12 June celebrates 75th anniversary Chick Corea- one of the most influential and respected jazz musicians in the world, winner of more than two dozen awards Grammy(more precisely, at the moment - 22) and more than 40 nominations for this most prestigious award in the field of sound recording, as well as many other international awards.

In 2012, the prestigious award of the International Association of Jazz Journalists Jazz Award-2012 in the category “ Best photo of the Year" was awarded to a regular author of "Jazz.Ru", who has been publishing with us since 1998 - the master of Russian jazz photography, Pavel Korbut. The prize was awarded to his 2011 work “Pianist Chick Corea”, which served as the basis for the cover of Jazz.Ru magazine No. 2-2011.

The award presentation took place in August 2012 on the stage of the Moscow festival “Jazz in the Hermitage Garden”.

Antonio Armando Corea(Chick - "Chicken" - his musician nickname) was born on June 12, 1941 in Chelsea, Massachusetts (a suburb of Boston). Until 1958, he lived with his parents at house number 149 on Chestnut Street, which in 2001 was renamed in honor of its famous native Chick Corea Street. In 1956, when Corea was in the ninth grade, he was elected "president" of his class and, according to school characteristics, proved himself to be “the most driven to succeed, the most open to collaboration and the most musical.” According to the same description, he then, at the age of 15, wanted to “become jazz musician and write songs." His former classmates recall that he was very modest, that his dad led an amateur ensemble that played at all school events (this was unusual for those places - all the surrounding schools simply played records), and Chick himself played trumpet in the school orchestra and accompanied the school choir on the piano.

Chick Corea's great jazz career began in New York in the first half of the 1960s. as part of jazz bands who were led Mongo Santamaria, Willie Bobo, Herbie Mann And Stan Getz. It was then that he made his first solo recordings.

The most important stage in the musician’s life was the invitation to the ensemble of the great jazz revolutionary - trumpeter Miles Davis, in collaboration with whom Miles recorded important albums in the late 60s: “ Filles de Kilimanjaro», « In A Silent Way», « Bitches Brew».

VIDEO: August 29, 1970, Miles Davis plays a 38-minute improvisation later called “Call It Anything” at the Isle of Wight Rock Festival (UK).
Members: Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett - keyboards, Gary Bartz - saxophones, Dave Holland - bass guitar, Airto Moreira - percussion, Jack DeJohnette - drums.

Since then, Chick Corea has repeatedly turned to a variety of styles - from avant-garde acoustic jazz to fusion and post-bop. In the late 80s and 90s, Chick Corea became interested in large concert forms, he created a piano concerto with a symphony orchestra (recorded with the London Philharmonic Orchestra), as well as jazz versions of concerts by W.A. Mozart and other large forms in the manner crossover(at the intersection of jazz and academic music).

Over the years, Chick Corea worked with a variety of his own compositions - Circle, Return To Forever, Elektric Band, New Trio and etc.

VIDEO: Chick Corea with his band Return To Forever, 1973

Chick Corea has performed on all the largest and most prestigious concert stages in America, Europe and Asia, participated in the most important festivals and collaborated with famous musicians ( Bobby McFerrin, John McLaughlin, Paco de Lucia, Herbie Hancock, Al DiMeola, John Patitucci, Bela Fleck and etc). Chick Corea has released over 100 albums.

A special role in the life of Chick Corea was played by collaboration with the vibraphonist Gary Burton. Back in 1972, on a little-known European label Editions for Contemporary Music(“Publishing house modern music"), now known to everyone simply as ECM, an album was recorded by the duo of Chick Corea and Gary Burton, entitled "Crystal Silence", " Crystal Silence" The idea of ​​silence generally occupied the permanent head and producer ECM Manfred Eicher, it is not for nothing that the creative motto of his record company is translated into Russian as “The most beautiful sound, after silence.” Chick and Gary crossed paths by chance in 1971 in Munich, where the company's headquarters are located, on jazz festival, and suddenly discovered that only the two of them came to the festival jam session after the concert. They tried to play together, and, as they say, it “clicked.” This is how this duet began. It’s interesting that two years earlier, when Chick was still playing for Miles Davis, and Gary already had his own jazz-rock quartet, they had already tried to play together, but as a quartet, and then it didn’t “click”: the active rhythm section turned out to be redundant for them to play together.

