[Chick
Corea, Harlem Quartet, Imani Winds]
Michael S. Wright, our UK associate, brings this recording to our attention:
Michael S. Wright, our UK associate, brings this recording to our attention:
CHICK COREA
"The Continents" -
Concerto for Jazz Quintet & Chamber Orchestra (CD 1)
Jazz
Standards / Improvisations (CD 2)
Chick Corea / Orchestra (with
Jazz Quintet) / Steven Mercurio
2 CD 4779952
Release Date:
February 2012
"On
this specially priced 2-CD release, piano legend Chick Corea
showcases both his composer and instrumentalist sides in his vision
of world, jazz, Latin, and classical music – converging into a new,
whole work of startling beauty. It’s the sound of surprise.
"Disc
One: The Continents – composed of six sections depicting Africa,
the Americas, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, and Europe – is a
globally inspired concerto for jazz quintet and chamber orchestra.
"Conducted
by Steven Mercurio and performed with an all-star New York orchestra,
including members of the Harlem Quartet and Imani Winds, among
others.
"The
Jazz Quintet: Chick Corea piano, Steve Davis trombone, Tim Garland
reeds, Hans Glawischnig bass, Marcus Gilmore drums
Disc
Two (Bonus CD) features new solo and quintet jazz recordings."
Feb. 22, 2012
“Chick Corea’s The Continents: Concerto for Jazz
Quintet and Chamber Orchestra is filled with tuneful melody,
shows off some superb playing by the soloists, breaks new ground in a
number of ways, and achieves nearly all of its ambitions.”
By Steve Elman.
“So this is the first great thing
about The Continents: Corea has courageously returned to a
form he’s tried before, and he’s written a piece that shows how
much he learned from his previous experience. The Continents
is better in nearly every way than his first piano concerto, and it
gives future composers a model for development rather than just an
interesting dead end.
“The second great
thing about this recording is that the orchestra was specifically
constituted for the piece. Corea called upon one of the most esteemed
players of contemporary music, Fred Sherry, to help him assemble the
ensemble, and he took the most unusual step of having Sherry, a
cellist, serve as the concertmaster. Why are these decisions so
significant? Because an orchestra created for a specific performance
has a built-in commitment to its success, and because the composer
can have confidence that the players have the skills needed to
accomplish his or her goals.”
“A third great thing,
related to the second, is that Corea treats the orchestra players as
the equals of the jazz players, not just accompanists. He gives them
a free-improv passage to conclude the first movement, and they rise
to the challenge very successfully. He also spotlights a number of
outstanding musicians in the orchestra by giving them short solo
spots of their own. Violinist Ilmar Gavilán of the Harlem Quartet,
oboist Toyin Spellman-Diaz of the Imani Winds, and superstar
clarinetist Richard Stolzman all have a chance to shine. In addition,
there are some short statements in the final movement by trumpeter
Louis Hanzlik; hornists Jeff Scott (of the Imani Winds) and David
Byrd-Marrow; clarinetist Mariam Adam; oboist Jacqueline Leclair; and
bassoonist Monica Ellis (also of Imani). The graciousness of the
composer and the cheery give-and-take between the jazz players and
the classical ones are almost unprecedented.
“The fourth great
thing, and maybe the greatest of all, is the beautiful clarity of the
orchestration. Even though the harmonies here are well beyond those
of the Mozart-Haydn era, Corea’s admiration for the transparency
and balance of the classical orchestra is obvious. The
Continents
celebrates the orchestra as a lithe and flexible partner for Corea
and his group rather than the muscle-bound behemoths that previous
composers unleashed for The Grand Effect.”
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