Chick Corea Akoustic Band - Live (2021)
A trio of immense talent reunites for moments of pure synchronicity.
Recorded live in 2018 at SPC Music Hall in St. Petersburg, Florida, this is the first time that these three guys have played together in two decades. Chick Corea on piano, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Dave Weckl are all premiere musicians and of course Corea is one of the best known pianists of all time, almost single-handedly defining the progressive jazz genre since the late 70s.
Personally, I’ve always been lukewarm on Corea as an artist. He certainly is groundbreaking at times and no one can doubt his technical prodigiousness, but I felt that he often lacked soul and the message which communicates something to us was frequently missing.
It’s interesting to hear this combo fight with these issues in a live setting and to see how they drift in and out of energy sync. As a believer that albums should be 45 minutes long and if you want to go longer it better be monumentally important, the extremely long set (135 minutes 2-CD, 3LP) is well past my threshold of acceptability.
It takes time to get the motor running but when they do sync, it’s something fantastic. For that reason, I want to highlight the specific parts that stand out and give you an alternate playlist if you share the same bent.
TRACKLIST
Morning Sprite (Live At SPC Music Hall / 2018) 9:20
Japanese Waltz (Live At SPC Music Hall / 2018) 7:28
That Old Feeling (Live At SPC Music Hall / 2018) 7:10
In A Sentimental Mood (Live At SPC Music Hall / 2018) 9:24
Rhumba Flamenco (Live At SPC Music Hall / 2018) 14:19
Summer Night (Live At SPC Music Hall / 2018) 12:41
Humpty Dumpty (Set 1 / Live At SPC Music Hall / 2018) 7:28
On Green Dolphin Street (Live At SPC Music Hall / 2018) 9:18
Eternal Child (Live At SPC Music Hall / 2018) 11:42
You And The Night And The Music (Live At SPC Music Hall / 2018) 14:21
Monk's Mood (Live At SPC Music Hall / 2018) 8:30
Humpty Dumpty (Set 2 / Live At SPC Music Hall / 2018) 12:06
You’re Everything (Live At SPC Music Hall / 2018) [feat. Gayle Moran Corea] 10:25
TRACK BY TRACK
Morning Sprite - skip
The opening track is sadly a throwaway, as if the crowd hasn’t quite arrived and the band is filling time warming up. It highlights the fussy, nerd-like temperament that detractors often jump on with their hate of progressive jazz. I think the apparent lack of emotion and empathy here will turn off a great number of people which is unfortunate because they’ll miss later moments of greatness.
Japanese Waltz - skip
The second track is more of the first. An exercise in technical futility, like listening to a wheat combine plodding along a field.
That Old Feeling
This should have been the opening track of the album. Skipping the previous exhausting 17 minutes, the opening piano and bass interplay is intriguing and inviting. It sounds introductory and gives a realistic representation of the best parts to come. By the drum solo at around 6 minutes in, the band finally begins to wake up. The crowd locks in and starts to respond, as they should, to the beginnings of a genuine offering.
In A Sentimental Mood
The touch and feel of Corea’s lovely piano at beginning of Sentimental Mood is at once unique to his style and also a completely familiar theme. Like all the best jazz, he plays history and creates a little bit new of his own while doing it. While not a canon-defining effort, we’d all be very happy to hear this level of playing live in this day and age. The piano tone is very nice as well, especially in the bass registers which is very difficult to capture. The honey warmth makes it a lovely piece on a good stereo and it meshes sonically very nicely with the similar frequency of the upright bass and high-spectrum shimmering cymbals.
Rhumba Flamenco
By track 5, the band really starts cooking and the transformation is somewhat amazing. It reminds me of watching a boxing match where neither opponent is engaged and then a few power shots rock both of them and you see the action come alive. With an upbeat tempo, the punctuating drums seem to be needling the piano and bass to turn up the intensity and spar. It culminates in a wonderful drum solo at the end.
Summer Night
Summer night begins with a lovely bass intro and the lyrical interplay with the piano later is wonderful. The drums remain suitably reserved including during the solo leaving a lot of space for the melody to linger before the band eventually synchronizes in full forward propulsion with melodic lines and energy on par with Wayne Shorter's best 60s work.