When Corea began duetting with Burton, he had just created his own fusion project, Return to Forever, which was destined to become one of the most famous groups classic 70's jazz rock. But there was no free jazz on the first joint album with Burton (as in Corea's earlier project Circle), nor jazz rock. There was truly crystal clear, light music of an incredibly sharp rhythmic nature as both musicians used their instruments, the piano and vibraphone respectively, emphasizing the sharp percussiveness of their sound. But all this is as usual in the sound aesthetics of the company ECM, sounded very reserved and romantic.

VIDEO: Chick Corea and Gary Burton concert in Tokyo, 1981

The album was a success, and the duo toured almost every year when Chick sent his jazz-rock band on vacation. In hot July 1982, Chick Corea and Gary Burton came to Moscow for the first time, but it was one of the most tense moments of the Cold War, relations between the Soviet Union and the United States were as hostile as ever, and there was no public concert. Some were able to get to their closed performance at Spaso House, the residence of the American ambassador, and the next day there was a jam session in the hall of the Union of Composers - where Soviet jazzmen, as numerous witnesses say, somewhat overdid it, trying to impress the overseas “superstars” "

Subsequently, both Chick and Gary repeatedly came to post-Soviet Russia, each with their own solo projects.

So, Chick Corea performed in Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory as part of the festival dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the famous concert venue, in April 2001. The ensemble with which he came then - The Chick Corea New Trio, that is, he himself, the double bassist Avishai Cohen from Israel and drummer Jeff Ballard, was actually the rhythm section of Corea's then-large ensemble, The Origin. At the same time, Corea’s symphonic work, “Concerto No. 1,” was performed at the BZK, performed by the maestro together with a trio and with the symphony orchestra of the Great Hall of the Conservatory (basically student orchestra). The director of the orchestra, Yuri Botnar, conducted.

VIDEO: Chick Corea and his “New Trio” on the air of the “Anthropology” program on NTV, hosted by Dmitry Dibrov (2001).
Interview and unique live recording of the trio with Avishai Cohen and Jeff Ballard in a concert studio.

The duet with Burton reappeared on the Moscow stage only in 2006, when they celebrated the 35th anniversary of their first joint album with a world tour. Two years later on ESM their album " The New Crystal Silence", once again awarded a Grammy Award.

And in April 2011, during the new world tour of the Chick Corea - Gary Burton duet, the two famous musicians performed in Russia for the third time.

VIDEO: Chick Corea & Gary Burton “La Fiesta”
Performance at the festival Jazzwoche Burghausen, 2011

“Jazz.Ru” wrote a lot about the work and performances of Chick Corea - at least about all of his visits, starting with concerts at the BZK in 2001 and ending with a performance in a duet with vocalist Bobby McFerrin in 2012. But on the day of his 75th anniversary of the famous pianist, we decided to reproduce the texts of two of his interviews: the first was taken from him by our Yerevan correspondent Armen Manukyan behind the scenes of the Yerevan Jazz Festival in 2000, and the second one was taken from him by phone before performances in Moscow in 2001 by a music journalist Andrey Solovyov, later a long-time co-author of our jazz podcast “Listen here.”

Chick Corea: "My purpose is to entertain people" (2000)

The text of an exclusive interview that the great pianist gave to Yerevan journalist Armen Manukyan backstage at the Yerevan Jazz Festival (he did not give a single interview during his entire visit to Armenia in early June 2000).

Now many are trying to predict the future path of jazz development. Some see it in alliance with electronics, others - in symbiosis with folklore or classics. What is your opinion?

I am often asked about the future of jazz, and this is a very good and necessary question, we really need to ask ourselves now. So, for me it is not so important whether jazz looks more like symphonic music, or folklore, or whether there will be more or less emphasis on improvisation. For me, the most important thing is the situation in which music is born and performed. Real music can only exist in a calm, peaceful atmosphere. If the situation in the country is tense, people are intimidated, then art, including music, suffers first of all. Because music is, first of all, musicians, and musicians are people who live in the country. So, if we want our music to flourish, we must create a calm environment, give musicians creative freedom, in a word, a happy life. This is a very difficult task, but we must do everything in our power to accomplish it. But in what form a musician’s creativity finds expression is no longer so important.

