Friends- Chick Corea

Friends was released on 1978. This was a very intense year for Corea because he recorded most of his best works as a leader (Secret Agent, The Mad Hatter and Delphi I: Solo Piano Improvisations). Also he released that year the live collaboration with Herbie Hancock (An evening with Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea: In Concert). 

It is in some way a continuity of My Spanish Heart (released 2 years before), because in Friends electric and acoustic sounds coexist. Proof of this is that Corea plays sometimes a Steinway Acoustic Grand Piano and other times a Fender Rhodes; but he puts away his usual synthesizers. 

This fact and the melodic writing of the pieces that compose the album make it unique and basic for the bookshelf of any Corea fan. Musicians playing it have enough freedom to improvise; this denotes Chick's brilliant qualities as a leader. 

The result are hard swing recordings where Eddie Gomez really nails it on the bass providing rich and full sounds (with tremendous solos like the one in "Samba Song"), Farrell performing great flute jams and Gadd supplying constant creativity flows. The song named as the album, "Friends", is the one that best condenses all these features; one of those tunes that can cheer you up at any moment.

An interesting note is that the album cover (so criticised by many jazz aficionados) was designed by Chick himself. I do not know what American people have against the smurfs; I just think that they are funny.

Have a happy listening!

Friends- Chick Corea (open in Spotify)

Personnel:

Chick Corea: piano

Eddie Gomez: contrabajo. 

Steve Gadd: percusión. 

Joe Farrell: flauta. 

Happy 70th Birthday Celebration Chick!

As you may know, this month of November takes place the 70th anniversary celebration of Chick "the chameleon" Corea in the Blue Note Club (NY). He will perform from the 1st to the 27th with its different bands (Return To Forever, the Elektric Band, a tribute to his Miles Davis days with Jack DeJohnette, in duo with Bobby McFerrin, and more).

Chick is well known for his work during the 70's developing the genre of jazz fusion with its band Return To Forever. In the 1960's, he participated in the birth of this movement as a member of Miles Davis's band (along with other pianists like Herbie Hancock).

Since the 80s he has continued his collaborations with other musicians such as Gary Burton, Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarret. In fact, his playing is in some ways similar to Hancock, but Chick has his own and distinctive style.

For this special occasion I want you to listen to probably my Chick's favorite piece: "Sometime Ago/ La Fiesta".

Return To Forever actual members are Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Lenny White, Frank Gambale and violinist Jean-Luc Ponty. But when they created "Sometime Ago/ La Fiesta" (in 1972) the band was made up by Corea, Clarke, Flora Purim, Joe Farrell and Airto Moreira.

This is one of the best Jazz Fusion compositions; where Flora's sweet and smooth voice fits perfectly with Corea's piano in a kind of telepathic connection. On its part, Farrell is particularly inspired on flute and soprano sax in this hypnotic 23-minute travel. Corea, Clarke and Farrel test their skills responding to one another for long passages. About Airto, besides he is a very talented percussionist, he stays in a more secondary level in this song.

Have a good enjoyment. I am sure my friend Bernard the enjoyer will do so.

Part 1

Part 2

The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions- Miles Davis

"I made six studio dates with this group in four years," he says. "And there were some live recordings that I guess Columbia will release when they think they can make the most money; probably after I'm dead." - Miles Davis.

The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions collects all tracks Davis recorded between August 19, 1969 and February 6, 1970. They are many pieces that have anything to do with the original double album Bitches Brew of 1970 because they were not part of the same sessions of the album recording. Bob Belden, the re-issue producer, said that according to him these songs had similar line-ups to Bitches Brew ones and the same emphasis on keyboards. But it is obvious that it is just another release of the original album plus more songs with the unique aim of selling it once again.

Even after the release of this four-disc box set, Columbia records re-released other two editions of Bitches Brew (both with live sessions and one with a DVD live at Copenhagen). Why all this importance is given to the album?

The reason is that it is one of the jazz history greatest albums. This is because it marked a before and an after in jazz music; a turning point in modern jazz. The compilation not only is the progenitor of the jazz-rock genre, but it was the launch pad for the jazz fusion (which would come nine months later with In a Silent Way). 

Perhaps the biggest innovation is in the rhythm. Miles makes the design of the rhythm section as if it were a rock group; he gives them a central role in the joint activities, offering them time enough for their solos. 

At the same time that he developed his trumpet echo, Davis started working with electric keyboards and electric guitar and added new percussion ingredients. All of these changes where also influence by the artists which he started to listen to and become fan of, that were Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, and Sly Stone.

Lastly but not least, another spirit added to the cocktail of innovation that is Bitches Brew was the idea of stitching together pieces into a new whole. A radical practice that had never been made before in a genre that was characterized by the art of improvising. This is the case of the tracks "Pharaoh’s Dance" and "Bitches Brew" that were not single lengthy jams or compositions, but fragments of them that Teo Macero (producer) and Miles assembled and edited together.

Personnel:

Miles Davis - Trumpet, Vocals

Don Alias - Percussion, Conga, Drums

Khalil Balakrishna - Sitar

Harvey Brooks - Bass, Electric bass

Ron Carter - Bass

Billy Cobham - Drums, Triangle

Chick Corea - Electric piano

Jack DeJohnette - Drums

Steve Grossman - Soprano saxophone

Herbie Hancock - Electric piano

Dave Holland - Bass, Electric bass

Bennie Maupin - Bass clarinet

John McLaughlin - Guitar

Airto Moreira - Berimbau, Cuíca, Percussion

Bihari Sharma - Tabla, Tamboura

Wayne Shorter - Soprano saxophone

Juma Santos (Jim Riley) - Conga, Shaker

Lenny White - Drums

Larry Young - Organ, Celeste, Electric piano

Joe Zawinul - Electric piano

Spotify link: Miles Davis – The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions