-like jazz vocals. There is a strong hint of the previous decade's most popular influx into popular music: Brasilian bossa nova--a presence that becomes more pronounced and even dominant as the song develops (with the joinder of Stanley's double bass, Airto Moreira's brushed drums, and Joe Farrell's mellifluent flute. Light and bouncy and very Latin, this song feels/seems a response to pop demands as well as to the domineering influences of Chick's Italian heritage. (9/10)
- Chick Corea / electric piano, producer
- Joe Farrell / flute, tenor saxophone
- Stanley Clarke / double bass
- Airto Moreira / drums, percussion
- Flora Purim / vocals, percussion
1. "You're Everything" (5:11) Chick's gentle, melodic electric piano musings that are joined in the second half of the first minute by Flora Purim's very traditional Ella Fitzgerald-like jazz vocals. There is a strong hint of the previous decade's most popular influx into popular music: Brasilian bossa nova--a presence that becomes more pronounced and even dominant as the song develops (with the joinder of Stanley's double bass, Airto Moreira's brushed drums, and Joe Farrell's mellifluent flute. Light and bouncy and very Latin, this song feels/seems a response to pop demands as well as to the domineering influences of Chick's Italian heritage. (9/10)
2. "Light as a Feather" (10:57) opening with a quick fade-in on a Flora Purim vocal that was already in progress usually does not bode well for the presentation of finished compositions, but the length of this with its many smooth and melodic performances overcomes any obstacle presented by recording and editing processes. The performance of now-21 year old bass prodigy Stanley Clarke displays the young artist's continuing development of his own signature sounds and styles--though more in the solos than in the sometimes stiff and rote-sounding supporting chord arpeggios. The performances are all great--so smooth and professional--even presenting some creative and spirited solos from Joe Farrell on tenor sax, as well as Stanley and Chick. Flora's Latinized vocal, however, feels not only a continuation of/carryover from the previous song and is not really missed for the nine-tenths of the song in which it is absent. (18/20)
3. "Captain Marvel" (4:53) some uptempo Latin jazz with some awesome performances from Stanley and Chick, some rather weak and uninspired wordless vocals from Flora, and some poorly recorded and mixed kit drumming from Airto (too far in the background--as if being played in a pit while being recorded by microphones hanging from 20 feet above--while Airto and Flora's hand percussion tracks are recorded as if right in your lap. (8.875/10)
4. "500 Miles High" (9:07) another great opening from the duet of Flora Purim and Chick Corea that rather quickly turns into a Jazz-Rock motif. Flora's vocal here lets me know how influential her vocal stylings were to posterity cuz I definitely hear the mirrored style of the wonderful guest vocalists present in 21st Century electronic jazz duo KOOP's wonderful music. Once the music takes off, Stanley works furiously to try to fully-arpeggiate a progression of fast-changing chords while Chick splashes his own Fender Rhodes chords around over the top before Joe Farrell's aggressive sax steps in to take the lead. In the fifth minute, then, Stanley slows down, which turns out to be a signal that he's getting ready to support and play off of Chick's own solo. The two make such a good duo; I think I could listen to just duets between the two for an entire album. Anyway, the performance demands on Stanley are considerable despite the rudimentary techniques asked of him: they're just performed at such a high speed, yet his own solo in the seventh and eighth minutes is exquisite and classy while also impressive from a skills perspective. Taken into its whole with Flora's dulcet airy soprano melodies (of some rather prosaic lyrics) this is my favorite song on the album. I can't quite grasp whether or not I love this song for its Koop-familiarity or for its own sake. Probably a little of both. (19.25/20)
5. "Children's Song" (2:47) definitely a song that is simple enough to serve as a lullaby. It's minimalistic while still being demanding of the players due to its odd time and polyrhythms. I see it more as a Chopin-like étude. (4.5/5)
6. "Spain" (9:51) a cover of Miles Davis' classic tune shows some live, in-the-studio group spirit while displaying Chick's fascination with Latinized renditions of musical standards (here opening with the jazzified rendering of Rodrigo's famous "Adagio" (the Second Movement) from his "Concierto de Ajanjuez"). Hearing Flora and Airto's effervescent vocalizations from the percussion platform add a kind of 'live' feeling to the song. Both Airto and Chick seem quite engaged while supporting Joe Farrell's light flute play. Stanley is once again hyperfocussed on holding tight to the machine gun notes he's playing in trying to arpeggiate the five-chord descending progression--even as Chick takes the next solo on his "dirty"/distorted Fender Rhodes. At the end of the eighth minute everybody kind of clears out for Stanley to perform a solo. Unfortunately, I do have to admit to one significant negative reaction I have to the song: many of the individual and collective elements of this song were (obviously) lifted/borrowed for BARRY MANILOW's 1978 hit song, "Copacabana," with which I am much more familiar with (for nearly 50 years now as opposed to only getting to know Chick's and Miles' versions for a more recent time span). So, despite the great performances and structural and melodic elements, my brain is constantly singing Barry Manilow version! (17.5/20)
Total Time 42:46
Total Time 42:46
90.735 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of fairly early Jazz-Rock Fusion from a group of artists who were trying to merge together as a band but, many of whom, were still experimenting, exploring, and developing their stylistic preferences as well as their own personal interpretation of what this "fusion" thing was really about. Though it's now dated and overshadowed by the musics to come in 1973-76, this is still a collection of excellent songs and a very significant contribution to the odyssey that was the pioneering days of Jazz-Rock Fusion.
STANLEY CLARKE Children of Forever (1973)
Generally regarded as another Return To Forever album, the main difference being the substitution of vocalist Andy Bey ant Dee Dee Bridgewater for Airto Moreira and Flora Purim.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Stanley Clarke / bass fiddle, electric bass, arrangements (1)
With:
- Dee Dee Bridgewater / vocals
- Andy Bey / vocals
- Pat Martino / electric & 12-string guitars
- Chick Corea / electric & acoustic pianos, clavinet, arrangements (2-5), producer
- Arthur Webb / flute
- Lenny White / drums, tambourine
- Stanley Clarke / bass fiddle, electric bass, arrangements (1)
With:
- Dee Dee Bridgewater / vocals
- Andy Bey / vocals
- Pat Martino / electric & 12-string guitars
- Chick Corea / electric & acoustic pianos, clavinet, arrangements (2-5), producer
- Arthur Webb / flute
- Lenny White / drums, tambourine
1. "Children Of Forever" (10:42) an odd song that sounds part Broadway musical part gospel song. Despite some odd quirks and descrepencies in the sound quality and mix levels, many of the idiosyncratic trademark riffs and tricks of both Chick and Stanley are on full display in this song--trademarks that will become much more refined and as the varieties in sound-treatments and instrumental choices increase over the next few years. The real weakness of this odd, odd song is in the weird vocals (and lyrics): they sound as if they are coming straight off of a stage of a production like Pippin, Hair, or Godspell.only a much lower grade/quality play. (17.375/20)
2. "Unexpected Days" (5:53) despite the same quality of sound engineering for the vocalists and instrumentalists, the switch to lone vocal leadership of Dee Dee Bridgewater is more palatable (I guess I'm finding Andy Bey's stiff and formal vocals to be too contrasting to those of the gorgeous and souluful Ms. Bridgewater. The music and instrumental passages on this one are much better--far more engaging and more-fully sculpted--on this song than on its predecessor--the contributions of Arthur Webb's flute and the electric piano, in particular, adding a lot of serene accessibility. (8.875/10)
3. "Bass Folk Song" (Clarke) (7:59) feeding an acoustic double bass through a wah-wah pedal is an interesting experiment. This song is credited to Stanley but it sure exudes all of the Latin qualities of a Chick Corea song. The pairing up of the flute with Chick's electric piano to present the dominant melodies is nice, but the motif used beneath the frenzied instrumental noodling of the song's middle and final sections becomes a little tedious to the point of creating anxiety. Too many notes! (13.125/15)
4. "Butterfly Dreams" (6:52) a very nice traditional jazz tune with vocals. Here, on his own, with this kind of jazz music behind him, Andy Bey sounds awesome: kind of like the great Joe Williams or even. Nice jazz guitar solo in the first instrumental passage between vocals. The integrating comaraderie between Chick's piano, Stanley's double bass, and Lenny's jazz drumming is quite noticeable, quite comforting, and definitely magical. This is definitely my favorite song on the album (despite it being the least fusionistic of them all). (14.25/15)
5. "Sea Journey" (16:26) gentle BOB JAMES-like music to support the GAYLE MORAN-like vocal performance of Dee Dee Bridgewater, the opening motif definitely previews many of Chick's Jazz-Rock Fusion albums like The Mad Hatter, Musicmagic, and even a little of Romantic Warrior. especially when he and Lenny take off in the fourth minute with the galloping motif that supports Chick's Fender Rhodes solo play. Finally, Lenny gets a little of the spotlight! (I've got to keep reminding myself that this is officially a Stanley Clarke album, not a Chick Corea or RTF album.) At 6:07 we return to the previous smooth motif where Andy Bey gets to take his turn in the lead. He does his androgynous best to sound like Dee Dee (though a bit more like Nina Simone, Chaka Khan or Gayle Moran). At the eight-minute mark Stanley steps in front of the still-wailing Andy with his bowed wah-wah-effected bass fiddle. The ensuing solo is so RTF: so vintage Chick and Stanley! At the ten-minute mark Stanley steps back into his background bass role as guitarist Pat Martino steps up with his jazz guitar to solo while Chick and Lenny offer their off-setting accents and flourishes. At the end of the twelfth minute Arthur Webb and Chick's right handed Fender Rhodes re-introduce the opening melody, allowing Pat to finish while re-establishing the more cushiony fabric for Dee Dee to return to the front--this time singing with more of her own soulful jazz style than that of the future Mrs. Corea (i.e., Gayle Moran). Andy and Stanley really take off beneath Dee Dee's scatting vocalese in the fifteenth and sixteenth minutes as Chick's electric piano continues to express side notes, riffs, and alternate chords right up to the song's end. I love this one! Definitely another favorite. (27/30)
Total time 47:52
Total time 47:52
This album definitely proposes three observations regarding the progression of Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, and Lenny White's induction into the fairly new, experimental world of Jazz-Rock Fusion: 1) they are not yet fully committed (they remain somewhat-stubbornly loyal to many of jazz's "sacred" tenets), 2) they are not yet certain or clear on exactly what defines Jazz-Rock Fusion, and 3) they have been slow to jump on the bandwagon of the latest and greatest advances in technology available to both musicians of their specific specialties but also to the members of the sound engineering room.