There is an opinion that jazz Lately has lost its original purpose - to entertain and amuse people. Having become the music of professionals, jazz left clubs and bars, moving to philharmonic halls. Jazz has become too complex, an elitist art.

Any music that becomes too serious loses its soul, its emotionality, and finally loses its listeners. And it's not just jazz. A similar problem is inherent in any other form of art. Each genre has its professionals and amateurs, and jazz in this sense is no exception. Jazz can only be considered real jazz when it is of good quality, when people understand it, when they feel it and enjoy it. Today at the concert in Yerevan we were able to please the listeners, although our music is not so simple. I don't think it's a question of complexity or simplicity of the music. The fact is that to achieve success, a spiritual contact must be established between the performer and the listener. And the main performer of this task is the musician, not the audience. He must create an atmosphere of mutual understanding and trust, only then can he be understood by people.

You perform and record a lot. What should your fans expect in the near future?

I have many different ideas. I'm currently passionate about a project with my sextet Origin- we perform a lot in the most different countries ah peace. I also perform quite often with my solo projects, and have just released two albums recorded during my solo performances in Japan and Europe. I collaborate with the London Philharmonic Orchestra performing my piano concertos. And, of course, I experiment a lot and work with electronics in my studio. It is unlikely that anything worthwhile will come of this, but as a result of such experiments new ideas may be born.

You often change your preferences - you played electronic music, acoustic and classical. Which periods of your creativity do you love most?

It's not about the style of music I perform. I'm a musician, and my purpose is to entertain people, and naturally I don't want to repeat myself endlessly. If I were an actor, then every season I would change my role - tragedian, comedian. I would do something avant-garde for a narrow circle of viewers, entertaining for the general public. I do the same thing as a musician. I always try to create something new to bring people joy and pleasure.

We know Corea the musician very well and at the same time know almost nothing about his life outside of music.

I have two children. Although they are no longer children. My son, Fabius, plays the percussion instruments, writes music. He has his own band, and most recently they performed in Las Vegas in a show called Blue Men Group. He is married to a beautiful girl named Tracy. She is a dancer and choreographer and often performs in Broadway musicals. My daughter Liana, an excellent pianist, loves her instrument very much and often performs with her friends, playing jazz. She loves and prefers old jazz from the 40s and 50s. My father passed away 12 years ago, and it was to him that I dedicated my work “ Armando's Rhumba" and more recently - " Armando's Tango" He was also a musician, he had his own band, they often gathered at our house and played, so I grew up in musical environment. My father had a huge collection of old 78 rpm records, and I listened to them often. My first acquaintance with jazz came through these records. It was the music of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell. I grew up surrounded by musicians and jazz music.

VIDEO: Chick Corea solo performance at the Jazz à Vienne festival, France, 2012

Chick Corea: “I'm not ashamed to study” (2001)

On the eve of Chick Corea's arrival in Russia in 2001, journalist Andrei Solovyov contacted him by phone and asked several questions. First of all, of course, I asked the pianist to comment on the very fact of his performance in the citadel of Russian academic music - the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory.
Are you really more interested in classical music now than in jazz?

When I perform or record with an ensemble or orchestra, I try not to think too much about style and its boundaries. It's much more important for me to understand the musicians I work with. The result depends on how the relationship between the performers develops. Here it's not all about style or direction, but about how you manage to find a certain sound. I think least of all about categories - is it classical music, jazz or some other kind, I start primarily from the sound. From this point of view, academic music - be it a chamber orchestra or a symphony orchestra - is distinguished by its special sound colors and capabilities. I have defined a field of activity for myself and I can say: everything I have done lately is internally connected, all my works have a lot in common. I just use different means to realize my ideas.

Over the past 30 years, you have repeatedly returned to the idea of ​​combining jazz with academic music- is this connected with some kind of life rhythm, an internal feeling of the flow of time?

