Chick Corea Elektric Band - To The Stars

[Chazro]

Wazzup All!

I'll start by saying that I LOVE Fusion, Jazz/Rock, Rock/Jazz. I can tell you that I've seen Chick Corea 11 times, all with Return To Forever and the Elektric Band although the last time was over a decade ago. When I heard that the Elektric Band had re-formed and was in the studio I was stoked! The new record was released yesterday and I made sure that I reserved a copy. I've listened to it twice and I gotta tell ya;

What a dog!!!!!!

The CD is based on a book by L. Ron Hubbard, man what a clunker!! This rates with the other Hubbard media masterpiece put out by John Travolta, I can't remember the name of the movie. I couldn't be more dissapointed. Uninspired soloing, and arrangements that all sound vaguely familiar, it's all been done before, much better I might add, by the same band. I don't hear the spark, the inspiration, or the groove of a superior Fusion recording. The performances seem to be on auto-pilot, Weckl's mind is elsewhere, as is the rest of the band it seems. I could go on but I won't. Spend $9.99 and get Romantic Warrior, the last true RTF record, you'll be reminded of what it SHOULD sound like. If you want to hear what Chick Corea should be doing these days, pick up Chano Dominguez - Oye Como Viene, an amazing recording that always leaves me thinking about what the original RTF would've and could've sounded like if still together.

[Ennis Snavely]

Too bad.

I still have an urge to see "Battlefield Earth" for some reason.

[Brian Olewnick]

Just thought I'd mention that the clue to day's NYT corssword, 1-Across, was: Pianist Chick.

[Brian Olewnick]

err...spastic typing.

[Enforcer]

The only problem I have with the Elektric Band is how their music sounds.

[Gentle Giant]

Love Chick.
Loved RTF.
Hated CCEB.

Wish he'd return to acoustic trio music.

[BlueMiles]

Interesting that on Chick's "Renedezvous in New York," he hit upon nearly every aspect (and brought back nearly every group) of his incredibly diverse career. One exception, though, was Electrik Band.

The revival of this band does not thrill me.

I would like to see more stuff from Origin.

[Chazro]

I don't have 'Rendevous.....' but I thought Weckl & Patitucci were on it, perhaps I'm mistaken. The group that was conspicuous in it's absence was any and all members of Return To Forever.

[BlueMiles]

I believe there was a track by the "acoustic band" appeared--Chick with those two players.

[Gentle Giant]

Stick with The Leprechaun, The Mad Hatter, or Touchstone.

[groover]

I'll have to disagree with you, GG. Eye of the Beholder is a superior effort by Chick's Elektric Band that eclipses those three albums.



Scott Yanow seems to agree with me, but, hey, what the hell does he know?

Review by Scott Yanow
During an era when the word "fusion" was applied to any mixture of jazz with pop or funk, Chick Corea's Elektric Band reinforced the word's original meaning: a combination of jazz improvisations with the power, rhythms and sound of rock. Eye of the Beholder, which found guitarist Frank Gambale, saxophonist Eric Marienthal and bassist John Patitucci displaying increasingly original solo voices, is one of this group's finest recordings and ranks with the best fusion of the latter half of the 1980s.

Beauty is, after all, in the Eye of the Beholder. Give this one another listen, and if you don't agree it's worthwhile, you can, uh, kiss my amp!

[Gentle Giant]

Originally Posted by groover

I'll have to disagree with you, GG. Eye of the Beholder is a superior effort by Chick's Elektric Band that eclipses those three albums.



Scott Yanow seems to agree with me, but, hey, what the hell does he know?

Beauty is, after all, in the Eye of the Beholder. Give this one another listen, and if you don't agree it's worthwhile, you can, uh, kiss my amp!

