Chick Corea - Notes From the Road

Chick & Hiromi onstage at the Budokan

I’m at Narita Intl. Airport with Bloggish downtime and thought I’d tell you about what we got away with last night at the Budokan arena in Tokyo :-)

Here’s a little description of the venue from Wikipedia:

For many Westerners, the Budokan is synonymous with large-scale rock concerts. It was here that The Beatles made their Japanese debut and the location where many “Live at the Budokan” albums were recorded. The Nippon Budokan, however, was originally built for the judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics, hence its name, rendered into English as Martial Arts Hall.

5,500 attend the Chick and Hiromi concert at the Budokan

It was wild to see 5,500 people in attendance for my piano duet with Hiromi, the brilliant young Japanese pianist and composer. Our 3 days last year at the Tokyo Blue Note became a double CD of our duet (released in Japan only) – it became the No. 1 selling jazz CD of the year and consequently the interest seemed to warrant a try at a larger audience.

I wasn’t sure how an audience that large in a venue that sprawling would receive our duet, which was conceived as an intimacy, largely improvised and for a jazz-wise public. Well, what a surprise when the audience calmly and appreciatively took in the almost 2-hour concert with great interest and standing ovation approval. I was so happy to see that this could happen in this day and age, and then thought, “Well, the Japanese have such an artistic culture that it could only happen there.”

This concert brought back memories of the only other time I played the Budokan ‘79 with the first piano duet I ever tried – me and Herbie Hancock.

So big thanks go to the Japanese music fans for their support of jazz music through the years.

5,500 people attending a one-off concert of intimate piano improvisations, not part of any “series” or “festival,” – wow – pretty nice. :-)

Just back from 10 concert dates in the US and Europe with my longtime duet with Gary Burton. It was the last in a series of tours we began Sept 2006 to celebrate our duet’s 35 years together.

We played some beautiful concert halls - and I’m always surprised when so many people turn out to hear our duet music with “no drums.” Our music kind of falls in the cracks between clearly defined styles like “pure jazz” or “salsa” or “chamber music” or “rock,” etc. Whatever the “style” falls between, no matter, it’s FUN! I get paid to do this!! Unbelievable!! :-)

As long as I’ve worked with Gary, he’s never ceased to amaze me - every night! And now that we’ve been playing together through so many duet projects, the duet’s rhythmic rapport has heightened to the magic level. It got me thinking about how the rhythm of a song is the element in music that really carries the message more than any other element. You could take the same song and render it in 2 different rhythms - like a slow waltz to a fast samba - and the same song could have two completely different emotions and thus communicate two different things. Rhythm!

Gary, the great John McLaughlin and Chick in Vienna

During our Vienna concerts, John McLaughlin came in to visit. It was to be the only time we were close enough on the planet to get together before our upcoming fall tour, so we took the opportunity to talk it over and make some plans. I’ve known John since ‘68 when he first came to the US to play with Tony Williams. We performed and recorded together in the Miles Davis bands and have been friends ever since. Except for one brief piano-and-guitar duet we did at the Montreaux Festival years ago, we haven’t had a chance to play together until now.

Stanley Clarke and I went to see John play with his newly formed Mahavishnu Orchestra in ‘73 and were both blown away with John’s playing and his new band. We walked out and said: “Right, let’s find an electric guitar player that can do THAT!” RTF thanks you, John.

I should write about my tours when I’m on them, as they tend to evaporate into the Great Tour Log Of All Tours in my mind, and I’m on to begin the Next Tour - which is this one now with Bobby McFerrin and Jack DeJohnette.

More later . . .

ChickPS: It’s “later” and I’ve now played 4 gigs with Bobby and Jack. What FUN! It’s . . . . well, it’s . . . . I mean, it’s really . . . . . W I L D ! ! :-)

Well, it’s time to turn on my electric keyboards - a new rig at that - best sound I’ve ever had. I started gearing up with this 3-week Elektric Band tour. We played the Oakland Yoshi’s, Catalina’s in LA where we also celebrated Eric and Frank’s birthdays, and now have two more days to go here at the Blue Note in NYC. It’s been crazy/wild-great. The best playing the band’s done - and Victor Wooten has added a warmth and fire that we’re all loving.

We recorded three nights here in NY. Got some energetic and creative sets on “tape” - (well, on the hard drives is what I meant). Al Dimeola came in to the club the other night and sat in with the band. We played “Spain” and thoroughly enjoyed the first time we’ve been on stage together in many moons. It was a blast - and he and Frank Gambale tore it up. Pretty exciting hearing these two guys go at it.

It’s my Electric Year coming up! I’m working on it - developing some new sounds and improving some old ones.

-a Chick from New York - 30 Dec 07 - and in 24 hours: Happy New Year!

Back in the U.S.S.R

When I’m into it I’m right there - but later (like now) when I try to write about it, it seems a blur. We traveled 33 days, did 18 gigs (4 solo, 14 duet with Béla) - that’s 13 countries, 18 cities - with the last 5 concerts in Spain. It all went by in the blink of an eye. I need new pages on my passport.

The Eastern European countries were refreshing because the audiences were so appreciative. It’s a part of the world that stayed pretty much out of reach to us traveling musicians until more recently with these countries attaining their independence. I think one reason these audiences enjoy seeing us play is because we represent a spirit of individual freedom and freedom of expression to them. We have a good time on stage and it shows. It’s something we all want - and should have.