Don't think. When I think about music or read something about it, it often seems to me that the structures and patterns associated with time, with the process of history, contain too much potential for error. It seems to me that the situation is simpler. I work with classic compositions when it interests me and when there is a favorable opportunity.

One of your famous recordings (" Mad Hatter") is a sound parallel to the tale of Alice in Wonderland. Is there any literary basis for the other works?

I think that " Mad Hatter" is rather an exception to the rule, and I did not try to literally follow the plot lines borrowed from Lewis Carroll. The same can be said about the album " My Spanish Heart”, in which they often try to find one or another program idea. There are no literal parallels to literary works, but I have always been interested in Spanish culture - poetry, painting - and all of this could influence my work.

Everyone knows you as one of the pioneers in the field of synthesis of jazz and rock. How do you feel about what is happening in rock, pop and dance music Today?

I continue to follow with interest what is happening in this area. Here, as always, a lot is concentrated creative people who always invent something unusual. I'm not ashamed to learn from them, I'm always trying to understand what they have to say, and I'm grateful for the fresh ideas of those who record electronic dance music today. Unfortunately, jazzmen often behave arrogantly and consider pop music to be second-class art. It only harms themselves. Sharing ideas and paying close attention to what your neighbors are doing brings nothing but benefits to musicians.

In the first half of the 80s, you already performed in Russia in a duet with vibraphonist Gary Burton. What impressions did this trip leave you with? Which of our musicians do you remember then?

Yes, of course, I remember these tours, there were many different impressions. Of the Russian musicians, I especially liked the pianist at that time Nikolay Levinovsky, I played with him at a jam session and met his family. In St. Petersburg I also met with Igor Butman and with several other wonderful musicians - unfortunately, I don’t remember their names. But in general, I am more familiar with those Russians who permanently live in New York or often come to America. And in Russia itself I was more impressed not by the musicians, but by the listeners, because the interest in my performances was very high. Russians, it seemed to me, really love jazz.

Everyone knows you as one of the most technical virtuosos in modern jazz. How do you feel about those musicians who are less technically prepared, but still try to make their way in the art?

I don’t know whether it’s unfortunately or fortunately, but I’m interested in a lot of things. Moreover, I realized that musicians are not often able to make the breakthrough necessary for music to become truly free. And this does not depend on technology or education. Witnessing such an event is always interesting and exciting. But, unfortunately, there is not enough time to search for them.

Do you manage to find time to implement new projects and plans?

Unfortunately, it's not just a matter of time. A lot depends on money. Musicians need to be paid; large expenses are associated with touring and inviting artists from different countries. I am not free to solve these problems - I do not write music for films (many people make good money from this), I do not promote commercial projects. Therefore, any plan, especially if its implementation involves the participation large number people, requires financial support, and I myself do not have sufficient funds. The larger the ensemble, the more expensive the pleasure of working with it.

What attracts you more in music in the first place - the opportunity to talk about serious things, reflect the sublime aspects of life, or vice versa - wit and irony?

It seems to me that we should not focus on the choice between these states. Irony, like a serious attitude to life, is rather a consequence of a lot of work, a result. Every emotional state (and music can express a very wide range of human experiences) depends on how sincerely the musicians communicate. Contact with the audience is also very important, and sometimes it is very difficult to establish. If the spirit of communication reigns at a concert, the music can deeply influence both the listeners and the performers themselves.

What is more valuable to you today - creative freedom or discipline and order?

I don't think that "freedom" and "order" should be considered as a pair of opposites at all. The absence of “freedom” means, rather, “slavery,” and “order,” in turn, is opposed to “chaos.” Freedom and discipline never interfere with each other. To be free means to have the ability to make decisions and choose independently and responsibly. To achieve this, you often have to force yourself and do something against your will.

You were one of those who first introduced synthesizers and other electronics into jazz use. However, lately you have been performing more often with acoustic programs, although the technique has become much more advanced than in the days Return To Forever. Does this mean that you are disillusioned with electronics and consider them unsuitable for jazz music?