89.58 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; an inconsistent though future-illuminating exploration into First Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion that earns near-masterpiece status. Chick is definitely flying at Jonathan Livingston Seagull speeds while his young protégés are learning, working hard to try to catch up.
RETURN TO FOREVER Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (1973)
For Chick Corea's third album using the Return to Forever moniker the bandleader must have felt the need to make some major changes. (It seems obvious that he felt the need to response.compete with the first incarnation of his Bitches Brew band mate John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra.) Gone are the Brazilian husband-wife team of Airto Moreira and Flora Purim--and, thus, the Santana-like Latin flavor and energy--and gone are the horns; what we have here is now a power fusion band--the most rock 'n' roll like form of all: bass, drums, guitar, and keyboards. The album was recorded at the Record Plant in New York City in August of 1973 and released by Polydor Records in October.
Line-up / Musicians:
Chick Corea – electric piano, acoustic piano, organ, harpsichord, gongs
Stanley Clarke – electric bass, bell tree
Lenny White – drums, percussion
Bill Connors – electric guitar, acoustic guitar
A1 "Hymn Of The Seventh Galaxy" (3:25) here the band opens with a dynamic display of the new member more rock 'n' roll-oriented skills and volume. The way Bill and Stanley play off one another is very cool. (8.75/10)
A2 "After The Cosmic Rain" (8:33) using a form that enlists two or three different speeds, we get a nice view of the skills of Chick, Lenny, and Bill Connors with Stanley showing off a lead-guitarist kind of mentality with his fuzz-bass. Stanley's dextrous use of full chords on his electric bass is also quite unusual and ground-breaking. Chick on the electric piano is more demonstrative than melodic in his showmanship and I find Lenny's drums to be mixed a little too loud (as well as come across as a little too rock 'n' roll). Nice but not really anything very engaging or memorable--except for Stanley's bass solo. (17.5/20)
A3 "Captain Señor Mouse" (8:56) the hard driving rhythm track of this one could've easily come from a rock band like The Allman Brothers Band or Think Lizzy. This is the first song on which I am certain that the band used multiple tracks to accomplish the full soundscape here as the percussion, multiple keyboards, and even guitars have too much reinforcement to be done in one take. I like the occasional shifts into the Latin motifs while Chick's electric piano patterns and solos finally sound more like the signature style that he would become known for: with lots more slurs as if he were bending notes (which he later masters on his MiniMoog). The drum and bass play beneath Chick is nothing short of miraculous: tight and yet jaw-dropping in speed and dexterity. No wonder this song became a standard in Chick's concert repertoire. I even like the drop back into harpsichord at the end of his extended solo (and, of course, his signature bounce accents beneath his bandmates' solos). Bill Connors' first truly extended solo in seventh and eight minutes is truly remarkable, marred only by his over-obsession with John McLaughlin-like long-held note bending. When he does his runs and quick changes in direction it's impressive. (19/20)
B1 "Theme To The Mothership" (8:22) It is obvious to me that the band is gelling and heading toward the sounds and styles that we will come to know and recognize as distinctly their own the further we get into this album--this song being yet another step in this process from "Captain Señor Mouse." The one variable is Bill Connors' style (which obviously affected the style of incoming star Al Di Meola in that he had to learn these songs in Bill's style for auditions and live replications). At the same time, it is often remarkable how similar the styles of the two guitarists are. The more rock-steady (almost sedate) bass play (when he's not soloing) of Stanley Clarke is surprising over the first five minutes, but then, as Chick starts his multi-instrument solo in the fifth minute you can finally hear the bass begin to introduce some of those lightning flashes of flurries and riffs between or in response to some of Chick's pauses between phrases--just like the blues and R&B-trained guitarists do between their own vocal phrases. The band still hasn't mastered the art of unforgettable solo blasts with unforgettable melody lines, but they are very much on their way. (18/20)
B2a "Space Circus (Part I)" (1:28) gentle, hypnotic Fender Rhodes arpeggi from Chick's left hand over which his right hand spits out melodic riffs. Quite lovely. An obvious influence on Ronnie Laws. (4.75/5)
B2b "Space Circus (Part II)" (4:08) a pause after Chick finishes the intro, then Stanley and Chick jump forward with Lenny and Bill quick to join in. I love the sound Bill is using on this one. Stanley is back in lead-predatory mode here, but Bill may be up to his challenge. Lenny elbows his way into the spotlight in the fourth minute and then, finally, Bill lets loose. It's good--more Larry Coryell-like than Mahavishnu Di Meola in that there is a "nasty filth" to his sound that Al or John rarely aspire to. (9.25/10)
B3 "The Game Maker" (6:49) contemplative electric piano play to open, some gentle metallic percussion, too (cymbal and triangle hits). At 1:50, when the full band kicks in, Bill's twangy guitar is first to jump to the lead with Lenny and a dreamy Stanley in solid support. Even Chick, with his rotating two chords of fast arpeggi is in full support. In the fourth minute Chick breaks in with a solo that gets Stanley's adrenaline pumping and to which Bill sees a need to compete and fire back. This duel between Chick and Bill goes on for some time as Lenny and Stanley--especially Stanley--impress from beneath. A great song that fully illustrates the cohesive whole-band skill and comradery that this band will master. The Mahavishnu Orchestra may have broken the J-R Fuse genre wide open, but it is RTF that perfected it! (14.25/15)
Total Time: 42:16
This album is quite a favorite with a lot of critics and fans, but I think the band is still undergoing growth and self-discovery and have not yet fully-defined their everlasting sound.
91.50 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a minor masterpiece of genre-advancing Jazz-Rock Fusion. Again, that which Mahavishnu started, RTF perfected.
RETURN TO FOREVER Where Have I Known You Before (1974)
Recorded at the Record Plant in New York City in July and August of 1974, the world's introduction to guitar phenom Al Di Meola was released by Polydor in September. Replacing fan favorite Bill Connors was no easy feat, but the 22-year old guitarist brought a lot more to the table besides jaw-dropping speed.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Stanley Clarke /Bass, Organ, Percussion [Chimes, Bell Tree]
- Lenny White /Drums, Percussion
- Al Di Meola /Guitar
- Chick Corea /Piano, Clavinet, Organ, Synthesizer, Percussion
A1 "Vulcan Worlds" (7:51) The iconic song from the album with Stanley's slap bass and Tony's Billy Cobham-like drumming has Stanley, Chick, and Al playing with interesting sounds and effects on their lead-blistering instruments. The first real instrumental section starts at 2:10 with a brief Chick MiniMoog solo followed by an equally-brief bass solo before yielding back to Chick for an extended solo. At 3:30 Stanley takes the reins back for a few seconds as if to bridge/hand off to Al for an impressive solo in which he slowly builds up with a distorted sound toward some of his famous machine gun runs. But it is Stanley's solo in the fifth minute that really takes the prize, showing the world who's Number One. Chick and Al get the seventh minute--with Al revealing more of his prodigious talent. Then the band goes into a near-"Midnight Cowboy" melody motif to close out the song in the final minute. (14.5/15)
A2 "Where Have I Loved You Before" (1:01) the first of Chick's piano interludes sounds so Oscar Peterson-like (at least, they do to these untrained ears)! (4.5/5)
A3 "The Shadow Of Lo" (7:34) See: even jazz-rock fusionists can make beautiful laid-back music! The pace does pick up in the third minute but it remains constant in its commitment to melody and smoothness. Al and Chick both get plenty of chances to shine while Lenny and Stanley remain pretty steadfast in their duties as rhythmists. The final couple minutes sees the band picking up a funk theme that sounds like a variation on Rufus' "Tell Me Something Good." (14.25/15)
A4 "Where Have I Danced With You Before" (1:12) acoustic piano solo with a little acoustic guitar support. (4.5/5)
A5 "Beyond The Seventh Galaxy" (3:11) I love the full rock bass on this one as Lenny crashes away and Al and Chick fill the top. The opening themes are presented and carried forward by the trio of Chick, Al, and Stanley! Then Chick gets to fill the next section with multiple keyboards at once. Al gets a left channel solo in the third minute. (I hear a little of "Alice" in some of the melody lines coming out of Chick!) (8.875/10)
B1 "Earth Juice" (3:45) heavy rock-funk line with near-disco drumming and percussion accompaniment along with Chick's Fender Rhodes over which Al gets full leadership (despite Stanley's amazing bass play beneath and Chick's almost constant accents between Al's lines). Nice song though it is not my favorite sound to come from Al's electric guitar. (8.875/10)
B2 "Where Have I Known You Before" (2:09) Bill Evans-like solo piano: quite dramatic and beautifully melodic. The right hand might be a little more aggressive and dynamic than Bill ever gets, but it's still so beautifully melodic! (5/5)
B3 "Song To The Pharoah Kings" (14:21) the song opens with an extended MiniMoog-over-organ solo passage. At 2:10 there's a shift to a different palette of electronic keyboard sounds with the rhythm section of Lenny and Stanley (and Fender Rhodes and clavinet) joining in at the end of the third minute. A little tango-like rhythm pattern is established by Stanley and Chick, with Stanley maintaining the oscillating chord progression, while Chick takes the first solos. Lenny gets to impress in the sixth minute (man! is he awesome!) before Stanley steps to the front at the end of the sixth. Man! is he amazing! (As is Chick's support beneath). Al finally gets to step up after an awesome bridge in the beginning of the eighth minute, but it's a slow, Latin build through Chick's layers of keys that gets him there, finally, in the middle of the ninth minute--duelling with Chick's screaming MiniMoog until 8:50 when he finally gets the stage all to himself. He does not disappoint though some of his playing feels a bit soulless--a feeling that is only augmented by the very connected and dynamic performances of his three band mates beneath and around him. Chick gets rest of the tenth minute as Al moves into some pretty awesome rock rhythm guitar and Stanley and Lenny continue to fly around beneath. Wow! How could anyone possibly compete with this amazing foursome? The song plays out with everybody hitting their chords together while Lenny boisterously accents it all from beneath. The very final 30-seconds is as good as any of the other moments of the song with the incredible dexterity on display. Wow! (28.75/30)
Total Time: 41:24
To my ears and brain, the music on this album is a serious step up from that of the second RTF album. The debut album stands alone as a very nice Chick Corea project, but Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy is to me merely an attempt to emulate and compete with John McLaughlin and his Mahavishnu Orchestra. And who can blame Chick for this? Everybody else was doing it! And the Bill Connors quartet may have been the best at it, but the three Al DiMeola-staffed RTF albums present a sound and engineering step up into the realms of that of progressive rock music: clean, clear capture of dynamic instrumental performances throughout each and every song, start to finish; gone are the thin, watered-down soundscapes of Teo Maceo and David Rubinson; here are the vibrant soundscapes that Bruce Douglas envisioned with his 1969 work with Hendrix and John McLaughlin's Devotion (an album I much prefer to the early Mahavishnu albums). Here is the sound vibrancy and quality of Boston, Aja, and the computer/digital age beyond.
