FRIENDS

Chick going back a decade with some of his oldest friends and collaborators. Here they guys choose to explore some of the hard bop of the pre- and early years of Jazz-Rock Fusion only using their wisdom and more modern equipment from ten years on.

1. "The One Step" (6:05) a very sexy and spacious Smooth Jazz expression of some great melodies, ideas, using some superb jazz skills. If only all Smooth Jazz could have stayed as sophisticated, energetic, and jazzy as this tune! The performances of all four gentlemen are worthy of heaps of praise, but Steve Gadd's nuanced master work is especially smile-worthy. And I love Joe Farrell's smooth, never obnoxious soprano sax play. (10/10)

2. "Waltse for Dave" (7:32) piano, drums, fretless double bass (with some Fx?) establish a little swing action that reminds me of Burt Bacharach's "Wives and Lovers" (which earns the song points since Burt's song is already a favorite of mine). Joe joins in toward the end of the first minute with his mellifluous flute, teasing us with his flirtatious songbird-like melody making while Chick, Eddie, and Steve play quite playfully beneath. I have to say that it is so nice to hear jazz of this caliber being played with such joy and weightlessness! Chick and Eddie's solos are just as light and playful as Joe's making this another delightful song to hear--over and over. (14.25/15)

3. "Children's Song #5" (1:15) a little Burt Bacharach-like ditty with Joe's flute, Eddie's bass and Chick's piano chords all presenting and carrying the main melody as Michel Legrand would with Alexandre La Goya and Jean-Pierre Rampal. Some really nice work from Chick! (5/5)

4. "Samba Song" (10:00) this one sounds like a continuation (or scrapped cut) from the quartet's masterful work on the previous year's The Mad Hatter (my favorite Jazz-Rock Fusion album of all-time). On this one Joe gets to stretch out with his tenor sax while Chick spans the gap between the rhythmatists busywork with his inventive chord play and injections of flurries and flourishes. Chick then takes over the lead in the fourth minute. I have to say that I don't really like the way Eddie's bass sounds or is mixed into the sonosphere, yet his solo seventh minute is outstanding! And then the way they all come back together at 7:45 is so awesome! A shift at 8:15 into a vamp allows for a nice percussion solo from Steve. I'm really catching on as to why this album is so highly regarded (and cherished) among Chick Corea fans. (This is my first time hearing any of the songs on it.) (19/20)

5. "Friends" (9:26) a rather simple bass line with heavily-nuanced drum accompaniment and gentle Fender Rhodes chord play (in the left channel) prepares us for Joe's swallow-like flute play (in the right channel). Interesting sound engineering/mixing choices but I like them! Steve's play is interesting and often awesome throughout and I love the way Chick's electric piano playing becomes more animated in the minute before he takes over as the lead soloist. His solo in the fifth minute, however, sounds a little too milk toast/Bob James-ish: pretty but kind of schlocky--laking his usual creative and energetic flare. Eddie's bass is next and it's another really awesome solo: I really like the way his sound is engineered throughout this creative solo on the upper registers of his double bass. At 6:42 we return to the original form with Joe in the lead position while Steve, Eddie, and Chick feel totally locked into their performances. Great tune! (18.75/20)

6. "Sicily" (6:15) another tune--this one of the fast pace that was so frequently present on The Mad Hatter--that sounds like it came from the Mad Hatter sessions. Such spirited play from all of the musicians--especially Joe and Eddie. I mean, Joe's lead sounds as if he's ready to tear a hole in the stratosphere! Things stumble a little with Eddie's solo: he's trying to conform a little too much to the main melody that Joe had established (with Chick in full chordal support); it's just not my preferred style for him. The return to the opening motif in the fourth minute feels a bit out of synch--as if the foursome have lost a bit of their way--but they regain it just in time for Chick's Fender Rhodes solo in the fifth minute (though this time it's Steve's drumming that I'm drawn to attend to instead of Eddie or Chick). A nice solo even has some interesting slowed-down portions to give it some spice, and then we return to the opening motif with Joe back in his spot as leader--though Chick's keys are right there propelling the melody with Joe's flute. Nice finish! (9.125/10)

7. "Children's Song #15" (1:10) this one is a little off-kilter--as if the mood being captured is one of a unsteady toddler stumbling around on the garden grass after spinning around and around. (4.375/5)

8. "Cappucino" (8:39) a little looser and more-aggressively jazz-oriented in that there is less care given to listener- friendly melody-making and more expression of syncopation and dissonance and minor keys than any of the other songs on the album. It sounds to me more like the rising mayhem and chaos of an advancing hurrricane. The musicianship is awesome with everyone dialed in and committed to the less "friendly" mood and intent. Chick in particular is on fire with his animated play on the piano while Joe's soprano sax feels a bit drowned out within the mix. (18.125/20)

Total Time 50:22

A/five stars; a masterpiece of mostly-melodic Third Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion from one of the true masters of the genre accompanied by one of his favorite and strongest entourages of three.

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