No, I have nothing against electronics, I just think that all this technology is much more useful at home than on stage. I use many devices and instruments - they make it easier for me to work with the score, but on stage I only take a Fender piano. Not because I’m not interested - it just entails too many additional technical difficulties, primarily with sound adjustment and coordination of performers.

VIDEO: Chick Corea with the new line-up of Return to Forever at the festival in Montreux, Switzerland, 2008 - “Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy”
Chick Corea - electronic keyboards, Al DiMeola - guitar, Stanley Clarke - bass guitar, Lenny White - drums

Chick Corea had no musical education, but that did not stop him from becoming a world-famous jazz pianist.

Today we will talk about one of the most iconic figures Among the jazz pianists of recent decades is Armando Anthony “Chick” Corea. The American musician (piano, keyboards, drums) and composer is called the founder of jazz rock, whose musical experiments know no bounds.

Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea was born on June 12, 1941 in Chelsea, Massachusetts, to a family of Italian descent. His father was a jazz musician and taught his son to play the piano at the age of four and the percussion instruments from the age of eight. Despite the fact that Chick Corea did not receive a special musical education, he continued to study music and made his debut in his father's band, then played in the orchestras of Billy May and Warren Covington.

In 1962, at the age of 22, Chick Corea moved to New York, where he began his professional career in the Mongo Santamaria Orchestra, performing music in the Latin American style. In the mid-1960s, Corea met trumpeter Blue Mitchell, flautist Herbie Mann, and saxophonist Stan Getz and collaborated with them until 1968. With them he made his first professional recordings. The record brings Corea his first success Tones For Joan's Bones, recorded in hard bop style in 1966. Even more famous in 1968 was the album “Now He Sings, Now He Sobs”, recorded as a trio with Miroslav Vitus and Roy Haynes. Today it is regarded by music critics as a world jazz classic.

At the end of 1968, Corea joined the Miles Davis group, with which they recorded records Filles De Kilimanjaro, In A Silent Way, Bitches Brew, Live-Evil. During this period, Corea used the electronic piano, which opened up a fresh sound and a new direction in jazz was born. In 1970, Corea became the leader of a group that performed in front of an audience of 600,000 at a music festival in England.

Cirkle

Shortly after a successful performance at the festival, Corea, along with bassist Dave Holland, left Davis's band in search of their own avant-garde sound. With drummer Barry Altschul they formed a free jazz trio Circle, who was later joined by saxophonist Anthony Braxton. The new group began playing avant-garde acoustic jazz and toured extensively throughout Europe and the USA. Even though the group Circle did not last long, the musicians released three records, the best of which is called Paris Concert(1971). Soon Chick Corea changed direction towards solo piano improvisations and already in April 1971 he recorded several compositions on the ECM label, thereby predicting the popularity of modern piano music.

Return to Forever

At the end of 1971, Corea formed the group Return to Forever, which included bassist Stanley Clarke, saxophonist and flautist Joe Farrell, drummer and percussionist Airto Moreira, and vocalist Flora Purim. With this lineup in February 1972, they recorded their debut album for the ECM label, which included very famous composition Corea "La Fiesta". Already in March, the next hits were recorded - “500 Miles High,” “Captain Marvel.” Inspiration never left the group. This brilliant team created classic and light jazz tunes with Brazilian rhythms. They became the best in the 1970s in the fusion style.

In early 1973, the group added electric guitarist Bill Connors and drummer Lenny White, with whom the group found a new electronic sound. A new musical wave was born when rock and jazz improvisation merged into a single sound. It was in this year that Corea was named "number one composer" in Down Beat magazine, and since 1975 he has been the top electric piano performer.

In 1974, guitarist Connors was replaced by the 19-year-old wild and fast Al DiMeola. He breathed in a sound that was energetic, rocky and bold. With him, the group conquered a new audience and gained crowds of rock fans. One gets the impression that Corea pays tribute to fashion. But he goes further, complementing the group with strings and wind instruments, as well as using classical music techniques.

