Chick Corea: Corea Concerto / Spain For Sextet & Orchestra / Piano Concerto No. 1 [Music]
Publisher: Sony
(1999-10-26)
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The resurgence of pianist Chick Corea in the 1990s seemingly knows no bounds, as is demonstrated by his Corea.Concerto. Blending Corea's thrilling regular jazz sextet, Origin, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, this disc is Corea's second journey into classical music, after The Mozart Sessions with conductor and vocalist Bobby McFerrin. But Corea.Concerto is Corea's first original symphonic work and it's a mightily impressive debut. The disc is split into two major pieces: a bombastic, new arrangement of Corea's classic "Spain," first recorded in 1972 with Return to Forever and here featuring lengthy showcases for the members of Origin, and Corea's new "Piano Concerto No. 1," modeled after Mozart's piano concertos and featuring the Philharmonic with Origin bassist Avishai Cohen and drummer Jeff Ballard. Of the two, "Spain" is perhaps more satisfying, only because it gives more room for the members of Origin to shine and because the unusual blend of jazz sextet and symphony orchestra is achieved here to a greater effect. There are moments in Spain's "Opening and Introduction" when Corea attains a wonderful fusion of Latin rhythms, big orchestral blocks of sound that recall composers like Edgar Varese and have a jazz harmonic sensibility. The "Piano Concerto" is a more strictly classical piece that wears its Mozart influence on its sleeve, with melodies spun back and forth between piano and orchestra. --Ezra Gale