20-year old Al will get better (as we'll see on No Mystery and Romantic Warrior) but Lenny, Stanley, and Chick are definitely at the top of their game! And the compositions are simply perfect for these instrumentalists! Bravissimo!
93.95 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; an incontrovertible masterpiece of prog-rock-satisfying jazz-rock fusion; one of the shining moments of the apex of the movement. This is my highest rated of all the Return To Forever albums.
Recorded at the Record Plant in New York City in July and August of 1974, the world's introduction to guitar phenom Al Di Meola was released by Polydor in September. Replacing fan favorite Bill Connors was no easy feat, but the 22-year old guitarist brought a lot more to the table besides jaw-dropping speed.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Stanley Clarke /Bass, Organ, Percussion [Chimes, Bell Tree]
- Lenny White /Drums, Percussion
- Al Di Meola /Guitar
- Chick Corea /Piano, Clavinet, Organ, Synthesizer, Percussion
A1 "Vulcan Worlds" (7:51) The iconic song from the album with Stanley's slap bass and Tony's Billy Cobham-like drumming has Stanley, Chick, and Al playing with interesting sounds and effects on their lead-blistering instruments. The first real instrumental section starts at 2:10 with a brief Chick MiniMoog solo followed by an equally-brief bass solo before yielding back to Chick for an extended solo. At 3:30 Stanley takes the reins back for a few seconds as if to bridge/hand off to Al for an impressive solo in which he slowly builds up with a distorted sound toward some of his famous machine gun runs. But it is Stanley's solo in the fifth minute that really takes the prize, showing the world who's Number One. Chick and Al get the seventh minute--with Al revealing more of his prodigious talent. Then the band goes into a near-"Midnight Cowboy" melody motif to close out the song in the final minute. (14.5/15)
A2 "Where Have I Loved You Before" (1:01) the first of Chick's piano interludes sounds so Oscar Peterson-like (at least, they do to these untrained ears)! (4.5/5)
A3 "The Shadow Of Lo" (7:34) See: even jazz-rock fusionists can make beautiful laid-back music! The pace does pick up in the third minute but it remains constant in its commitment to melody and smoothness. Al and Chick both get plenty of chances to shine while Lenny and Stanley remain pretty steadfast in their duties as rhythmists. The final couple minutes sees the band picking up a funk theme that sounds like a variation on Rufus' "Tell Me Something Good." (14.25/15)
A4 "Where Have I Danced With You Before" (1:12) acoustic piano solo with a little acoustic guitar support. (4.5/5)
A5 "Beyond The Seventh Galaxy" (3:11) I love the full rock bass on this one as Lenny crashes away and Al and Chick fill the top. The opening themes are presented and carried forward by the trio of Chick, Al, and Stanley! Then Chick gets to fill the next section with multiple keyboards at once. Al gets a left channel solo in the third minute. (I hear a little of "Alice" in some of the melody lines coming out of Chick!) (8.875/10)
B1 "Earth Juice" (3:45) heavy rock-funk line with near-disco drumming and percussion accompaniment along with Chick's Fender Rhodes over which Al gets full leadership (despite Stanley's amazing bass play beneath and Chick's almost constant accents between Al's lines). Nice song though it is not my favorite sound to come from Al's electric guitar. (8.875/10)
B2 "Where Have I Known You Before" (2:09) Bill Evans-like solo piano: quite dramatic and beautifully melodic. The right hand might be a little more aggressive and dynamic than Bill ever gets, but it's still so beautifully melodic! (5/5)
B3 "Song To The Pharoah Kings" (14:21) the song opens with an extended MiniMoog-over-organ solo passage. At 2:10 there's a shift to a different palette of electronic keyboard sounds with the rhythm section of Lenny and Stanley (and Fender Rhodes and clavinet) joining in at the end of the third minute. A little tango-like rhythm pattern is established by Stanley and Chick, with Stanley maintaining the oscillating chord progression, while Chick takes the first solos. Lenny gets to impress in the sixth minute (man! is he awesome!) before Stanley steps to the front at the end of the sixth. Man! is he amazing! (As is Chick's support beneath). Al finally gets to step up after an awesome bridge in the beginning of the eighth minute, but it's a slow, Latin build through Chick's layers of keys that gets him there, finally, in the middle of the ninth minute--duelling with Chick's screaming MiniMoog until 8:50 when he finally gets the stage all to himself. He does not disappoint though some of his playing feels a bit soulless--a feeling that is only augmented by the very connected and dynamic performances of his three band mates beneath and around him. Chick gets rest of the tenth minute as Al moves into some pretty awesome rock rhythm guitar and Stanley and Lenny continue to fly around beneath. Wow! How could anyone possibly compete with this amazing foursome? The song plays out with everybody hitting their chords together while Lenny boisterously accents it all from beneath. The very final 30-seconds is as good as any of the other moments of the song with the incredible dexterity on display. Wow! (28.75/30)
Total Time: 41:24
To my ears and brain, the music on this album is a serious step up from that of the second RTF album. The debut album stands alone as a very nice Chick Corea project, but Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy is to me merely an attempt to emulate and compete with John McLaughlin and his Mahavishnu Orchestra. And who can blame Chick for this? Everybody else was doing it! And the Bill Connors quartet may have been the best at it, but the three Al DiMeola-staffed RTF albums present a sound and engineering step up into the realms of that of progressive rock music: clean, clear capture of dynamic instrumental performances throughout each and every song, start to finish; gone are the thin, watered-down soundscapes of Teo Maceo and David Rubinson; here are the vibrant soundscapes that Bruce Douglas envisioned with his 1969 work with Hendrix and John McLaughlin's Devotion (an album I much prefer to the early Mahavishnu albums). Here is the sound vibrancy and quality of Boston, Aja, and the computer/digital age beyond.
20-year old Al will get better (as we'll see on No Mystery and Romantic Warrior) but Lenny, Stanley, and Chick are definitely at the top of their game! And the compositions are simply perfect for these instrumentalists! Bravissimo!
93.95 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; an incontrovertible masterpiece of prog-rock-satisfying jazz-rock fusion; one of the shining moments of the apex of the movement. This is my highest rated of all the Return To Forever albums.
RETURN TO FOREVER No Mystery (1975)
Chick's second album with guitar phenom Al DiMeola completing the quartet lineup, no Mystery was recorded at The Record Plant in New York, during January of 1975 and then released on Columbia Records in February.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Stanley Clarke /Bass [Acoustic, Electric], Organ [Yamaha], Synthesizer, Vocals
- Lenny White /Drums, Percussion, Congas, Marimba
- Al Di Meola /Guitar [Electric], Acoustic Guitar
- Chick Corea /Piano [Acoustic], Electric Piano, Clavinet, Organ [Yamaha], Synthesizer, Drums [Snare], Marimba, Vocals
A1. "Dayride" (3:15) bouncy, joy-filled Latin Chick opening is quickly assisted by the full band (plus some nice percussion over dubs). It's really Chick's show for the first half of the song with everyone else performing tightly proscribed tasks (quite competently, I might add--even spectacularly in the case of Stanley). The vocals in the middle of the third minute are a bit of a surprise--but they work--and then the multiple downshifts for the finish are really cool. (8.8/10)
A2. "Jungle Waterfall" (3:15) a little more Hendrix-like with some funk in the bass and guitar strumming, the chorus is different: definitely more rock/R&B than is typical for RTF. In the end, with little soloing (Al gets a little spotlight in the final 30-seconds), this feels more like an étude--a whole band exercise in cohesion. (8.8/10)
A3. "Flight Of The Newborn" (7:20) more funk-oriented music with Al doing more of that surprisingly dirty wah-strumming that he'd been doing in the first two songs. The shifts and little individual flourishes start to become more the style than not with some great runs by Al and some stellar interplay between the other three: it's really an awesome display of top notch Jazz-Rock Fusion. Al is not at his fiery best--mostly due to his persistent allegiance to the distortion of the wah-pedal. Definitely the best display of Lenny's supreme talents on the album so far. The fifth minute is filled with some of Stanley's signature electric bass runs which are always astounding as well as lyrical, and then Chick gets to play on his MiniMoog while Al joins Stanley and Lenny to provide the steady yet-spacious support that allows Chick to be prominent. (13.5/15)
A4. "Sofistifunk" (3:20) some extremely funky keyboard play is accompanied by far simpler and surprisingly less-funkier drums, bass, and guitar. The band is cohesive but the style they're going for seems to escape me. If it's sophistication they're going for, they may have achieved it, but it just doesn't feel natural to the band as a whole--maybe to Chick and Lenny, but not so much Al and Stanley. (8.75/10)
A5. "Excerpt From The First Movement Of Heavy Metal" (2:45) classical grand piano opening that turns into sophisticated jazz at 0:28 and then Hendrix blues-rock at 0:50. Stanley's bass play is out-of-this-world awesome from the get go, seeming to play multiple styles all at the same time: R&B, slap, metal chords, and more. Ends with more of Chick's grandeliquent piano bombast. (9/10)
B1. "No Mystery" (6:06) one of the more fully-developed songs on the album and one that more fully conveys the individuality of each of the band members (especially Chick and Stanley in the first third). Acoustic instruments. Al and Stanley's bowed double bass occupy the third minute until Chick's piano chords bring the full band back together. (Lenny's playing percussion only.) Al Di Meola--the Al we've all come to know and love--takes the fourth minute, eventually sharing the spotlight with Stanley and Chick. It's always such a delight to see & hear J-R Fuse artists show off on their acoustic instruments. I love Lenny's marimba play mixed in with the others as they all stop-and-go with their virtuosic flourishes over the final minute. (9/10)
B2. "Interplay" (2:15) piano and bowed double bass open this one sounding almost avant garde. At 0:53 Chick and Stanley inject a more Latin direction, each performing at incredible speeds and ideations: a precursor to the amazing work they do on Romantic Warrior's "Medieval Overture." (4.75/5)
B3. "Celebration Suite (Part 1)" (8:25) opens like a prog rock opera or tongue-in-cheek version of an overture to a classical opera by Bizet or Ravel. The very-Spanish style is maintained in the second and third minutes as the full band shifts into full gear. Lenny's display of drumming is absolutely spell-binding--almost to the distraction of hearing the other amazing performances. Chick gets the first solo on his MiniMoog, but it's the battle between Stanley and Lenny that gets all of my attention. Al gets to jump in with Chick in the fifth minute: they're such an amazing duo, so well-synched. Great bridge at the end of the fifth minute leads into a very complex, showy tangent in which Lenny really gets to shine. At 5:52 there is a break that Chick jumps into with his electric piano, starting up a completely different motif--one that is laced and interlaced with incredible melodies. Wow! The rest of the band, I think, must be standing back, watching in awe--though somehow they are able to continue to be sporadically supportive. The final minute sees Chick taking the solo spotlight into a very dreamy passage before the band moves on to Part 2. (19/20)
B4. "Celebration Suite (Part 2") (5:30) Full band with everybody "hitting" big chords with all of their electronic effects (and Lenny absolutely killing it on le batterie!) so that Al can go off on one of those soaring solos that he would become so famous for. (Mid-blowing Lenny!) At the two-minute mark there is an oddly melodic bridge into a pause before everybody picks up the chase again--this time with everybody on full show-off mode: Stanley hitting some incredible bass chords, Chick manning multiple keyboards as if they were extensions of his 20 fingers and toes, and Lenny going absolutely crazy--all before a dramatic extended finale. (9.25/10)
Total Time: 42:53
91.60 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece representative of the highest echelon of Jazz-Rock Fusion and yet the band is still gelling, the compositional excellence still eluding them at times.