Since 1972, Corea and Return to Forever have recorded an album a year - Light As A Feather (1972), Return To Forever (1973), Hymn Of The Seventh Galaxy (1973), Where Have I Known You Before (1974), No Mystery (1975), The Leprechaun (1976), My Spanish Heart (1976), The Mad Hutter (1977), Music Magic (1977). Since 1976-1977 the group has been at the pinnacle of success and won three awards Grammy.

Creative duets and solo albums

In 1978, Chick Corea found inspiration in a duet with Herbie Hancock, while continuing to work with Return to Forever (RTF). Chick and Herbie play exclusively acoustic piano and have achieved brilliant results together: recordings were made in 1978 Corea / Hancock, 1980's An Evening with Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea.

Corea also collaborates with Michael Brecker and Keith Jarrett. In the spring of 1981, Corea visited Moscow and St. Petersburg with Gary Burton. This was not a tour in the usual sense of the word; he came to the Soviet Union, driven by curiosity about Soviet life, and gave several performances in a narrow circle of initiates.

In addition to creative unions, Corea records solo and classical albums. So, in 1984, Mozart’s “Concerto for Two Claviers” was released.

Electric Band

In 1985, Chick Corea opened a new project - “Electric Band”, in the fusion style. The new band included bassist John Patitucci, guitarist Frank Gambale, saxophonist Eric Marienthal, and drummer Dave Wickle. Together they recorded five albums: Elektric Band (1986), Light Years (1987), Eye of the Beholder (1988), Inside Out (1990) and Beneath the Mask (1991).

A few years later he formed the Acoustic Trio with Wickle and Patitucci. In 1993, Corea recorded many piano jazz improvisations and toured extensively in the following years.

Chick Corea's music is virtuoso and unpredictable, full of lively feelings and passion. Corea is a versatile pianist who excels in any genre. His merit is that he did not stop only at jazz - he constantly goes beyond the boundaries and discovers new things. He stands at the origins of the jazz-rock movement.

Corea devoted himself entirely to music, works hard and fruitfully, often working on several projects at the same time. Today he is known as a virtuoso pianist and composer whose jazz standards have become classics and whose style is always recognizable.

On June 12, 1941, in the state of Massachusetts in a town called Chelsea, the famous jazz pianist Armando Anthony Corea, better known to the whole world under the pseudonym Chick Corea, was born. Some sources claim that his aunt gave it to him.

early years

WITH early childhood the future pianist was enveloped in music: his father played the trumpet, and the music of the great classics - Beethoven, Mozart - was often played in the house.

Chick Corea began mastering the piano at the age of four, his favorite performers were Bud Powell, . Corea learned a lot through self-education.

Youth years

At the age of 18, Chick sets out to conquer New York. At first he successfully entered Columbia University, but after a month he abandoned his studies. Next was an attempt to enter the Juilliard School of Music, but even here he became bored after two months of study.

Chick Corea, already famous, often recalled that musicians should communicate freely outside of formalized organizations. He attended lessons that he learned for a long time.

Carier start

My creative activity Chick started with the bands Mongo Santamaria and Vili Boobo, after which he played with trumpeter Blue Mitchell. By the way, he founded the group Tones for Joan’s Bones with him.

After that, he accompanied Sarah Vaughan for about a year, and even managed to record several records as a leader. Then he teamed up with the Miles Davis team, where he already played the electric piano. It was this fact that Corea brought brilliant career, because Miles ushered in the era of jazz-rock with such musicians as John McLaughlin, Jack DeJohnette.

Chick Corea played with Joe Zawinul - the combination of the sound of their instruments gave wide publicity to the released albums. But Corea didn’t like this style, so he chose a different path. Chick Corea creates the avant-garde group Circle, which lasted three years until Chick changed his focus.

Chick Corea and Return to forever

At the same time, Chick was engaged in solo activities. In 1972, he released the album Return to Forever, which later became the name of his group.

At this time, Corea returned to the electric piano again - he played music with Latin motifs, at a flamenco tempo. Later, he decided to experiment and added a touch of rock, muting the Latin sounds.

Since 1973, Chick has been releasing a series of discs that brought him enormous popularity. In 1975, he was awarded his first Grammy for the album No Mistery.

