THE CONTINENTS - CONCERTO FOR JAZZ QUINTET & CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

This album is not exactly earth-shaking, but I firmly recommend it to all those who enjoy Chick Corea and Return to Forever. Don't be put off by the fact that it appeared on the Deutsche Grammophon label and got called a Concerto; the music is as fresh as all of Corea's best works. Is it also as GOOD as his best works? Read on...

Of the four major keyboard players who appeared on classic Miles Davis albums like IN A SILENT WAY and LIVE-EVIL (i.e. Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul, Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett), no-one was as prolific as Corea during the first twenty years of the current century. Zawinul died in 2007, never having reached the musical level of the old Weather Report glory days. Hancock released one superb album (RIVER: THE JONI LETTERS) and that was it, really, but it didn't matter greatly as he'd already made his name with the solo albums he recorded for Blue Note in the early sixties, and as a member of the amazing Miles Davis quintet featuring Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter and Tony Williams (1964-1968). Keith Jarrett recovered from chronic fatigue syndrome and recorded a number of outstanding albums for ECM: some solo, some as duets with Charlie Haden and some with his wonderful Standards Trio. Chick Corea was far better than any of his peers at 'playing with others'. RENDEZVOUS IN NEW YORK (2003), THE NEW CRYSTAL SILENCE (2008), THE VIGIL (2013), TRILOGY (2014) and TRILOGY 2 (2019) were all delightful and featured a wide range of collaborators, including Roy Haynes, Miroslav Vitous, Gary Burton, Brian Blade and Christian McBride. (Not to forget Return to Forever's brief rebirth in 2008, followed in 2009 by FIVE PEACE BAND featuring - among others - John McLaughlin and Vinnie Colaiuta!) When I say Corea was 'much better', I mean he seemed less of an egotist than Jarrett, always giving his fellow musicians a lot of space, thus allowing their (sometimes extensive) solos to stimulate his own playing.

The same phenomenon can be observed on THE CONTINENTS. Apart from his own playing (on grand piano only), Chick gives the members of his band plenty of opportunities to shine: trombonist Steve Davis to some extent and saxophonist Tim Garland (who also plays flute and bass clarinet) above all - good news as far as I'm concerned, since Garland is by far the best sax player Great Britain has ever brought forth, incapable of producing a Dull Note. (Incidentally, drummer Marcus Gilmore is a pleasure throughout as well!)

The main problem with THE CONTINENTS is that it's not much of a 'concerto'. The piece was initially meant to be a 'piano concerto in the spirit of Mozart', but even though the music can be playful (as usual with Chick), there's none of Mozart's majesty or of his deeply felt melancholy. Moreover, I don't really see how any of this music relates to Africa, Australia and the other continents; only 'Europe' is in the faux flamenco style that Corea has been dishing up since MY SPANISH HEART (1976). Also, the orchestral contributions don't sound much better than your average film soundtrack, but fortunately Chick himself delivers riveting solos throughout, especially in 'Asia' and 'Antarctica'.

The 6-part concerto is followed by four pieces performed without orchestra (highly enjoyable, as all the members of Corea's are so good) and by nearly 40 minutes of solo piano, most of which I found pleasurable. I heard some echoes of Thelonious Monk, and of 20th century composers such as Bartok, and some of those solo pieces seemed more profound than what Chick usually has to offer. Only the very last piece ('Solo Continuum 1411') failed to convince me - time to switch off the recorder, I guess...

In conclusion I can state that this is perhaps not top-drawer Chick Corea, but it sure has its moments, and I will happily be returning to it in the future.

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