Funny you mention this. When the Elektric Band first happened, I bought every disc when they came out, up until the one after Eye of the Beholder (I think it had little robot figures romping on the cover). Then I came to my senses and got rid of every one of them: except Eye of the Beholder. There was one tune in particular that I dug, had a hot Marienthal sax solo on it. Forget the title (edit: I think it's "Beauty") but it's like a 7-minute tune, definitely had some substance. Finally ditched that CD last year. Ultimately, his 70s stuff had more nuance for me. I'd rather hear Gadd than Weckl, first and foremost. I dig that Gambale is a talented guitarist but the Elektric Band was just too rock & roll for me. I also hated when Chick would don the strap-on and start doing Jimmy Page moves at the front of the stage. Sit your ass down, Chick!

My Spanish Heart is actually my favorite electric Chick record.

[Sand]

About 3 years ago Chick Corea was artist in residence on the Molde Indernational Jazz Festival.
One of his several concerts was the one with The Trondheim Jazz Orchestra where they performed arrangements by Erlend Skomsvoll of Chick's music. It was a huge success, also from a musical point of view. Later that year they toured all over the country with Chick. Today I read in the paper that a CD from these concerts will be out soon, at least in Norway to begin with.

Here's the arranger Erlend Skomsvoll (he's not playing piano on the recording)

[Darryl G. Thomas]

G.G.,

When I read "I also hated when Chick would don the strap-on..." my beverage shot out through my nose.

Chick was my favorite pianist back in the early '70s. Actually, he was the only pianist I knew back in the early '70s, a high school friend turned me on to RTF.

I drifted away after hearing Mahavishnu Orchestra. I found Chick's writing too... ornate, too cutesy? Hell, I haven't the word for it. After I discovered his work with Circle and the stuff he did with Miles I got more into him. I loved the acoustic LPs he put out then.

I never got into the Elektric Band. The drummer really gagged me.

I rejoiced when "Remembering Bud Powell" came out.

[Enforcer]

Originally Posted by Darryl G. Thomas

I never got into the Elektric Band. The drummer really gagged me.

I rejoiced when "Remembering Bud Powell" came out.

Yeah, Dave Weckl followed by Roy Haynes is an easy transition to enjoy.

[Gentle Giant]

Originally Posted by Darryl G. Thomas

G.G.,

When I read "I also hated when Chick would don the strap-on..." my beverage shot out through my nose.

I live to be able to achieve that! Hope it didn't get on your keyboard.

I got into Chick through RTF, but I prefer him mellower now. I like his piano improvs; his duets with Burton, Hancock, and Gulda; and his most Latin-y stuff. I like the acoustic tunes on Touchstone (with folks like Paco de Lucia and Lee Konitz). I don't dig his classical/-ish stuff so much, the Lyric Suite and all that, and his Mozart album with Bobby McFerrin was a huge error in judgment.

I think he's a guy who needs a foil, like Gadd, Burton, or Clarke, someone to challenge him. I suppose maybe it was Pattitucci who did it for him in the Elektric Band. And I'm sure the lions in Origin kept him on his toes. He's gotta find a new guy and build something from scratch that takes some chances.

And then of course he has to write an incoherent poem for the liner notes and thank L. Ron Hubbard for his continuing influence.

[Jimmy J]

I liked some of the early 'Lekkie band stuff, with Carlos Rios and Scott Henderson on them, basically because I thought the rhythm section could play their tails off and I liked that guitar tone that they all favoured. I mean, if you are going to shred on a guitar, it will have to sound like that in some way. I come from a rock background anyway and then got into the acoustic stuff a lot later.

The only downsides were the electronic keyboard sounds, which date more and more with every upgrade of the software. And I think it's a bit harsh to criticise Chick for the "Strap-On" (love that image... ) when most fusion bands are perceived by the general public as a gang of snobbish musical masturbators who were too square to play in metal bands... At least this portable casio thingy was more "crowd-interractive".


Like I say, I liked some of the early stuff but not all of it, especially the ones which were super-widdly and basically a challenge for all the band to play some overly-clever unison part. But there were some great performances IMHO on those discs. The stuff they did on the GRP-Super Live twin CD (A big GRP showcase gig in Japan) was excellent - "No Zone" in particular.

