ONE TRIO, TWO WORLDS
Live From Elario's (CD) — $29
PLUS
Chick Corea Akoustic Band LIVE (2-CD) — FREE
A $48.95 value
In 1985, three musicians plugged in at a club in La Jolla. Thirty-three years later, the same three walked onto a stage in Florida and left the cables behind. This is both nights, for the price of one.
Plugged in · 1985 — Live From Elario's (CD)
In 1985 the Chick Corea Elektric Band was not yet the Elektric Band. It was a trio: Chick surrounded by keyboards, the massive Synclavier among them, with John Patitucci on bass and Dave Weckl on drums. Chick was already a legend. John and Dave were the hottest young players on the scene. This is that first gig — a 40th anniversary performance, 30th anniversary release, special anniversary reprint.
“The keyboard gear I used at Elario's was extensive including the massive Synclavier. I had the idea that I would 'orchestrate' the music and still keep it a trio. There's some fine playing here from John and Dave.”
— Chick Corea, July 1996
Tracks: Tweek · A Japanese Waltse · Ginkakuji (Silver Temple) · Mallorca · Marimbala · What Is It? · Malaguena · Fusion Blues (Got A Match)
Unplugged · 2018 — Akoustic Band LIVE (2-CD), free with your order
That electric trio grew, adding guitar and saxophone, into the Elektric Band the world knows. But the requests kept coming for something else.
“This trio was the first Elektric Band back in the '80s. But we started getting requests to do acoustic trio gigs, so I asked Dave and John if they would like to play acoustically, and the Akoustic Band was formed.”
— Chick Corea, Jackson Hole News & Guide, August 2018
Same three men. Same telepathy. No cables. Recorded at SPC Music Hall in St. Petersburg, Florida on January 13, 2018 — the trio's first outing in over twenty years, across two discs. Chick's solo on “Humpty Dumpty (Set 2)” won the 2022 GRAMMY Award for Best Improvised Jazz Solo, awarded posthumously.
Corea classics sit alongside standards the three of them turn inside out: “Morning Sprite,” “Eternal Child,” “Monk's Mood,” “On Green Dolphin Street.”
Limited supply on the Elario's anniversary reprint.
