CHICK COREA

Same year as Friends (which came out in July) this November release is definitely more pop/Fourth Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion oriented. (Pressure from the Polydor front offices?)

1. "The Golden Dawn" (3:39) an iconic song that has served as intros and signatory songs for countless shows, radio and televised, as well as often mistaken as something by artists like Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Mike Oldfield, Bob James, Larry Fast/ Synergy, Patrick Moraz, Kraftwerk, Passport, Jan Hammer, Vangelis, and many more. (8.875/10)

2. "Slinky" (5:42) here we get into the Smooth Jazz territory of Bob James, The (Jazz) Crusaders, and the Laws family (esp. Hubert and Ronnie) as well as Earl Klugh. An eminently enjoyable tune whose loud horn section takes one back to Chick's great The Mad Hatter album of a couple years before (my all-time favorite Third Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion album). The spacious structure and flute-with-Fender Rhodes melody presentation are so like the concurrent work of BOB JAMES, though. There's even a little MiniMoog homage at the end to the iconic RTF album, Romantic Warrior (also from 1976). (8.875/10)

3. "Mirage" (2:11) the orchestral arrangement of this pretty little filler is quite like the sound palette Chick and Claus Ogerman will put together to support Freddie Hubbard's upcoming 1979 release, The Love Connection. (4.375/5)

4. "Drifting" (4:09) a pretty little Yacht Rock motif that serves to support (and inspire) some of Chick's wife Gayle Moran's unique vocal stylings. Interesting to hear (and distinguish) the fretless bass of Bunny Brunnel in the mix. Nice little instrumental passage with horns and Joe Farrell's flute doubling up Chick's Fender Rhodes' melody lines. But, overall, there is nothing really remarkable about this song. (Maybe it's in the lyrics--which I don't hear.) (8.75/10)

5. "Glebe St. Blues" (6:58) a very STEELY DAN-sounding sound opens this before Gayle and Joe's tenor sax join in, alternating with one another in a blues/blues-rock fashion. At the end of the day, however, there is nothing so very special about this song (which is pretty much the same that I feel about most Steely Dan songs). (13.125/15)

6. "Fickle Funk" (5:05) an upbeat, uptempo song that feels as if the iconic drumming of Steve Gadd is paving the way, but it's not! It's Tom Brechtlein! He does a fine job while Chick, Bunny, and the horn section pull off another rather excellent J-RF rendering. Truly a J-R F song that has it all--plus more carry over from The Mad Hatter and one heckuva train of flugelhorn (Allen Vizzutti), trombone, and soprano sax solos in the second half while Bunny's going wild beneath them (though, in actuality, maybe they're trying to keep up with him). (9.25/10)

7. "Bagatelle #4" (3:34) one track solely devoted to Chick's somber Slavic classical piano chord play while his own "classic"/signature MiniMoog sound eventually solos over it. A "choir" of gospel blues choir singing soon joins in to accent and bridge the two. (8.875/10)

8. "Hot News Blues" (6:18) Chick's response to Bob James' "Celebrate Me Home" song on Kenny Loggins' album of that same name--here using up-and-coming vocal star Al Jarreau to sing the lead. (Al's 1978 album release, All Fly Home, his fourth release in three years, was about to rocket him into national spotlight--with regular singing appearances on Johnny Carson and three minor hits in "Thinking About It Too," "Fly," and "All.") Despite some great performances from Bunny Brunel and a great chemistry between Chick's Fender Rhodes and Al's jazzy scat voice, Al fails to take it to the heights I was expecting. In fact, one might argue that Chick's MiniMoog and the background gospel singers might have had greater success elevating this one to expected/hoped for heights. (8.875/10)

9. "Central Park" (5:22) a rollicking song to celebrate and commemorate the energy of New York's grand Central Park, obviously on a particularly lively and bustling summer's day. This is just a great whole-band celebratory jam with horns and percussionists working their magic on full speed and high vim and vigor. There's even a chorus of exuberant celebrants appearing in the fourth minute singing joyously while Chick, Bunny, Tom, Joe, and the horn section throw their own pep and merriment into the Latin weave. Album's don't often end on such a high note! (10/10)

Total Time 42:58

Though the album often feels like Chick conforming to pressures from the Polydor "head office," the quality of songwriting is still top top notch. (This is, after all, the one and only Chick Corea, folks!) Also, we'd almost gotten used to hearing albums from Chick that had consistent, start-to-finish themes or sounds whereas Secret Agent shows Chick's ability and talent for the creation of singular, stand-alone songs expressing quite a range.