Chick's second album with guitar phenom Al DiMeola completing the quartet lineup, no Mystery was recorded at The Record Plant in New York, during January of 1975 and then released on Columbia Records in February.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Stanley Clarke /Bass [Acoustic, Electric], Organ [Yamaha], Synthesizer, Vocals
- Lenny White /Drums, Percussion, Congas, Marimba
- Al Di Meola /Guitar [Electric], Acoustic Guitar
- Chick Corea /Piano [Acoustic], Electric Piano, Clavinet, Organ [Yamaha], Synthesizer, Drums [Snare], Marimba, Vocals
A1. "Dayride" (3:15) bouncy, joy-filled Latin Chick opening is quickly assisted by the full band (plus some nice percussion over dubs). It's really Chick's show for the first half of the song with everyone else performing tightly proscribed tasks (quite competently, I might add--even spectacularly in the case of Stanley). The vocals in the middle of the third minute are a bit of a surprise--but they work--and then the multiple downshifts for the finish are really cool. (8.8/10)
A2. "Jungle Waterfall" (3:15) a little more Hendrix-like with some funk in the bass and guitar strumming, the chorus is different: definitely more rock/R&B than is typical for RTF. In the end, with little soloing (Al gets a little spotlight in the final 30-seconds), this feels more like an étude--a whole band exercise in cohesion. (8.8/10)
A3. "Flight Of The Newborn" (7:20) more funk-oriented music with Al doing more of that surprisingly dirty wah-strumming that he'd been doing in the first two songs. The shifts and little individual flourishes start to become more the style than not with some great runs by Al and some stellar interplay between the other three: it's really an awesome display of top notch Jazz-Rock Fusion. Al is not at his fiery best--mostly due to his persistent allegiance to the distortion of the wah-pedal. Definitely the best display of Lenny's supreme talents on the album so far. The fifth minute is filled with some of Stanley's signature electric bass runs which are always astounding as well as lyrical, and then Chick gets to play on his MiniMoog while Al joins Stanley and Lenny to provide the steady yet-spacious support that allows Chick to be prominent. (13.5/15)
A4. "Sofistifunk" (3:20) some extremely funky keyboard play is accompanied by far simpler and surprisingly less-funkier drums, bass, and guitar. The band is cohesive but the style they're going for seems to escape me. If it's sophistication they're going for, they may have achieved it, but it just doesn't feel natural to the band as a whole--maybe to Chick and Lenny, but not so much Al and Stanley. (8.75/10)
A5. "Excerpt From The First Movement Of Heavy Metal" (2:45) classical grand piano opening that turns into sophisticated jazz at 0:28 and then Hendrix blues-rock at 0:50. Stanley's bass play is out-of-this-world awesome from the get go, seeming to play multiple styles all at the same time: R&B, slap, metal chords, and more. Ends with more of Chick's grandeliquent piano bombast. (9/10)
B1. "No Mystery" (6:06) one of the more fully-developed songs on the album and one that more fully conveys the individuality of each of the band members (especially Chick and Stanley in the first third). Acoustic instruments. Al and Stanley's bowed double bass occupy the third minute until Chick's piano chords bring the full band back together. (Lenny's playing percussion only.) Al Di Meola--the Al we've all come to know and love--takes the fourth minute, eventually sharing the spotlight with Stanley and Chick. It's always such a delight to see & hear J-R Fuse artists show off on their acoustic instruments. I love Lenny's marimba play mixed in with the others as they all stop-and-go with their virtuosic flourishes over the final minute. (9/10)
B2. "Interplay" (2:15) piano and bowed double bass open this one sounding almost avant garde. At 0:53 Chick and Stanley inject a more Latin direction, each performing at incredible speeds and ideations: a precursor to the amazing work they do on Romantic Warrior's "Medieval Overture." (4.75/5)
B3. "Celebration Suite (Part 1)" (8:25) opens like a prog rock opera or tongue-in-cheek version of an overture to a classical opera by Bizet or Ravel. The very-Spanish style is maintained in the second and third minutes as the full band shifts into full gear. Lenny's display of drumming is absolutely spell-binding--almost to the distraction of hearing the other amazing performances. Chick gets the first solo on his MiniMoog, but it's the battle between Stanley and Lenny that gets all of my attention. Al gets to jump in with Chick in the fifth minute: they're such an amazing duo, so well-synched. Great bridge at the end of the fifth minute leads into a very complex, showy tangent in which Lenny really gets to shine. At 5:52 there is a break that Chick jumps into with his electric piano, starting up a completely different motif--one that is laced and interlaced with incredible melodies. Wow! The rest of the band, I think, must be standing back, watching in awe--though somehow they are able to continue to be sporadically supportive. The final minute sees Chick taking the solo spotlight into a very dreamy passage before the band moves on to Part 2. (19/20)
B4. "Celebration Suite (Part 2") (5:30) Full band with everybody "hitting" big chords with all of their electronic effects (and Lenny absolutely killing it on le batterie!) so that Al can go off on one of those soaring solos that he would become so famous for. (Mid-blowing Lenny!) At the two-minute mark there is an oddly melodic bridge into a pause before everybody picks up the chase again--this time with everybody on full show-off mode: Stanley hitting some incredible bass chords, Chick manning multiple keyboards as if they were extensions of his 20 fingers and toes, and Lenny going absolutely crazy--all before a dramatic extended finale. (9.25/10)
Total Time: 42:53
91.60 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece representative of the highest echelon of Jazz-Rock Fusion and yet the band is still gelling, the compositional excellence still eluding them at times.