The album of Chick Corea and Return to forever Romantic Warrior was included in

From electrojazz to acoustics

The 1970s changed a lot in Corea's life - he met singer Gail Moran, who would later become his wife. From New York he moved to California, and in 1996 they moved to the town of Clearwater, Florida. Gail supported her husband in everything.

After the band's dissolution, Corea began playing acoustic music again, and in 1985 he was again attracted to electronic fusion themes. As a result, his new project The Chick Corea Elektric Band is born. It is interesting that the ensemble had two names at once; it was also called Chick Corea Akoustic Band.

Explaining his choice, he said that people under 45 years of age grew up listening to the music of Elvis Presley and The Beatles, so they are more comfortable with electronic music, and acoustic instruments are more to the liking of the older generation. It is worth noting that this division did not affect the quality of performance.

Own label Stretch Records

In 1992, Chick fulfilled his long-time dream by creating his own label, Stretch Records. At this time, he still had obligations to GRP Records, but already in 1996, upon completion of the contract, a set of 5 discs, Music forever & beyond, was released.

From that moment on, Chick was able to release his own records, and his debut release was a collection dedicated to pianist Bud Powell. During these years there was also collaboration with St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, led by . His ninth Grammy award came with his 1980 album Duet with Gary Burton.

Since 1997, the musician has been forming new group on creating acoustic music. His live music album Origin was a huge success. After such changes, Chick returns to the classics again - in 1999 he plays with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. After the 2000s, Chick again revived the Elektric band.

After 5 years, Chick Corea returns to Latin motifs again in the Rhumba Flamenco project. 2007 was a very successful year for the pianist - he recorded 5 discs with various trios. In 2013, the tireless Corea created a new project called The Vigil, with which he toured America. Chick Corea is one of the world's top ten.

Over the course of his more than fifty-year career, this musician has released countless records, changing his style several times. He participated in a ton of projects, recorded with individuals as well as with various ensembles and orchestras, and left behind a rich legacy. Armando Anthony Corea was born on June 12, 1941 in Chelsea, Massachusetts. He began learning the piano at the age of four, and preferred to listen to such performers as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, and Lester Young. Big influence he was also influenced by the works of Beethoven and Mozart, which awakened Chick's composer instincts. My creative career Corea began in the ensembles of Mongo Santamaria and Willie Bobo, and then worked in the company of trumpeter Blue Mitchell and helped record records for Herbie Mann and Stan Getz. In 1966, he made his studio debut as a band leader, but still Corea was not against working for other artists.

Chick accompanied Sarah Vaughan for about a year, after which he joined the Miles Davis ensemble, where he played electric piano. The next step in the musician's career was the creation of the avant-garde improvisational group "Circle". The project lasted three years until Corea changed his focus. His new team was called "Return To Forever" and performed softer music with a noticeable Latin American influence.

After making two albums in this vein, Chick Corea took on an electronic fusion approach similar to the Mahavishnu Orchestra, strengthening the band's sound with the help of drummer Lenny White and guitarist Bill Connors. Developing his unique style on the Moog synthesizer, Chick and RTF released such innovative albums as "Where Have I Known You Before", "No Mystery" and "Romantic Warrior". After the dissolution of Return To Forever, Corea began to lean towards acoustic music, often working in duets, trios or quartets, and sometimes moving from jazz to classical. In the mid-80s, Chick was again drawn to electronic fusion, as a result of which the project “The Chick Corea Elektric Band” was born. The group existed for quite a long time, but by the end of the decade Corea created the “Akoustic Band” (which was essentially a stripped-down lineup of “EB”) to maintain balance. In 1992, Chick fulfilled his long-time dream by founding his own label, Stretch Records. However, he still had obligations to his former company, GRP Records, and in 1996 that contract was completed with the release of the 5-disc box set Music Forever & Beyond, compiled from recordings from the period 1964-1996.

Now Corea could release records on his own label, and his first release on Stretch was an album dedicated to pianist Bud Powell. That same year, Chick recorded with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Bobby McFerrin. This was followed by a second duet album with Gary Burton (the first was released in 1977), which brought the musician his ninth Grammy award.