A-/4.5 stars; though this might not be the greatest representative of peak era Jazz-Rock Fusion, it is a definite representative of superbly crafted and rendered Jazz-Rock Fusion songs: a variety pack, if you will. A new team of highly skilled creatives continues to uphold the incredibly high standard of music making that Chick Corea has now commanded for nearly a decade. Highly recommended!

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.

I tuned into a listening party playing this and i was thankful i heard some of Chick Corea's solo work.

This 1976 release features Chick Corea in what was then, and remains, a unique musical setting. While it is truly an electric jazz fusion record, it is also Corea's first solo recording to attempt to address the Latin side of his musical heritage. My Spanish Heart marks a full-scale, yet thoroughly modern, exploration in the musical lineage Corea sprang from. Making full use of synthesizer technology, a string section, and synth-linked choruses -- of two voices, his own and that of Gayle Moran -- as well as percussionist Don Alias, drummer Steve Gadd, a full brass section, and the sparse use of Jean Luc Ponty ("Armando's Rumba") and bassist Stanley Clark, Corea largely succeeded in creating a Spanish/Latin tapestry of sounds, textures, impressions, and even two suites -- "Spanish Fantasy" and "El Bozo." The string quartet performs its intricate and gorgeously elegant arrangements with verve and grace on "Day Danse" and on the suites, with Corea's contrapuntal pianism creating a sharp yet warm contrast to the shifting tempos, wild interval leaps, and shimmering timbral balances that occur. The only pieces that sound dated on this double-album- length set are the fusion pieces, which are, with their production and knotty stop-and-start modulations and key signature equations -- complete with aggressive arpeggios and scalar linguistics -- destined to be limited in expression by the voice of their use of technology. Thus, "Love Castles," "The Gardens," and "Night Streets" suffer from their rather cheesy production despite their tastefully done double fusion semantics (jazz to rock to Latin music). There is no doubt that Corea's musicianship was up to any task he chose at this point in time. Simply put, he was compositionally and intellectually at the top of his game, and this record, despite the many of his that haven't aged well, still surprises despite its production shortcomings.

Chick's demo hopeful for entry/admittance to the world and work of Broadway composer.

1. "Imp's Welcome" (2:55) very cool intro with many weird, quirky sounds coming from Chick's vast collection of keyboards. (4.5/5)

2. "Lenore" (3:25) great melodic jazz-rock tune with Chick playing off of and against ... himself! Piano, Moog, clavinet, ARP Odyssey, Fender Rhodes, Yamaha organ--they're all playing off one another--as if coming from different musicians on the same stage! Gayle Moran's wordless vocalese at the end is nice touch. (9.25/10)

3. "Reverie" (1:58) opens as a solo piano piece, very pensive and heart-felt, but then Gayle's overly-reverberated vocalese float across the back stage. A sign of how in sync husband and wife are at this point in their lives. (9.625/5)

4. "Looking at the World" (5:29) opening with some previews of some of the future riffs that'll be central to next year's The Mad Hatter, Gayle joins with the rhythm section, this time singing in a more jazz-pop style (with words) before Chick ramps quickly into some heavier j-r fusion between Gayle's multi-track verses. Kind of like an oldie from the 40s with the future jazz-rock fusion that's coming with the Jaco Pastorius version of Weather Report. Interesting "underwater bass" from Anthony Jackson. (8.875/10)

5. "Nite Sprite" (4:31) this one sounds like it feeds right into the RTF Romantic Warrior recording sessions (especially Part II of "The Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant"). A little funkier with Anthony Jackson's bass and Steve Gadd's fantastic near-disco jazz drumming. (9.25/10)

6. "Soft and Gentle" (5:08) with Gayle in the vocal seat for the whole song, this one once again evokes many reminders of Broadway musicals, great chanteuses of old, as well as many old jazz/pop standards of the 1940s and 50s. And I love the presence and powerful effect of the strings, Chick's grand piano, Eddie Gomez's acoustic double bass, Steve Gadd's classy jazz drumming, and the horn section. Quite lovely--as well as being quite a lovely composition. Deserves to be heard. (9.5/10)