STANLEY CLARKE Journey to Love (1975)
Line-up / Musicians:
- Stanley Clarke / acoustic, piccolo & electric basses, organ (3), gong, bells, vocals, arranger, conductor & co-producer
With:
- George Duke / organ, piano, electric piano, clavinet, synthesizers (Mini-Moog, Arp Odyssey / String Ensemble), bells & vocals (1, 2, 6)
With:
- George Duke / organ, piano, electric piano, clavinet, synthesizers (Mini-Moog, Arp Odyssey / String Ensemble), bells & vocals (1, 2, 6)
- David Sancious / electric & 12-string guitars (1, 2, 6)
- Steve Gadd / drums & percussion (1, 2, 6)
- Jeff Beck / electric guitar (2, 3)
- Lenny White / drums (3)
- John McLaughlin / acoustic guitar (4, 5)
- Chick Corea / piano (4, 5)
- Steve Gadd / drums & percussion (1, 2, 6)
- Jeff Beck / electric guitar (2, 3)
- Lenny White / drums (3)
- John McLaughlin / acoustic guitar (4, 5)
- Chick Corea / piano (4, 5)
And:
- Earl Chapin / horn
- John Clark / horn
- Wilmer Wise / horn
- Peter Gordon / horn
- Tom "Bones" Malone / trombone
- David Taylor / trombone
- Jon Faddis / trumpet
- Lew Soloff / trumpet
- Alan Rubin / trumpet
1. "Silly Putty" (4:52) an interesting song that borders on the funky R&B that was all the rage in 1975 but really has its roots in the Blues-Rock that pre-dates the 1970s. Between Stanley, George Duke, and David Sancious the band has every weird funky chicken sound possible covered in this playful novelty tune. Not my favorite style, it still manages to entertain and, of course, display incredible musicianship. (Just wondering: Which came first: Lenny White's "Chicken-Fried Steak" or this?) (9.125/10)
- Earl Chapin / horn
- John Clark / horn
- Wilmer Wise / horn
- Peter Gordon / horn
- Tom "Bones" Malone / trombone
- David Taylor / trombone
- Jon Faddis / trumpet
- Lew Soloff / trumpet
- Alan Rubin / trumpet
1. "Silly Putty" (4:52) an interesting song that borders on the funky R&B that was all the rage in 1975 but really has its roots in the Blues-Rock that pre-dates the 1970s. Between Stanley, George Duke, and David Sancious the band has every weird funky chicken sound possible covered in this playful novelty tune. Not my favorite style, it still manages to entertain and, of course, display incredible musicianship. (Just wondering: Which came first: Lenny White's "Chicken-Fried Steak" or this?) (9.125/10)
2. "Journey to Love" (4:52) spacious southern rock that starts out with some high-pitched vocals (apparently as provided by Stanley and George) and then develops into something that sounds like a slowed down Mahavishnu Orchestra song. Horn section adds punctuating accents at the end of the singers' second verse signaling the start of the instrumental jam session that would unfold for the final two minutes of the song. I think the reason George Duke and David Sancious rarely get mentioned with the great sound-pioneers of the 1970s (like Jan Hammer, Chick Corea, or Herbie Hancock) is their tendency to explore/choose really odd sounds for their keys and guitars. (8.75/10)
3. "Hello Jeff" (5:16) this one definitely has both the JEFF BECK and RETURN TO FOREVER sound with Stanley in particular using those heavy, thick bass chords he became known for with Chick's band. The guitar shreding here (from Mr. Beck and recent discovery David Sancious [from Bruce Springsteen]) is other-wordly! I'm not a fan, however, of the sound rendering of Lenny White's drums--nor of the Al DI MEOLA-like main melody. The best parts of the tune are Jeff's solos and Stanley's finish. (8.875/10)
4. "Song to John, Part 1" (4:22) Chick Corea on piano, Stanley on his bowed double bass, and Mahavishnu John McLaughlin working his magic on an acoustic guitar. (Stanley must have received an "only if it's all acoustic" answer from the Mahavishnu when he asked for John's participation on this album's recording sessions--which would be in character for the Shakti-inspired guitarist at this time.) The song plays out like any/every John McLaughlin or Chick Corea song on acoustic instruments: virtuosic performances, great melodic sensibilities, and each artist inspiring the others to their highest levels of creativity. I just love all three of these artists when they're in acoustic mode! Chick's sense of melody is really so sublime--but so are those of Stanley and John--especially when supporting Chick in that fourth and fifth minute! (9.25/10)
5. "Song to John, Part 2" (6:09) the "lively" half of the suite--feels like a precursor to RTF's "The Romantic Warrior" (one of my ALL-TIME favorite songs!) from their upcoming album of the same name--though the second minute to the fourth has quite a little Django Reinhardt-Stéphane Grappelli energy and feel to it as well. How much fun must these guys have been having! Great jam! You will not find songs like these very often in the real world! (10/10)
6. "Concerto for Jazz/Rock Orchestra, Parts 1-4" (14:25) Messrs. Clarke, Duke, Sancious, and Gadd back for a gorgeous fifteen-minute suite--with the support of the full horn section in the (minutes). The opening three minutes is just synth, piano, and bass weaving a beautiful, contemplative atmosphere together to get the listener ready for . . . the "launch." At the three minute mark the full band jumps into electric world with bass, synth strings washes, Fender Rhodes, and drums creating a dynamic power motif within which David Sancious adds some searing lead guitar riffs in mini-crescendo moments. Things smooth out a bit in the sixth minute before George and Steve fall into support of a multi-sectional bass solo. (By multi-sectional I mean low end bass notes offset by high-end piccolo bass riffing.) This turns into more sustained searing electric guitar from David for about a minute in the ninth minute, culminating in a horn-section thickened section to fill the tenth minute--which leads to an odd break at 10:15 after which an AL DI MEOLA-like guitar-led Chick Corea patch ensues within which Stanley's machine gun bass play keeps up note for note with the same from David Sancious. The melody first exploded into the sonic field by the raging guitar-and-electric-bass duo is quite familiar but I can't place from where. The drumming in this "break out" passage are quite straight time rock 'n' roll as opposed to the rather funky, syncopated forms Steve was playing before the ten minute mark. The horns help amplify and multiply the fiery melody being ejaculated by David and Stanley until a crescendo and crashing trumpet scream at 12:15 re-opens the door for a very peaceful George Duke synth and electric piano after-the-storm section takes over to lead Stanley and the "strings" to a fadeout exit. A wild ride! Not so much a concerto as a RTF-like power suite! (27/30)
Total Time 39:21
Total Time 39:21
Multi-instrumentalist David Sancious is quite a find! His guitar skills are virtuosic (as are his keyboard skills--as will be proved in near-future solo and collaborative albums) yet I've always felt that his sounds and melody choices are either too imitative of other greats of the era (like, here, Al Di Meola) or that they're too sweet, dense, or obtuse for me to ever be drawn into. However, here with Stanley he has found a partner who at least drives him to heights of the greats.
George Duke feels too much the support mule on his three songs: rarely given the flashy solo time that David or Stanley himself take--which seems a waste. And Steve Gadd is great though sometimes feeling a bit the odd man out in terms of gelling perfectly within the weaves and styles set up by Stanley. For me, the Chick Corea-John McLaughlin-Stanley suite "Song for John" is the album's highlight with the opening song, as virtuosic and erudite as it is, proving to illustrate for me the fact that funk (my beloved funk) can be taken to outlandish extremes--barnyard, bawdy, or adolescent extremes.
91.25 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a display of creative song-making commensurate with the virtuosity of its participants. Perhaps not on quite as high or memorable of a level as some of the iconic themes and songs from the other Jazz-Rock Fusion classics of the time, but definitely fitting and deserving of the attention of any lover of virtuoso musicianship.
91.25 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a display of creative song-making commensurate with the virtuosity of its participants. Perhaps not on quite as high or memorable of a level as some of the iconic themes and songs from the other Jazz-Rock Fusion classics of the time, but definitely fitting and deserving of the attention of any lover of virtuoso musicianship.
CHICK COREA The Leprechaun (1976)
Chick's demo hopeful for entry/admittance to the world and work of Broadway composer, he produced this album late in 1975 and then got Polydor to release it on Ground Hog's Day (February 2) of 1976.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Chick Corea / acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Yamaha electric organ, Hohner clavinet, synthesizers (ARP Odyssey, Micromoog, Moog Model 15 modular synthesizer), percussion
With:
- Eddie Gómez / double bass
- Anthony Jackson / bass guitar
- Steve Gadd / drums
- Gayle Moran / vocals
And:
- Danny Cahn / trumpet
- John Gatchell / trumpet
- Bob Millikan / trumpet
- Wayne Andre / trombone
- Bill Watrous / trombone
- Joe Farrell / saxophone, flute
- Ani Kavafian / violin
- Ida Kavafian / violin
- Louise Shulman / viola
- Fred Sherry / cello
1. "Imp's Welcome" (2:55) very cool intro with many weird, quirky sounds coming from Chick's vast collection of keyboards. (4.5/5)
2. "Lenore" (3:25) great melodic jazz-rock tune with Chick playing off of and against ... himself! Piano, Moog, clavinet, ARP Odyssey, Fender Rhodes, Yamaha organ--they're all playing off one another--as if coming from different musicians on the same stage! Gayle Moran's wordless vocalese at the end is nice touch. (9.25/10)
3. "Reverie" (1:58) opens as a solo piano piece, very pensive and heart-felt, but then Gayle's overly-reverberated vocalese float across the back stage. A sign of how in sync husband and wife are at this point in their lives. (4.625/5)
4. "Looking at the World" (5:29) opening with some previews of some of the future riffs that'll be central to next year's The Mad Hatter, Gayle joins with the rhythm section, this time singing in a more jazz-pop style (with words) before Chick ramps quickly into some heavier j-r fusion between Gayle's multi-track verses. Kind of like an oldie from the 40s with the future jazz-rock fusion that's coming with the Jaco Pastorius version of Weather Report. Interesting "underwater bass" from Anthony Jackson. (8.875/10)
5. "Nite Sprite" (4:31) this one sounds like it feeds right into the RTF Romantic Warrior recording sessions (especially Part II of "The Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant"). A little funkier with Anthony Jackson's bass and Steve Gadd's fantastic near-disco jazz drumming. (9.25/10)
6. "Soft and Gentle" (5:08) with Gayle in the vocal seat for the whole song, this one once again evokes many reminders of Broadway musicals, great chanteuses of old, as well as many old jazz/pop standards of the 1940s and 50s. And I love the presence and powerful effect of the strings, Chick's grand piano, Eddie Gomez's acoustic double bass, Steve Gadd's classy jazz drumming, and the horn section. Quite lovely--as well as being quite a lovely composition. Deserves to be heard. (9.5/10)
7. "Pixiland Rag" (1:10) more light and whimsical keyboard experimentation in a solo format. There's even a little ragtime jazz in here. (4.333/5)
8. "Leprechaun's Dream" (13:03) a thoughtful, rather pensive song that makes one feel fear and uncertainty: as if a person is living in the moment so as to escape having to make any/all decisions in the Big "Real" World. The play of double bassist Eddie Gomez and flutist Joe Farrell are delightfully uplifting--especially playing off of the syncopation genius of Steve Gadd. The contributions of the string and horn sections are also quite welcome. Crossing/blending several unusual styles makes this a rather unique and ambiguous song--making it difficult to define or categorize. Again, I feel that Chick this album's music is best serving as a "getting to know" each other germination fest for what will become Romantic Warrior, and then, The Mad Hatter. Still, it's hard to not admire, respect, and be awed by the performers' performances as well as Chick's growing big-band compositional mastery. (22.6667/25)
Total Time 37:39
This album, as a whole, sounds like an artist that is sitting on a fence, trying to decide which direction to take his music. As displayed here, the talented man has many directions to choose: we here much of his recent Return To Forever style, some of his older Latin roots, some of the future fanciful future dreaming that he's doing, and a surprising number of riffs, sounds, and styles that feel as if they are coming from the world of the Broadway musical (especially Leonard Bernstein)! The question of what he will choose to "specialize" in--and when he'll come out of his haze of confusion and synaesthesia--will be resolved in the next year or two with the demise of his popular and highly-acclaimed Return To Forever project and the repetitious re-confirmation of his solo career. All in all, this is definitely a step toward Chick's other upcoming masterful releases, Romantic Warrior, My Spanish Heart, and my favorite, The Mad Hatter.
91.25 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of eclectic jazz-rock fusion and another amazing release in a long career of astonishingly high creativity and top-tier quality products.