Humpty Dumpty - skip
An upbeat number but more of a time to take a bathroom break as it lacks the meat and substance of the previous track. Virtuosic but with little heart. You can almost hear the crowd’s interest waning.
On Green Dolphin Street - skip
On Green Dolphin Street returns to some more sympathetic playing, the drummer engaging nicely again with the melodic points of Corea, the rim shots echoing the staccato higher notes. After are a few too many bars of drum solo the band again syncs up in the last minute of the track for a weighty finish. Slightly unnecessary track after the better integration of Summer Night.
Eternal Child
Eternal child starts off with another bass solo introduciton, this time bowed. it's a virtuoso display and then passes the baton to corea for a chopin esque solo. the drums pepper in doubletime in the background adding an unusual pace to a rather classical languid piece.the bass returns halfway for another solo, this time plucked and it is superb, lyrical and like a woman singings. best track on the album. in the final minute, the band returns to play in unity and it is powerful and emotional.
You And The Night And The Music
By far the best track on the album. A near perfect blend of timing and synchronization between each of the members of the band. You forget you’re listening to 3 individuals. The drum solo is incredible and highlights the wonderful recording quality as well. For those with a good stereo, there are significant dynamics here. The bowed upright bass is so high-pitched and lyrical you would definitely think it’s a cello. Absolutely incredible tone and emotion.
Monk's Mood - skip
Lovely piano tone and an effective nod to Monk, perhaps the greatest pianist of all time. Corea shows that he is both a master of versatility and can confidently quote the best while maintaining his own style. A little bit of a pedestrian letdown following “You and the Night…”
Humpty Dumpty
A far more interesting and creative version of what is essentially the last track. It has twice the energy, much more expression from each player, and ultimately still captures that particular punctuative style of Monk. This could have been an outtake from Straight, No Chaser. It’s also fascinating to compare this to the earlier Track 5 version of Humpty Dumpty. While they start similarly, they diverge so drastically that it shows just how important the timing and feel of the band plays into the interpretation of the song. Also, the recording quality of the drums is clearly superior on the latter portion of the album. The strong and dramatic ending of the song and emotive reaction of the crowd almost perfectly provides resolution to the album. It should have been ended here.
You’re Everything - skip
A lovely Gershwin intro is absolutely ruined by the vocalist Gayle Moran Corea (Corea’s wife) who is entirely grating. The only noteworthy point is her uncanny ability to sound like a muted flugelhorn. An embarrassment that should have definitely been deleted.
Revised Tracklist
That Old Feeling (Live At SPC Music Hall / 2018) 7:10
In A Sentimental Mood (Live At SPC Music Hall / 2018) 9:24
Rhumba Flamenco (Live At SPC Music Hall / 2018) 14:19
Summer Night (Live At SPC Music Hall / 2018) 12:41
Eternal Child (Live At SPC Music Hall / 2018) 11:42
You And The Night And The Music (Live At SPC Music Hall / 2018) 14:21
Humpty Dumpty (Set 2 / Live At SPC Music Hall / 2018) 12:06
CONCLUSION
In the context of mid-20th century releases, there are simply very few good jazz albums made today, so as a Jazz lover it’s important to highlight any semblance of brilliance. While this live album is too long and poorly curated, it does nevertheless offer some breathtaking moments. And, with the miracle of modern streaming, you can simply skip the tracks that are superfluous.
Even with the track list reduced to 7, the total run-time is still 82 minutes which would comfortably be a double album in traditional terms. The producer should have released a concise version and gone for a mega-selling classic. It would have been a fitting send-off for the late Corea to cement his legacy with the energy of a live recording. Then, introduce an expanded special edition 10 years later for the hardcore fans.
As released, the album rates 4/10. With only the best tracks selected it is a 9/10. People don’t have more patience today than in the 60s and they certainly don’t love jazz as much. Reward yourself for both with the 7 song version.
AVAILABILITY
THE RATING
4/10 Absolute
9/10 Relative
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