At the end of 1997, Corea assembled a new team, in which he returned to acoustic piano. The live-recorded debut "Origin" was such a success that a six-disc box set, "A Week At The Blue Note", was soon released, based on the band's three concerts at the Blue Note club. Having improvised a lot with "Origin", Chick once again turned to classical music. In 1999, he recorded with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and the following year he released two solo records: one with his own compositions, and the other with classical standards. Corea spent the 2000s with the project “The Chick Corea New Trio” (“Past, Present & Futures”), and after some time he once again revived the “Electric Band” (“To The Stars”). In 2005, Chick paid tribute to Latin music in the program "Rhumba Flamenco", after which he staged a musical tribute to his non-musical hobby of Scientology ("The Ultimate Adventure").

The year 2007 turned out to be a fruitful year for releases: after a duet album with banjoist Bela Flek, Corea released a series of five discs recorded as part of various trios. The following year, he teamed up with John McLaughlin for the first time since Miles' Bitches Brew, and also put together a new version of "Return To Forever" for tour. The rest of the 2000s and the beginning of the 10s were also occupied mainly by collaborations with other musicians, and in 2013 the tireless Chick Corea introduced the public to his new team “The Vigil”.

Chick Corea is one of the most iconic figures among jazzmen of recent decades. Never satisfied with the results achieved, Corea is always completely passionate about several musical projects, and his musical curiosity never knows the limit. A virtuoso pianist who, along with Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett, was one of the top stylists to emerge since Bill Evans and McCoy Tyner, Corea is also one of the few “electric keyboardists” with an original and recognizable playing style. In addition, he is the author of several classic jazz standards, such as "Spain," "La Fiesta" and "Windows."

Corea began playing the piano when he was just 4 years old, and his main influences during his formative musical years were Horace Silver and Bud Powell. And serious musical experience he acquired while playing in the orchestras of Mongo Santamaria and Willie Bobo, Blue Mitchell, Herbie Mann and Stan Getz.

His debut recording as a band leader was the album "Tones For Joan's Bones" in 1966, and the album "Now He Sings, Now He Sobs", recorded as a trio with Miroslav Vitus and Roy Haynes in 1968, is regarded by music critics as a world-class album. jazz classics.

After a short period working with Sarah Vaughn, Corea joined Miles Davis as Hancock's replacement in the orchestra, and remained with Miles during the very important transition period of 1968-70. He participated in such impressive works of Miles as "Filles De Kilimanjaro", "In A Silent Way", "Bitches Brew".

As part of the band Circle with Anthony Braxton, Dave Holland and Barry Eltschul, he began playing avant-garde acoustic jazz after leaving Davis. And at the end of 1971 he changed direction again.

After leaving the Circle project, Corea briefly played with Stan Getz and then formed the group Return To Forever with Stanley Clarke, Joe Farrell, Airto and Flora Purim, which debuted in the spirit of the Brazilian melodic tradition. Within a year, Corea, with Clark, Bill Connors and Lenny White, tried to transform Return To Forever into a leading high-energy fusion band; in 1974, Al DiMeola took Connors' place. At a time when the music was rock-oriented and used jazz improvisations, Corea remained quite recognizable even under the veil of electronic sound.

After the group's breakup in the late 70s, Corea and Clark played in various orchestras, giving these groups special significance. Over the next few years, Corea mainly focused on acoustic sound and appeared in public either with the duo of Gary Burton and Herbie Hancock, or in the Michael Brecker Quartet, and even performed classical academic music.

In 1985, Chick Corea formed a new fusion group, the Elektric Band, which eventually included bassist John Patitucci, guitarist Frank Gambale, saxophonist Eric Marienthal and drummer Dave Wickle. A few years later he initiated his "Acoustic Trio" with Patitucci and Wickle.

During 1996-97, Corea toured as part of an all-star quintet, including Kenny Garrett and Wallacy Roney, who performed modern versions of compositions by Bud Powell and Thellonious Monk.

He currently plays music that masterfully interweaves complex passages of arrangements with solo parts in a fusion style. He is bringing jazz back to its former strength, and each phase of his creative development is beautifully represented on his discs.