RETURN TO FOREVER Romantic Warrior (1976)
Recorded in February of 1976 at Caribou Ranch in Aspen, Colorado, and then released on October 7, 1976 by Columbia Records, this marks the third and final album with the "classic" Di Meola / White / Clarke / Corea lineup.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Chick Corea / Yamaha organ, piano, Fender Rhodes, Hohner clavinet, Polymoog, Minimoog, Moog 15, Micromoog, ARP Odyssey, marimba, percussion, producer
- Al DiMeola / guitars (electric, acoustic & soprano), percussion
- Stanley Clarke / basses (Alembic, acoustic & piccolo), percussion
- Lenny White / drums, congas, cymbals, timbales, timpani, hand bells, snare drum
Though the opener, Chick's 1. "Medieval Overture" (5:14), doesn't capture much of a medieval vibe to me (no nods to medieval music that I can hear), it is no less impressive (8.75/10).
The next offering, the funky Lenny White composition, 2. "Sorceress" (7:34) has some real ear candy in spacious, melody slapping rhythm roles and smooth, emotional soli. Chick's piano solo is vintage Chick--just awesome! Al throw's his weight around, Lenny's percussion play off the drums is breathtaking, and Stanley! Well, Stanley just kind of sneaks in his mastery on this one. (13.5/15)
Then comes 3. "The Romantic Warrior" (10:52), an all-acoustic affair that just happens to be one of my all-time favorite fusion songs. (20/20)
4. "Magestic Dance" (5:01) opens like it's going to be a Led Zeppelin rock'n roll song--which might be explained by the fact that it's a Di Meola composition. The second section--a bit of circus cheese, and the weak repetitious keyboard bass line make this not quite up to par with the rest of the album's songs. (8.6667/10)
But then comes Stanley's tune, 5."The Magician" (5:29) which is pure prog heaven--ushering in stunning performances (if sometimes subdued and quirky) by all four performers--including a piccolo bass harmonics duet with a "micro" mini Moog piccolo! (9/10)
The incredibly well-produced album closes with it's most dynamic and in-your-face tune in the form of an eleven minute epic, 6. "The Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant" (11:26) There are soli by each and every one of the artists on this one that are without doubt hailed in Prog Heaven in the "How is this humanly possible?" sound room. One of the most incredible songs you are likely to ever hear. (19/20)
Total Time 45:36
An incredibly seminal album in my formative musical education: if not THE PEAK of the "First Wave" of Jazz-Rock Fusion then the Gateway into the "Second Wave." On Romantic Warrior, the four virtuosi involved are all at the top of their game both technically and creatively--all giving stunning performances throughout. It still stuns me that Al was only 24 or so when he made this album with, by now, seasoned veterans Chick, Stanley and Lenny. It also stupifies me that drummer Lenny White has received so little due over the years. To my ears, he is incredible! He is so smooth, so "melodic"--if a drummer can be said to be so (which is probably why his solo projects and self-penned compositions are so likable/memorable.) Rather than go into detailed song-by-song review as I often do, suffice it to say that the music and performances here are stellar.
92.25 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; overall this is a minor masterpiece of prog-infused jazz-rock fusion, so well engineered, with performances unsurpassed in terms of skill level. There are two epic-length songs that deserve to be in Prog's Hall of Valhalla. An album that earns its way into the bottom of my Top 30 Favorite Jazz-Rock Fusion Albums from prog's "Classic Era."
CHICK COREA My Spanish Heart (1976)
Released in the USA by Polydor Records on December 15, 1976, Chick had been working on this record for
- Chick Corea / acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Yamaha electric organ, synthesizers (ARP Odyssey, Minimoog, Polymoog, Moog Model 15 modular synthesizer), percussion, vocals
With:
- Stanley Clarke / double bass, bass
- Steve Gadd / drums
- Narada Michael Walden / drums, handclaps
- Don Alias / percussion
- Jean-Luc Ponty / violin
- Gayle Moran / vocals
- Connie Kupka / violin
- Barry Socher / violin
- Carole Mukogawa / viola
- David Speltz / cello
- Stuart Blumberg / trumpet
- John Rosenburg / trumpet
- John Thomas / trumpet
- Ron Moss / trombone
A1. "Love Castle" (4:47) (/10)
A2. "The Gardens" (3:11) (/10)
A3. "Day Danse" (4:29) (/10)
A4. "My Spanish Heart" (1:37) (/5)
A5. "Night Streets" (6:02) (/10)
B1. "The Hilltop" (6:15) (/10)
B2. "The Sky" (5:01) (/10)
i. "Children's Song No. 8"
ii. "Portrait of Children's Song No. 8"
B3. "Wind Danse" (4:55) (/10)
C1. "Armando's Rhumba" (5:19) (/10)
C2. "El Bozo" (11:32)
i. "Prelude to El Bozo" (1:36)
ii. "El Bozo, Part I" (2:49)
iii. "El Bozo, Part II" (2:06)
iv. "El Bozo, Part III" (4:56) (/10)
D. "Spanish Fantasy" (19:42) (/40)
ii. "El Bozo, Part I" (2:49)
iii. "El Bozo, Part II" (2:06)
iv. "El Bozo, Part III" (4:56) (/10)
D. "Spanish Fantasy" (19:42) (/40)
i. "Spanish Fantasy, Part I" (6:07) (/10)
ii. "Spanish Fantasy, Part II" (5:11) (/10)
iii. "Spanish Fantasy, Part III" (3:09) (/10)
iv. "Spanish Fantasy, Part IV" (5:04) (/10)
Total Time 72:34
ii. "Spanish Fantasy, Part II" (5:11) (/10)
iii. "Spanish Fantasy, Part III" (3:09) (/10)
iv. "Spanish Fantasy, Part IV" (5:04) (/10)
Total Time 72:34
on the Fishscales = / stars;
RETURN TO FOREVER Musicmagic (1977)
The final studio album of Chick Corea's 1970s Return To Forever project. It was recorded in January and February of 1977 at the Caribou Ranch outside Boulder, Colorado, and then released in March by Columbia Records.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Chick Corea / piano, Fender Rhodes, clavinet, synthesizers (MiniMoog, Moog 15, Polymoog, ARP Odyssey), vocals, co-producer
- Gayle Moran / piano, Hammond B3, Polymoog, vocals
- Joe Farrell / flute & piccolo, tenor & soprano saxophones
- James E. Pugh / tenor trombone
- Harold Garret / baritone horn, tenor & bass trombones
- John Thomas / trumpet (lead), flugelhorn
- James Tinsley / trumpet, piccolo trumpet
- Stanley Clarke / electric & acoustic & piccolo basses, vocals, co-producer
- Gary Brown / drums
- Gayle Moran / piano, Hammond B3, Polymoog, vocals
- Joe Farrell / flute & piccolo, tenor & soprano saxophones
- James E. Pugh / tenor trombone
- Harold Garret / baritone horn, tenor & bass trombones
- John Thomas / trumpet (lead), flugelhorn
- James Tinsley / trumpet, piccolo trumpet
- Stanley Clarke / electric & acoustic & piccolo basses, vocals, co-producer
- Gary Brown / drums
1. "The Musician" (Corea) (7:12) okay music with fine individual performances with a vocal over the top that does not work. (13/15)
2. "Hello Again" (Clarke) (3:49) proto-Smooth Jazz with Stanley singing a soulful love song with Gayle over some pretty but also cheesy music. (8.875/10)
3. "Musicmagic" (Corea, Moran) (11:00) less smooth jazz but trying too much to bridge the popularity gap à la Weather Report. Stanley's piccolo bass seems a gimmick to join Jaco Pastorius territory. (17.33333/20)
4. "So Long Mickey Mouse" (Clarke) (6:09) more saccharine schlock with Stanley and Gayle again exchanging love signals, at first through vocalese "la-las." The song kicks in with some potent horn blasts at the end of the second minute but then returns to the "la-las" before settling into a third gear Romantic Warrior-like vamp for dueling. (8.75/10)
5. "Do You Ever" (Moran) (3:59) actually a pretty song with some deep philosophical questions. One of the only songs from the album that I remember carrying with me away from the listening experience. (8.875/10)
6. "The Endless Night" (Corea, Moran) (9:41) an almost nice set up for a nice j-r fuse epic turns silly with some of Chick's MiniMoog sound choices and sad with Gayle's vocal but does eventually become more serious fusion (with some great drumming and pretty cool Hammond work). Gayle and Stanley's dual voices are actually very nice when they stay in their lower registers together. (17.5/20)
Total time 41:50
Total time 41:50
If you want to really experience the amazing energy of Chick's Return to Forever at the end of their stay I would strongly suggest you try their 1978 triple vinyl live album LIVE - The Complete Concert. The sound quality is out of this world as are the performances of Chick, Stanley, and drummer Gerry Brown.
87.45 on the Fishscales = B-/four stars; a lot of chaotic results with very mixed messages within amazingly clean sound production from some amazing musicians who have been duped by promise of mass popularity (and sales/$).
CHICK COREA The Mad Hatter (1978)
I've never been certain why this album has always, since I acquired it in 1978, maintained a very high place on my all-time list of Favorite Albums, but now, after examining it from the critical perspective of a music reviewer I think I have a better grasp of it.
Recorded in Los Angeles at Kundun Recorders in November of 1977, it was released by Polydor Records in 1978 on February 13.
