Search - Chick Corea :: Rarum 3: Selected Recordings (Dig)

Chick Corea has spent quality time in even more stylistic camps than his onetime boss, Miles Davis: postbop, chamber settings, free jazz, classical music, full-bore (and sometimes fully boring) fusion. During the pianist's stay with ECM in the '70s and early '80s, a period documented by his single-disc entry in the label's anthology series, his wingspan was not quite as wide. A good half of :rarum 3, which boasts selections and liner notes by Corea, consists of tracks by his adventurous trio of bassist Miroslav Vitous and drummer Roy Haynes, originally heard on Now He Sings, Now He Sobs (1968) and here reunited after more than a decade. Ranging from brief group improvisations to a 14-minute medley of "Summer Night" and "Night and Day," they are lifted by their intriguing blend of personalities. But the heart of the collection resides in Corea's immaculate lyrical duets with vibraphonist Gary Burton and two numbers with the original lineup of Return to Forever. So much music has flowed under Corea's name, it's easy to overlook the simple, infectious charms of this band, which featured Corea on electric piano, the late Joe Farrell on flute and soprano sax, then-young Stanley Clarke on bass, and the husband-wife team of vocalist Flora Purim and percussionist Airto Moreira. ECM's 24-bit/96mHz remasterings, a first for the label, enhance the freshness of these recordings. --Lloyd Sachs