Chick Corea – Solo Piano “Standards” {Concord}

Review by David R. Adler (allmusic.com)

Part two of Corea’s solo piano series features standard tunes. There is a preponderance of Thelonious Monk music: “Monk’s Dream,” “Blue Monk,” “Ask Me Now,” and “‘Round Midnight.” Bud Powell, another piano legend whose music Corea has recorded and studied closely over the years, is represented by “Dusk in Sandi” and “Oblivion.” The more universally familiar selections are “But Beautiful,” “Thinking of You,” “Yesterdays,” “It Could Happen to You,” “So in Love,” “How Deep Is the Ocean,” and “Brazil.” Corea knows this music intimately and is uniquely able to mine each selection for fresh insights and possibilities. There are few pianists alive who equal Corea in stature and influence, and this beautiful concert recording reminds us of his continuing importance as an interpreter of jazz tradition.

Tracks:
01 – Monk’s Dream
02 – But Beautiful
03 – Blue Monk
04 – Ask Me Now
05 – Thinking of You
06 – Yesterdays
07 – Dusk in Sandi
08 – It Could Happen to You
09 – ‘Round Midnight
10 – So in Love
11 – How Deep is the Ocean
12 – Oblivion
13 – Brazil

Personnel:
Chick Corea – piano

Tracks 1, 5, 6, 7 & 11 recorded at Symphony Hall, Osaka, Japan – 11/30/99
Tracks 2 & 10 recorded at Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall, Yokohama, Japan – 11/28/99
Tracks 3 & 4 recorded at Club Fasching, Stockholm, Sweden – 11/17/99
Track 8 recorded at Sardinen Club, Bergen, Norway – 11/19/99
Tracks 9 & 13 recorded at Culture & Congress Center, Lucerne, Switzerland – 11/20/99
Track 12 recorded at Vega, Copenhagen, Denmark – 11/15/99

Quality: eac, flac, cue, log, artwork

Chick Corea – Solo Piano “Originals” {Concord}

Review by David R. Adler (allmusic.com)

Perhaps hearkening back to 1971’s two-volume Piano Improvisations, pianist Chick Corea issues this majestic, two-part solo recording, the first disc of which features his original compositions. The music spans Corea’s career thus far: opening with “Brasilia” and then “Yellow Nimbus” — the latter written for flamenco guitarist Paco De Lucia — he goes on to play “Armando’s Rhumba,” three selections from the 1983 solo piano album Children’s Songs, and then a short, to-the-point “Spain,” probably his most famous piece. (The finale, “Children’s Song #12,” runs over thirteen minutes.) Curiously, he also includes two preludes by classical composer Alexander Scriabin — one of which he also played solo on 1986’s Trio Music: Live in Europe. In an engaging twist, Corea plays four consecutive free improvisations, each inspired by an image or idea solicited from members of the concert audience: “April Snow,” “The Chase,” “The Falcon,” and “Swedish Landscape” (The last title came from Corea himself). Each is a marvel of improvisational ingenuity and technical poise. To give credit where it is due, the idea of a two-part series featuring originals and standards was executed earlier by a much younger pianist, Ethan Iverson on Construction Zone and Deconstruction Zone. But regardless, Corea’s two-disc opus serves as a sort of state-of-the-union address for his musicianship and piano mastery. While his chameleonic ways over the years have yielded some mixed results, this is Corea “unplugged,” if you will, and at his very best.

Tracks:
01 – Brasilia
02 – Yellow Nimbus
03 – Prelude #4, Opus 11
04 – Prelude #2, Opus 11
05 – Children’s Song #6
06 – Children’s Song #10
07 – Armando’s Rhumba
08 – April Snow
09 – The Chase
10 – The Falcon
11 – Swedish Landscape
12 – Spain
13 – Children’s Song #12

Personnel:
Chick Corea – piano

Tracks 1, 3, 5, 6 & 7 recorded at;
Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall, Yokohama, Japan – 11/28/99
Track 2 recorded at Symphony Hall, Osaka, Japan – 11/30/99
Track 4 recorded at Culture & Congress Center, Lucerne, Switzerland – 11/20/99
Tracks 8, 9, 10 & 11 recorded at Plektrum, Lund, Sweden – 11/14/99
Track 12 recorded at Sardinen Club, Bergen, Norway – 11/19/99
Track 13 recorded at Club Fasching, Stockholm, Sweden – 11/17/99

Quality: eac, flac, cue, log, artwork