7. "Pixiland Rag" (1:10) more light and whimsical keyboard experimentation in a solo format. There's even a little ragtime jazz in here. (4.333/5)

8. "Leprechaun's Dream" (13:03) a thoughtful, rather pensive song that makes one feel fear and uncertainty: as if a person is living in the moment so as to escape having to make any/all decisions in the Big "Real" World. The play of double bassist Eddie Gomez and flutist Joe Farrell are delightfully uplifting--especially playing off of the syncopation genius of Steve Gadd. The contributions of the string and horn sections are also quite welcome. Crossing/blending several unusual styles makes this a rather unique and ambiguous song--making it difficult to define or categorize. Again, I feel that Chick this album's music is best serving as a "getting to know" each other germination fest for what will become Romantic Warrior, and then, The Mad Hatter. Still, it's hard to not admire, respect, and be awed by the performers' performances as well as Chick's growing big-band compositional mastery. (22.6667/25)

Total Time 37:39

This album, as a whole, sounds like an artist that is sitting on a fence, trying to decide which direction to take his music. As displayed here, the talented man has many directions to choose: we here much of his recent Return To Forever style, some of his older Latin roots, some of the future fanciful future dreaming that he's doing, and a surprising number of riffs, sounds, and styles that feel as if they are coming from the world of the Broadway musical (especially Leonard Bernstein)! The question of what he will choose to "specialize" in--and when he'll come out of his haze of confusion and synaesthesia--will be resolved in the next year or two with the demise of his popular and highly- acclaimed Return To Forever project and the repetitious re-confirmation of his solo career. All in all, this is definitely a step toward Chick's other upcoming masterful releases, Romantic Warrior, My Spanish Heart, and my favorite, The Mad Hatter.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of eclectic jazz-rock fusion and another amazing release in a long career of astonishingly high creativity and top-tier quality products.

A highly-touted album that I'd never heard until this year.

1. "Quartet No. 1" (10:09) spectacular, dynamic, and creative jazz with occasional injections of riffs and melodies that just keep wowing me. Eddie and Chick's performances are particularly engaging to me: often taking my attention totally away from the two other musicians (who are both solid--Michael able to surprise me from time to time with interesting sometimes knee-buckling, riffs). (18.5/20)

2. "Quartet No. 3" (9:36) opesning like an old-time big band piece for the first minute or two but then turning into a Post Bop/Hard Bop tune. Nice performances but not quite what I'm looking for. (17.5/20)

3. "Quartet No. 2 - Part 1" (dedicated to Duke Ellington) (7:05) Chick's solo opening shows him revisiting several of his old riffs, exploring variations on them and blending them into sequences heretofore unheard. I do not know Duke Ellington's style or sound very well (I only own a couple albums of his--one a three-disc set with Ella Fitzgerald), but there are components here that truly do feel and sound like what could be Duke's. A second musician (Michael) doesn't even join in until the third minute--the third and fourth not until the 3:34 mark! However, it is likeable and engaging, mostly for its comforting tempo, but also for Eddie's distinctive sound and his solo phrasing style that just seems to speak directly to my heart. Michael's sax play sounds a lot like it's coming from one of Billy Joel's mid-70s albums. I can't honestly say whether or not I will ever care if I hear this again much less recognize it if I do. (13.625/15)

4. "Quartet No. 2 - Part 2" (dedicated to John Coltrane) (11:48) Yes, we're back in the 1960s with The Jazz Messengers or Miles' Second Great Quintet (though I'd argue that Eddie Gómez is a little more dynamic and entertaining than Ron Carter--who I love and respect tremendously--and Steve Gadd is just not, much as he tries, as fierce and explosive as Tony Williams: his cymbal play is just too smooth and "elegant"). The opening bears some resemblance to the music of MAGMA (and, later, ONE SHOT)--which was, of course, greatly inspired by the man to whom this song is dedicated. Of the four separated pieces, this is probably my second favorite. It's got some really interesting and subtly variable tempos and a bit of a looser structure. (22.5/25)

Total Time 38:38

The opening song was immediately accessible and enjoyable, prompting hours of out-loud repetition and improvised variations on and inspirations from the bass and piano melodies. I'm saddened to have to admit that not only were the Post Bop motifs out-of-reach to my puny little brain, the performances of both Mr. Smooth (Steve Gadd) and Michael Brecker rarely managed to captivate my attention.

