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Jazz

Chick Corea: The Montreux Years

The Montreux Years
Chick Corea: The Montreux Years
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Nearly two years after his passing, the Montreux Jazz Festival has packaged this 2-LP vinyl sampler from seven Corea concerts he performed there from 1981 to 2010. Opening with an intense 2001 performance of “Fingerprints” by his New Trio (bassist Avishai Cohen and drummer Jeff Ballard), Corea’s impeccable virtuosity is established upfront. He reveals his love of bebop on “Bud Powell,” a swinger buoyed by Roy Haynes’ inimitable bounce on the kit and fueled by Christian McBride’s walking bass lines. Kenny Garrett offers some fluid alto sax work on this 2010 homage to one of Corea’s pianistic heroes. His 1988 version of “Quartet No. 2 (Pt. 1)” is performed as a trio (sans tenor titan Michael Brecker) while “Interlude,” a playful bit of call-and-response between the Montreux audience from 2004, shouldn’t have made the cut. Perhaps most rare in this comprehensive collection is the composer’s bouyant, Latin flavored “America (Continents Pt. 4),” performed in 2006 with The Bavarian Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra and featuring an effervescent soprano sax solo from Tim Garland. But for sheer swing factor, nothing tops Chick’s animated performance from 1981 of Monk’s “Trinkle Tinkle” with Joe Henderson, Gary Peacock and Roy Haynes.

Tags: JAZZ MUSIC

By Bill Milkowski

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