Patitucci's solo stuff has bored me solid since the early stuff to, but hey, that's what he wants to do. He's still a fantastic player on acoustic or electric. The Akoustic Band stuff I thought was killer too. All of it. Check the gig they did with Vinnie Colaiuta depping for Weckl if you don't dig Dave's playing.

As regards the new disc - I just hope it's got more edge than that "Paint The World" effor that the Eleccy Band II turned in. That was blander than diet soup.

[Chazro]

Wazzup All!

So yesterday I traded a few discs at Tower and picked up Frank Gambale's latest feat. Billy Cobham, I also got the latest Vital Information (feat. Gambale also). The difference in the work he did with Chick and these other projects amazes me! His solo disc, a trio setting with Cobham is good but the Vital Info disc is absolutely killa!! He's been associated with this band since '88, played with Steve Smith on a number of other projects and the chemistry is readily apparent, really a superior record. Chick oughtta listen to this to get a clue about how it SHOULD be done!

[LeMo]

Chick Corea.

Isn't that guy who distribute tracts for to join the Church of Scientology at his concerts?

Seems than dear Chick has done that three months ago in a festival in France (called "Jazz sous les pommiers" - "Jazz under Apple Trees"), infuriating the organizers.

what a "chic" (swell, in french popular langage) guy, that Chick.

Edited Groover.

[groover]

Originally Posted by LeMo

Chick Corea.

Isn't that guy who distribute tracts for to joint the Church of Scientology at his concerts?

He'd win a lot more people over if he distributed joints at his concerts, but I guess that's illegal in most countries.

[trounsontime]

Very very late post, but apparently the reason RTF have never got back together was a dispute with Stanley Clarke for leaving the church of scientology and then saying it was all a scam, which rather upset Mr. Corea.
I don't think Chick has really made an album to top Romantic Warrior since it was released, though overrall I'm probably going to rate 'Now He Sings, Now He Sobs' as my favourite Chick Corea album.

[Gentle Giant]

Originally Posted by trounsontime

Very very late post, but apparently the reason RTF have never got back together was a dispute with Stanley Clarke for leaving the church of scientology and then saying it was all a scam, which rather upset Mr. Corea.
I don't think Chick has really made an album to top Romantic Warrior since it was released, though overrall I'm probably going to rate 'Now He Sings, Now He Sobs' as my favourite Chick Corea album.

I didn't know that about Clarke, but I'm not upset to hear it. I like Chick's Touchstone from 1982 as well.

[Samuel]

Originally Posted by trounsontime

. . .apparently the reason RTF have never got back together was a dispute with Stanley Clarke for leaving the church of scientology and then saying it was all a scam, which rather upset Mr. Corea.

The great RTF Quartet did get back together. There was a tour in 1983 supporting Chick's Touchstone, if I recall right. I saw them in Boston and it was an outstanding show. But that does shed some light on why Stan did not appear on Chick's 60th birthday shows in NYC. Too bad.

I'm partial to Three Quartets from 1981 and Origin's Change from 1999. Deep writing and fierce acoustic playing.

[Beboptrumpeter]

I really enjoy listening to "To the Stars". Guess I'm alone on this, but I don't care.

However Romantic Warrior is my favorite Corea album, followed by "Now He Sings, Now He Sobs".

Originally Posted by Ennis Snavely

Too bad.

I still have an urge to see "Battlefield Earth" for some reason.

can tell you that I've seen Chick Corea 11 times, all with Return To Forever and the Elektric Band although the last time was over a decade ago. When I heard that the Elektric Band had re-formed and was in the studio I was stoked! The new record was released yesterday and I made sure that I reserved a copy. I've listened to it twice and I gotta tell ya;

What a dog!!!!!!

Yes, a dog. Not a master mind. CC is a mediocre musician at his best. Tell me what he's done to the evolution of jazz music, except for selling out to minor labels suchas ECM.

[Xavier]

Some of his trio and solo piano recordings are better than medicore. He may be over-rated, but when he plays on a smaller scale he's interesting. That's my take anyway.