Lienup / Musicians:
- Chick Corea / Piano, Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Synthesizer [Mini-moog, Poly-moog, Moog 15, Moog Sample & Hold, Arp Odyssey, Oberheim 8 Voice], Effects [Mxr Digital Delay, Eventide Harmonizer], Shaker [African Shaker], Marimba, Finger Cymbals, Cowbell
With:
- Eddie Gomez / Double Bass (4, 6, 8,9)
- Steve Gadd / Drums (4, 6, 8, 9)
- Joe Farrell / Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Piccolo Flute
- Gayle Moran / Vocals
- Herbie Hancock / Fender Rhodes (9)
- Harvey Mason / Drums (3, 5)
- Jamie Faunt / Double Bass (3, 5, 7)
Horn Section:
- Trombone: Ron Moss
- Trumpets: John Rosenberg, John Thomas, Stu Blumberg
Strings:
- Cello: Dennis Karmazyn
- Violin: Charles Veal, Jr., Kenneth Yerke (9)
- Viola: Denyse Buffum, Mike Nowack (9)
1. "The Woods" (4:23) a wonderfully atmospheric, psychedelic, even appropriately-comedic collection of sounds and melodies to open Chick's 1977 rendering of Charles Dodgson's famous story. What a great, perfect opening (overture). Like a soundtrack to a book-on-tape. (10/10)
2. "Tweedle Dee" (1:10) piano and cello & strings; sounds very much like one of Yo-Yo- Ma and Edgar Meyer's "Goat Rodeo" pieces from the 21st Century. (5/5)
3. "The Trial" (1:43) Gayle Moran's singing of The Queen Hearts' famous line "Who stole the tarts was it the Kind of Hearts?" is fittingly quite annoying. Perfectly appropriate for this story! (5/5)
4. "Humpty Dumpty" (6:27) great jazz jam that sounds coming from Chick's piano, Eddie Gomez's double bass, Steve Gadd's drums, and Joe Farrell's tenor saxophone that feels more based in the realm of true jazz due to the double bass play but, it does cross over into the J-R Fusion style with Farrell's sax style and Gadd's nuanced drumming palette. The song also does kind of an "overture" job of presenting melody themes that will come up (repeatedly) in later songs. Awesome high-energy, melodic jazz piece! Man are these artists skilled and talented! One of the most tightly composed and performed (recorded) songs I've ever heard! (10/10)
5 "Prelude to Falling Alice" (1:19) Chick's piano, strings, metal percussives, and Gayle Moran (and, later, horns) present the ephemeral framework of the song that follows. (5/5)
6. "Falling Alice" (8:17) Horns are the opening mood and melody setter for this before Gayle brings us into the story. Chick's electronic keyboard play in the instrumental solo sections is at its absolute best but Gayle Moran, Joe Farrell (and the horn section), Eddie Gomez, and Steve Gadd's contributions make this one of my absolute favorite J-R Fuse songs of all-time. It's even better than any RTF song! (20/20)
7. "Tweedle Dum" (2:54) Chick's piano with the strings complement (with Jamie Faunt on double bass) and Gayle Moran's ghost-like vocalise make this an excellent buffer between the album's two highlights. (1010)
8. "Dear Alice" (13:06) Chick's piano arpeggio provides all the support necessary for both Eddie Gomez and Chick's right hand (not to mention Steve Gadd's amazing subtle support on the drum kit) to issue forth two minutes of some of the finest soloing you'll ever hear. At 2:45, Gayle returns to move forward the Alice story before stepping back to allow one awesome flute solo from Joe Farrell (while Chick, Eddie, and Steve continue to provide their amazingly nuanced support.) I LOVE Chick's rhythmic Latin melodies in the background! At 6:40 we bridge into Chick's turn at the lead. It takes a few cycles for him to warm up, but once he gets cooking in the (eighth minute) it's epic! And the support from and Joe, Eddie, and especially Steve is phenomenal. While not quite as mind-blowingly perfect as "Falling Alice" this is, for me, another highlight of the Jazz-Rock Fusion's "Classic Era." Steve's drum play over the final two minutes not only rivals, in my opinion, that of the famous "Aja" sequence but surpasses it! (24/25)
9. "The Mad Hatter Rhapsody" (10:50) Chick and Herbie going toe-to-toe using some of the album's previous themes and patterns. Chick is on piano and Herbie is playing a Fender Rhodes with Eddie, Steve Gadd, and the Joe Farrell-led horns (mixed masterfully with Chick's synth horns) bringing us a rollicking race-track tune with great solos from Chick's Minimoog, Herbie's Fender, The rhythm section is so tight--even when the dance rhythm turns slightly Disco! I'm not crazy about the little Latin motif in the eighth minute, but I LOVE the way they tie it up with Gayle taking us back to the "main melody" of the Alice songs. (19.25/20)
This is an album that I find so hard to find fault with. It may not be as free and unstructured as Bitches Brew or the Mwandishi albums but this musicianship of the very highest order as well as inspired compositional genius. It will be of no surprise to me if the metric ratings for this one come out extremely high.
98.41 on the Fishscales = A+/five stars; one of the finest jazz, jazz-rock fusion, or prog albums I've ever heard/known. In a rather unexpected twist of fate, The Mad Hatter is my highest rated and one of my Top 10 Favorite J-R Fuse albums of the "Classic Era"!
CHICK COREA Friends (1978)
Chick going back a decade with some of his oldest friends and collaborators. Here they guys choose to explore some of the hard bop of the pre- and early years of Jazz-Rock Fusion only using their wisdom and more modern equipment from ten years on.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Chick Corea / Steinway acoustic grand piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano
With:
- Joe Farrell / soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute
- Eddie Gómez / double bass
- Steve Gadd / drums
1. "The One Step" (6:05) a very sexy and spacious Smooth Jazz expression of some great melodies, ideas, using some superb jazz skills. If only all Smooth Jazz could have stayed as sophisticated, energetic, and jazzy as this tune! The performances of all four gentlemen are worthy of heaps of praise, but Steve Gadd's nuanced master work is especially smile-worthy. And I love Joe Farrell's smooth, never obnoxious soprano sax play. (10/10)
2. "Waltse for Dave" (7:32) piano, drums, fretless double bass (with some Fx?) establish a little swing action that reminds me of Burt Bacharach's "Wives and Lovers" (which earns the song points since Burt's song is already a favorite of mine). Joe joins in toward the end of the first minute with his mellifluous flute, teasing us with his flirtatious songbird-like melody making while Chick, Eddie, and Steve play quite playfully beneath. I have to say that it is so nice to hear jazz of this caliber being played with such joy and weightlessness! Chick and Eddie's solos are just as light and playful as Joe's making this another delightful song to hear--over and over. (14.25/15)
3. "Children's Song #5" (1:15) a little Burt Bacharach-like ditty with Joe's flute, Eddie's bass and Chick's piano chords all presenting and carrying the main melody as Michel Legrand would with Alexandre La Goya and Jean-Pierre Rampal. Some really nice work from Chick! (5/5)
4. "Samba Song" (10:00) this one sounds like a continuation (or scrapped cut) from the quartet's masterful work on the previous year's The Mad Hatter (my favorite Jazz-Rock Fusion album of all-time). On this one Joe gets to stretch out with his tenor sax while Chick spans the gap between the rhythmatists busywork with his inventive chord play and injections of flurries and flourishes. Chick then takes over the lead in the fourth minute. I have to say that I don't really like the way Eddie's bass sounds or is mixed into the sonosphere, yet his solo seventh minute is outstanding! And then the way they all come back together at 7:45 is so awesome! A shift at 8:15 into a vamp allows for a nice percussion solo from Steve. I'm really catching on as to why this album is so highly regarded (and cherished) among Chick Corea fans. (This is my first time hearing any of the songs on it.) (19/20)
5. "Friends" (9:26) a rather simple bass line with heavily-nuanced drum accompaniment and gentle Fender Rhodes chord play (in the left channel) prepares us for Joe's swallow-like flute play (in the right channel). Interesting sound engineering/mixing choices but I like them! Steve's play is interesting and often awesome throughout and I love the way Chick's electric piano playing becomes more animated in the minute before he takes over as the lead soloist. His solo in the fifth minute, however, sounds a little too milk toast/Bob James-ish: pretty but kind of schlocky--laking his usual creative and energetic flare. Eddie's bass is next and it's another really awesome solo: I really like the way his sound is engineered throughout this creative solo on the upper registers of his double bass. At 6:42 we return to the original form with Joe in the lead position while Steve, Eddie, and Chick feel totally locked into their performances. Great tune! (18.75/20)
6. "Sicily" (6:15) another tune--this one of the fast pace that was so frequently present on The Mad Hatter--that sounds like it came from the Mad Hatter sessions. Such spirited play from all of the musicians--especially Joe and Eddie. I mean, Joe's lead sounds as if he's ready to tear a hole in the stratosphere! Things stumble a little with Eddie's solo: he's trying to conform a little too much to the main melody that Joe had established (with Chick in full chordal support); it's just not my preferred style for him. The return to the opening motif in the fourth minute feels a bit out of synch--as if the foursome have lost a bit of their way--but they regain it just in time for Chick's Fender Rhodes solo in the fifth minute (though this time it's Steve's drumming that I'm drawn to attend to instead of Eddie or Chick). A nice solo even has some interesting slowed-down portions to give it some spice, and then we return to the opening motif with Joe back in his spot as leader--though Chick's keys are right there propelling the melody with Joe's flute. Nice finish! (9.125/10)
7. "Children's Song #15" (1:10) this one is a little off-kilter--as if the mood being captured is one of a unsteady toddler stumbling around on the garden grass after spinning around and around. (4.375/5)
8. "Cappucino" (8:39) a little looser and more-aggressively jazz-oriented in that there is less care given to listener-friendly melody-making and more expression of syncopation and dissonance and minor keys than any of the other songs on the album. It sounds to me more like the rising mayhem and chaos of an advancing hurrricane. The musicianship is awesome with everyone dialed in and committed to the less "friendly" mood and intent. Chick in particular is on fire with his animated play on the piano while Joe's soprano sax feels a bit drowned out within the mix. (18.125/20)
Total Time 50:22
93.93 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a masterpiece of mostly-melodic Third Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion from one of the true masters of the genre accompanied by one of his favorite and strongest entourages of three.
Total Time 50:22
93.93 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a masterpiece of mostly-melodic Third Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion from one of the true masters of the genre accompanied by one of his favorite and strongest entourages of three.
CHICK COREA Secret Agent (1978)
Same year as Friends (which came out in July) this November release is definitely more pop/Fourth Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion oriented. (Pressure from the Polydor front offices?)
