Search - Chick Corea :: Past, Present & Futures

Candido J. (CTHEWIND) from ROBSTOWN, TX
Reviewed on 9/8/2009...

Listen to the Jitterbug track. Excellent. Other tracks are good,very update. Most of them done in Chick Corea style,syncopated straight style. Jeff Ballard-drummmer does a good job interacting with Chick.

It's all about the tunes...death to standards!

Jack Cade | New York, NY | 10/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What I have always loved about Chick is his interest in formal structure. He rarely composes "heads" just so he can get on to the blowing, but through-composes most of his songs, which gives the music wonderful depth and breath. And of course, what seperates Chick from anyone is his rhythmic sense. This session crackles with energy and passion - it's not just another "white guy" jazz trio designed for sleep inducement and 'abstract' reinventions of standards. And thank god he echews playing "standards." Can anyone really stomach another record by anyone that covers jazz tunes written 50-60 years ago? My exhortation to new jazz artists - smash the busts of the hallowed giants and compose, compose, compose!!!"

For those who like JITTERBUG WALTZ, this album is a "must bu

Tom Brody | Berkeley, CA | 09/27/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"PAST, PRESENT, & FUTURES, by the Chick Corea Trio contains 11 compositions and over an hour of music.



FINGERPRINTS is quickly paced, but is not thunderous or violent. The introductory theme is simple. It is a tone cluster that does like, "Tick-DAH-DAH, Tick-DAH-DAH, followed by a little arpeggio, "doodley-woodley-doodley." Often, the bass provides a repeated arch-like motif, skittering up and then back down. This is repeated many times. At one point, we hear a glissando where the bass zooms up, up, up. At another point, the bass rapidly plucks the same note over and over, sounding like a vibrating knife. FIVE STARS.



JITTERBUG WALTZ is the reason I bought the album. It begins with a slow introduction, lasting one minute, it is just a pleasant meandering sound collage. Then comes the familiar Eric Dolphy tune. The piano plays the tune as though there were two pianos, the second piano lagging an eighth second behind the first piano. Later on, the piano plays the familiar Jitterbug Waltz tune, but with notes, but with 3-note chords. The bass takes a turn with the melody, sometimes playing each note separately with one plunk, and sometimes playing a note repeated with rapid plucking. FIVE STARS.



CLOUD CANDY starts with a descending motif, sounding a bit by HYMN OF THE SEVENTH GALAXY from Mr. Corea's earlier recording with RETURN TO FOREVER. The theme for CLOUD CANDY is three chords in a row, the first two chords the same, and the third is often different. At the 6-minute point, there is a robotic sequence, where the piano's part sounds like robot movements. Not really the most inspired of pieces. THREE STARS.



DIGNITY. There is a descending motif where the bass does short glissandos downward. The descending motif is repeated several times, with other music intervening. DIGNITY is more dignified than interesting, and is on the sleepy side. THREE STARS.



RHUMBA FLAMENCO. This piece finds the piano playing a little weird tune with bass playing exactly the same notes, the tune sounding like flying saucer music from a 1950s science fiction movie. The drumming contains plenty of sharp-sounding clackety-clacking. At two points, this piano plays a tune form HYMN OF THE SEVENTH GALAXY. FIVE STARS.



ANNA'S TANGO. This is a subdued number. AT one point, the bass momentarily sounds like a cow. Bongos are played most of the time, rather than the drum kit. At four minutes, there is a descending motif that leads to a conclusion at 4 ½ minutes. I liked the conclusion. THREE STARS.



CHELSEA SHUFFLE. There are plenty of bouncy chord changes. At two minutes, we are treated to a waling bass line that lasts an entire minute (I like walking bass lines). The piano returns with more hopping, bouncy chord changes. FIVE STARS.



NOSTALGIA seems more like a notated composition than the other pieces on the album, something that a student might like to learn. The bass solo manages to find its way all the way up and down the fretboard (or whatever it is called on basses that do not have frets). A gentle piece. FOUR STARS.

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