A-/4.5 stars; a minor masterpiece of rock-infused Post Bop Jazz that is a real treat if you're a fan of either Eddie Gomez or acoustic Chick Corea; not as much if you really want your Classic or Neo Prog.

I've never been certain why this album has always, since I acquired it in 1978, maintained a very high place on my all- time list of Favorite Albums, but now, after examining it from the critical perspective of a music reviewer I think I have a better grasp of it.

1. "The Woods" (4:23) a wonderfully atmospheric, psychedelic, even appropriately-comedic collection of sounds and melodies to open Chick's 1977 rendering of Charles Dodgson's famous story. What a great, perfect opening (overture). Like a soundtrack to a book-on-tape. (10/10) 2. "Tweedle Dee" (1:10) piano and cello & strings; sounds very much like one of Yo-Yo- Ma and Edgar Meyer's "Goat Rodeo" pieces from the 21st Century. (5/5)

3. "The Trial" (1:43) Gayle Moran's singing of The Queen Hearts' famous line "Who stole the tarts was it the Kind of Hearts?" is fittingly quite annoying. Perfectly appropriate for this story! (5/5)

4. "Humpty Dumpty" (6:27) great jazz jam that sounds coming from Chick's piano, Eddie Gomez's double bass, Steve Gadd's drums, and Joe Farrell's tenor saxophone that feels more based in the realm of true jazz due to the double bass play but, it does cross over into the J-R Fusion style with Farrell's sax style and Gadd's nuanced drumming palette. The song also does kind of an "overture" job of presenting melody themes that will come up (repeatedly) in later songs. Awesome high-energy, melodic jazz piece! Man are these artists skilled and talented! One of the most tightly composed and performed (recorded) songs I've ever heard! (10/10)

5 "Prelude to Falling Alice" (1:19) Chick's piano, strings, metal percussives, and Gayle Moran (and, later, horns) present the ephemeral framework of the song that follows. (5/5)

6. "Falling Alice" (8:17) Horns are the opening mood and melody setter for this before Gayle brings us into the story. Chick's electronic keyboard play in the instrumental solo sections is at its absolute best but Gayle Moran, Joe Farrell (and the horn section), Eddie Gomez, and Steve Gadd's contributions make this one of my absolute favorite J-R Fuse songs of all-time. It's even better than any RTF song! (20/20)

7. "Tweedle Dum" (2:54) Chick's piano with the strings complement (with Jamie Faunt on double bass) and Gayle Moran's ghost-like vocalise make this an excellent buffer between the album's two highlights. (1010)

8. "Dear Alice" (13:06) Chick's piano arpeggio provides all the support necessary for both Eddie Gomez and Chick's right hand (not to mention Steve Gadd's amazing subtle support on the drum kit) to issue forth two minutes of some of the finest soloing you'll ever hear. At 2:45, Gayle returns to move forward the Alice story before stepping back to allow one awesome flute solo from Joe Farrell (while Chick, Eddie, and Steve continue to provide their amazingly nuanced support.) I LOVE Chick's rhythmic Latin melodies in the background! At 6:40 we bridge into Chick's turn at the lead. It takes a few cycles for him to warm up, but once he gets cooking in the (eighth minute) it's epic! And the support from and Joe, Eddie, and especially Steve is phenomenal. While not quite as mind-blowingly perfect as "Falling Alice" this is, for me, another highlight of the Jazz-Rock Fusion's "Classic Era." Steve's drum play over the final two minutes not only rivals, in my opinion, that of the famous "Aja" sequence but surpasses it! (24/25)

9. "The Mad Hatter Rhapsody" (10:50) Chick and Herbie going toe-to-toe using some of the album's previous themes and patterns. Chick is on piano and Herbie is playing a Fender Rhodes with Eddie, Steve Gadd, and the Joe Farrell-led horns (mixed masterfully with Chick's synth horns) bringing us a rollicking race-track tune with great solos from Chick's Minimoog, Herbie's Fender, The rhythm section is so tight--even when the dance rhythm turns slightly Disco! I'm not crazy about the little Latin motif in the eighth minute, but I LOVE the way they tie it up with Gayle taking us back to the "main melody" of the Alice songs. (19.25/20)

This is an album that I find so hard to find fault with. It may not be as free and unstructured as Bitches Brew or the Mwandishi albums but this musicianship of the very highest order as well as inspired compositional genius. It will be of no surprise to me if the metric ratings for this one come out extremely high.