Line-up / Musicians:
- Chick Corea / acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Hohner clavinet, Minimoog, Multimoog & Oberheim 8-voice synthesizers, backing vocals, percussion
With:
- Allen Vizzutti / trumpet, flugelhorn
- Bob Zottola / trumpet
- Ron Moss / trombone, bass trombone
- Jim Pugh / trombone, bass trombone
- Joe Farrell / flute, alto flute, bass flute, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone
- Bunny Brunel / fretless bass
- Tom Brechtlein / drums
- Airto Moreira / percussion, hi-hat
- Charles Veal / violin, viola, backing vocals
- Carol Shive / violin, backing vocals
- Paula Hochhalter / cello, backing vocals
- Gayle Moran / lead vocals, backing vocals
- Al Jarreau / lead vocals
- Chick Corea / acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Hohner clavinet, Minimoog, Multimoog & Oberheim 8-voice synthesizers, backing vocals, percussion
With:
- Allen Vizzutti / trumpet, flugelhorn
- Bob Zottola / trumpet
- Ron Moss / trombone, bass trombone
- Jim Pugh / trombone, bass trombone
- Joe Farrell / flute, alto flute, bass flute, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone
- Bunny Brunel / fretless bass
- Tom Brechtlein / drums
- Airto Moreira / percussion, hi-hat
- Charles Veal / violin, viola, backing vocals
- Carol Shive / violin, backing vocals
- Paula Hochhalter / cello, backing vocals
- Gayle Moran / lead vocals, backing vocals
- Al Jarreau / lead vocals
2. "Slinky" (5:42) here we get into the Smooth Jazz territory of Bob James, The (Jazz) Crusaders, and the Laws family (esp. Hubert and Ronnie) as well as Earl Klugh. An eminently enjoyable tune whose loud horn section takes one back to Chick's great The Mad Hatter album of a couple years before (my all-time favorite Third Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion album). The spacious structure and flute-with-Fender Rhodes melody presentation are so like the concurrent work of BOB JAMES, though. There's even a little MiniMoog homage at the end to the iconic RTF album, Romantic Warrior (also from 1976). (8.875/10)
3. "Mirage" (2:11) the orchestral arrangement of this pretty little filler is quite like the sound palette Chick and Claus Ogerman will put together to support Freddie Hubbard's upcoming 1979 release, The Love Connection. (4.375/5)
4. "Drifting" (4:09) a pretty little Yacht Rock motif that serves to support (and inspire) some of Chick's wife Gayle Moran's unique vocal stylings. Interesting to hear (and distinguish) the fretless bass of Bunny Brunnel in the mix. Nice little instrumental passage with horns and Joe Farrell's flute doubling up Chick's Fender Rhodes' melody lines. But, overall, there is nothing really remarkable about this song. (Maybe it's in the lyrics--which I don't hear.) (8.75/10)
5. "Glebe St. Blues" (6:58) a very STEELY DAN-sounding sound opens this before Gayle and Joe's tenor sax join in, alternating with one another in a blues/blues-rock fashion. At the end of the day, however, there is nothing so very special about this song (which is pretty much the same that I feel about most Steely Dan songs). (13.125/15)
6. "Fickle Funk" (5:05) an upbeat, uptempo song that feels as if the iconic drumming of Steve Gadd is paving the way, but it's not! It's Tom Brechtlein! He does a fine job while Chick, Bunny, and the horn section pull off another rather excellent J-RF rendering. Truly a J-R F song that has it all--plus more carry over from The Mad Hatter and one heckuva train of flugelhorn (Allen Vizzutti), trombone, and soprano sax solos in the second half while Bunny's going wild beneath them (though, in actuality, maybe they're trying to keep up with him). (9.25/10)
7. "Bagatelle #4" (3:34) one track solely devoted to Chick's somber Slavic classical piano chord play while his own "classic"/signature MiniMoog sound eventually solos over it. A "choir" of gospel blues choir singing soon joins in to accent and bridge the two. (8.875/10)
8. "Hot News Blues" (6:18) Chick's response to Bob James' "Celebrate Me Home" song on Kenny Loggins' album of that same name--here using up-and-coming vocal star Al Jarreau to sing the lead. (Al's 1978 album release, All Fly Home, his fourth release in three years, was about to rocket him into national spotlight--with regular singing appearances on Johnny Carson and three minor hits in "Thinking About It Too," "Fly," and "All.") Despite some great performances from Bunny Brunel and a great chemistry between Chick's Fender Rhodes and Al's jazzy scat voice, Al fails to take it to the heights I was expecting. In fact, one might argue that Chick's MiniMoog and the background gospel singers might have had greater success elevating this one to expected/hoped for heights. (8.875/10)
9. "Central Park" (5:22) a rollicking song to celebrate and commemorate the energy of New York's grand Central Park, obviously on a particularly lively and bustling summer's day. This is just a great whole-band celebratory jam with horns and percussionists working their magic on full speed and high vim and vigor. There's even a chorus of exuberant celebrants appearing in the fourth minute singing joyously while Chick, Bunny, Tom, Joe, and the horn section throw their own pep and merriment into the Latin weave. Album's don't often end on such a high note! (10/10)
Total Time 42:58
Though the album often feels like Chick conforming to pressures from the Polydor "head office," the quality of songwriting is still top top notch. (This is, after all, the one and only Chick Corea, folks!) Also, we'd almost gotten used to hearing albums from Chick that had consistent, start-to-finish themes or sounds whereas Secret Agent shows Chick's ability and talent for the creation of singular, stand-alone songs expressing quite a range.
90.0 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; though this might not be the greatest representative of peak era Jazz-Rock Fusion, it is a definite representative of superbly crafted and rendered Jazz-Rock Fusion songs: a variety pack, if you will. A new team of highly skilled creatives continues to uphold the incredibly high standard of music making that Chick Corea has now commanded for nearly a decade. Highly recommended!
FREDDIE HUBBARD The Love Connection (1979)
At the time I was so into Chick Corea and had become a very recent fan of Al Jarreau. Plus, beautiful album cover. After buying the record it a was the amazing orchestration of Claus Ogerman that kept drawing me back in--the same man and lush sound that supported Diana Krall's work in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Freddie Hubbard / trumpet, flugelhorn
- Chick Corea / keyboards
- Chuck Damonico / bass
- Chester Thompson / drums
With:
- Stanley Clarke / bass (A1)
- Al Jarreau / vocals (B1)
Percussionists: Jumma Santos, Rubens Bassini
Horn Section:
- Buddy Collette, Ernie Watts, Joe Farrell, Tom Scott / saxophones [tenor] and flutes
- Chuck Findley, Snooky Young , Oscar Brashear, Steven Madaio / trumpets
- Dick Hyde, Phil Ranelin, Phil Teele / trombones
Conductor & Arranger, Co-Producer: Claus Ogerman
Concertmaster: Guy Lumia
1. The Love Connection" (8:17) Freddie Hubbard's trumpet has never ever sounded so good as this song. The amazingly air-tight groove from drummer Chester Thompson and electric bassist Stanley Clarke is amazing but then add Claus Ogerman's production values and the arrangement and recording of those amazing horns and you have a song foundation in which there's no way any performer could not be inspired to play their best! (19.5/20)
2. "Brigitte" (6:57) beautiful strings orchestra arrangement to open this one with double bass, piano, and sensitive jazz drums setting up Freddie for one amazingly beautifully tender performance: great melodies through the first two minutes before the tempo and dynamics jump a couple notches with walking bass line and accented drum and conga play. Nice to hear Chick's Vince Guraldi-like sound and solo in the fifth minute--and the way the horns take it back from him at the end of the sixth minute for a wonderful strings-supported recapitulation of the opening melodies to the end. (13.25/15)
3. "This Dream" (9:00) a Claus Ogerman composition, it opens with the orchestra's low end (horns) revealing the main melody followed by its repetition from the upper end (strings)and then Freddie joins in to give his phrasings. Very interesting interplay on this tense, almost-Wizard of Oz-feeling piece of ambiguity. I'm not sure if Claus and Freddie were able to resolve the tension before the jazz combo join in, but it was interesting to hear them try. Chick on piano, Chuck Damonico on double bass, and Chester Thompson on bare-bones brushed drum kit. Chick plays a nice sensitive solo in the seventh minute over the two rhythm instruments, then the orchestra swells and Chick goes Alice Coltrane glissando mode in order to clear the palette for Freddie and Claus to finish it off the way it started. A pleasant and engaging listen--very cinematic--reminding me of some old movie like Billy Wilder's The Apartment. (18/20)
4. "Little Sunflower" (9:20) strings, Chick, and Al Jareau, all at their absolute peak, One of my favorite jazz vocal songs of all-time. (20/20)
5. "Lazy Afternoon" (10:02) the title says it all: and that's just the way I felt as this album side would run its course: all hyped up and blissed out by Al Jarreau, Chick and Freddy's "Sunflower," I would just lay back into the lazy-haze of the adrenal fall and fall asleep to the dulcet breathy tones of Freddie's trumpet and Claus's cinematic orchestrations over the song's first four minutes. But then Chick and the jazz-rock combo join in--with Chuck's surprising funk bass and the saxophone's playing off of Freddie's trumpet spits, but, alas! It's short-lived as the music moves back to soft jazz in the eighth minute for an extended close with just Freddy and Claus' orchestra. But, how appropriate. Those final notes alone make it all so worthwhile! (17.75/20)
94.21 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a masterpiece of funked up, mellowed down late 1970s pre-Smooth Jazz jazz-rock fusion. The rawness of the jazz-rock fusion that Tony Lifetime and Miles and Johnny Mac and Herbie the Headhunter and Carlos the Santana started has now been refined into what will soon become and be called "Smooth Jazz." In my opinion, with The Love Connection, it has been served up in its most perfected form.
My Favorite Chick Corea Albums from the 1970s:
CHICK COREA The Mad Hatter (1978) - 98.41
FREDDIE HUBBARD The Love Connection (1979) - 94.21
RETURN TO FOREVER Where Have I Known You Before (1974) - 93.95
CHICK COREA Friends (1978) - 93.93
CHICK COREA Return to Forever (1972) - 93.03
RETURN TO FOREVER Romantic Warrior (1976) - 92.25
RETURN TO FOREVER No Mystery (1975) - 91.60
RETURN TO FOREVER Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (1973) - 91.50
CHICK COREA The Leprechaun (1976) - 91.25
STANLEY CLARKE Journey to Love (1975) - 91.25
RETURN TO FOREVER Light as a Feather (1973) - 90.735
CHICK COREA Secret Agent (1978) - 90.0
STANLEY CLARKE Children of Forever (1973) - 89.58
RETURN TO FOREVER Musicmagic (1977) - 87.45
CHICK COREA My Spanish Heart (1976)
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