A+/five stars; one of the finest jazz, jazz-rock fusion, or prog albums I've ever heard/known. In a rather unexpected twist of fate, The Mad Hatter is my highest rated and one of my Top 10 Favorite J-R Fuse albums of the "Classic Era"!

This album is reputed as one of the more popular and best known solo pieces of work ever released by Corea, and such extended adhesion is, I think, fairly justified. The general sound is charming, the musicianship flawless, and besides, it contains some tracks being the most "radio friendly" that he can be accused of, like is the case with Track 5, Nite Sprite, a nice infectious melody backed with the fusion sound typical or the era by the impressive band .

The opener is just an ambiance setting little instrumental intro left to synths, while playing with the pitch bend in a quirky microtonal manner that sounds like a proper presentation of the leprechaun character.

Track 2, Lenore is a classic of Corea's repertoire, led by the acoustic piano on the jazz side of this equation. Every word reserved for the artist masterful touch falls necessarily short here. The angelic voice of Gayle Moran brings an air of female charm to the proceedings, as required by the track title.

Reverie is a nice little interlude left to piano and vocals, and Looking At The World sees the return of the full-blown band, bringing a complex fusion workout, full of captivating accent displacements.

The final track turns to be, possibly, the most "prog oriented" of the bunch, since it's introduced by an exquisite string arrangement in impressionistic style. The full array of musicians take part in the subsequent development. First, the band resumes their jazz-rock duties, and then the strings return, joining the brass instruments for a sort of Grand Finale, even including the haunting soprano stylings, courtesy of Mrs. Moran.

I think The Leprechaun is an essential part of Chick Corea's recorded legacy, an ideal mix of charm with stratospheric technical proficiency.

It's odd enough listening to an album deeply inspired by the "creative mastery" of cultist-author-creep L. Ron Hubbard (I would hope and imagine that this kind of disparagement toward this kind of person does not go against community standards)... But right off the bat, we are presented with musical creativity and mastery by a collection of some of the best musicians Fusion and Jazz in general have to offer. It's immediately clear and it is wonderful. I am wide-eyed and... bushy tailed? Regardless, you have to admit, from the time of RETURN TO FOREVER's middle period I presume to the end of Chick's life, he was inspired greatly by the Sci-Fi works of his "religion"'s founder. We got some mighty tasty, spacy jazz-candy from it. For better or worse. I'll take the better if I can be honest with myself (if just getting the better is at all possible).

Seriously, how could anyone not be absolutely floored by what they are hearing here (listen to the opener, "Check Blast," and tell me that isn't some of the most exciting Fusion you have ever heard). Even when the songs are ok or "old hat," of course we are presented them with excellence.

At this point, I must mention the interludes, "Port View" pts. 1-7, acting as stage-sets to a world outside our own. These are beautiful, short pieces and really help the whole album breathe. [It is nearly 70 minutes in total.] The weakness of these tracks' inclusion, in my opinion, is that it only sometimes does much of anything to tie things together. And they certainly don't successfully offset the "full song" tracks that are seriously just ok (even when they are, I feel I'm repeating myself, excellently performed).

Notable tracks: 1, 6, 8 (beautiful, acoustic jazz), 12 (Wow! Epic.)

True Rate: 3.5/5.0

This album is closer to fusion than "Inside out", plenty of great synth soloing. The band plays tight, no wonder since they have played together for a couple of years. There isn't anything revolutionary on the album, it's just a well executed piece of music with soft but also fast- paced pieces. As on almost every album, you can find some Latin jazz moments, such as on the hilarious "Illusions" at the end. Contains great solos on electric piano. "One of us is over 40" has a bit of reggae feeling. not so common for jazz. "Lifescape" has nice smooth fusion licks by guitar. "Charged particle" reminds of RTF slightly, great guitar playing and quite a dynamic piece.

Inside out is an interesting album, the band's name is Elektric Band but Corea mainly uses piano. He does it very well - that's his strongest ability, after all. Piano playing is brilliant and caught up by no less virtuoso drums, bass and guitar - listen to "Make a wish Part 2" which is a pretty dynamic affair.

It's true that there is a strong post-bop feel but drums sound rockish and synths also get in a contemporary feeling. Also, music changes frequently. The only truly fusion composition is the last piece "Tale of Daring" that has soft and wild moments, all going crazy with their instruments.