I played 2 solo concerts in Portugal and enjoyed the Portuguese audiences and the language they speak, which is so musical to the ear. Playing solo is relaxing to me as I usually don’t prepare any written music. I take the few solo shows I do as an opportunity to not follow a set program and just improvise as I go - since there’s no other player there to coordinate with. I tried some new Bill Evans compositions out. He’s a wonderful composer as well as the piano innovator that he’s well known to be. And I’m always interested to play the Thelonious Monk songbook. And my “Childrens Songs” are fun to try to play differently each time.

The shows with Béla were the highlight though. We took the compositions we made for our recording The Enchantment and stretched them every which way each night. I learned quite a bit about the banjo and its history from talking with Béla and watching the wonderful film he was editing while we were traveling. It’s called Throw Down Your Heart and is a very captivating film documentary of his trip to Africa - the home of the banjo - and his collaborations with many African musicians, mostly in the villages. There was a part which featured this enormous marimba played by several musicians at one time. It made me think that this must have been the beginnings of what later became not only the modern marimba and the vibraphone but also the idea of a keyboard and finally the piano. The film makes you fall in love with Africa.

A subtle poster for Lativa concert.

We played in Russia, Latvia, Croatia, Turkey, Poland, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic then on to the more familiar Italy, Spain and England. Sounds exotic doesn’t it? Well, it was in a way - but not as much as you might think, if you haven’t recently traveled to these parts. All the Eastern European countries are in a resurgence and so we were treated to some pretty nice hotels and some very good food.

The music? You want to know about the music? I’ve always had a hard time trying to describe to another what it’s like other than saying how much of a great feeling it is to make music for people everywhere. It’s a charmed life we lead.

Well, there you go - and over to you - - hang by your thumbs and have a very pleasant holiday season.

Chick

Here are a few minutes to write a few bits of Road Notes – oops, gotta go! (Just kidding.)

Chick on the hill

We’re just back from China and Japan. Whirlwind traveling – and first time in Beijing and Shanghai. It was great to be able to touch China and bring some music there. “How was it in China?” everyone asks – well, simply, in the two big cities I visited, very similar in many ways to Atlanta, Paris and New York. Our “modern society” is certainly very much there, signaled by the presence of every modern “convenience,” from CNN to Starbucks. But my interest was more in touching Chinese culture and the ancient traditions, of course, which we didn’t have enough time to do – except for taking a quick tour of the amazing Forbidden City of Beijing built 600 years ago by Emperor Zhu Di of the Ming Dynasty. I also bought a nice book on Chinese drawing and painting techniques, in my continued attempt to become a great graphic artist when I grow up.

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I was at the wonderful Tokyo Blue Note, the most comfortable “jazz club” in the world. There was great Japanese hospitality and food with Japanese music fans filling the club at each set. It was a mini Rendezvous in Tokyo, with nine days of three different groups. A blast!

Hiromi and Chick

The first three days at the Tokyo Blue Note were with the amazing Hiromi – 40 years my junior (in body age only), but a very challenging and fun piano duet partner who carries on the tradition of two pianos and 176 keys all vying for attention. I had first met Hiromi when she was 15 years old; she was introduced to me by her Yamaha friends. I was knocked out then – but by now she has completely developed her own voice with the courage to express exactly what she means, without worry – an admirable quality. We recorded a DVD and a double CD from our live shows – both being mixed as I speak.

Blue Note Gang

Then, another hilarious three nights with my old buddy John Patitucci and my new buddy Antonio Sanchez. (I call him “Antonio 1″ and he calls me “Antonio 1″ – one of us must be “Antonio 2″ – we’ll decide that later after our next “bored meeting.”) We played the music from our Dr. Joe CD and had, as I said, a hilarious time.

And finally (but not leastly), there were the last three nights with Béla Fleck, who drew in every Japanese banjo player in Tokyo. Another fun three nights, in preparation for our upcoming European tour.

The personal perk of the trip for me was my several journeys to my Ginza Mecca, the incredible seven-story department store of stationery and art materials called Itoya. I’m now supplied and ready for the serious launch into the execution (meaning ” carrying out of” - not ” killing of someone as a political act”) of my hobby – the soon-to-become-serious-profession of Number One Graphic Artist.

Have fun and hang by your thumbs – talk to you soon again.

Chick

Hello People-Who-Came-to-the-Website-and-are-Reading-this-Little-Story-of-a-Tour

I was told that a few people who read my first entry of Notes From The Road were somewhat entertained—this encourages me enough that I’ll endeavor to plod on and relate a few more on-the-scene tidbits.

Ready to eat…or maybe not. Read on.

First, a plea to any hotel manager on my tour itinerary that might stumble across this note: Please feed the hungry musicians! And the way you can do this is to keep your restaurant open at the times when we’re likely to want something to eat.

It goes like this. Play the gig in City A; get to sleep anywhere from midnight to 3am. Get up early in the morning for packing and the half-hour journey to the airport; survive as you can inside “The Black Hole” (as we Touring Guys tenderly call airports and airplanes); arrive in the next city—City B—in the early afternoon; collect the luggage at “Terminal Baggage Claim” (another deadly disease); take another half-hour drive to the City B Hotel (which is now the This City Hotel). Arrive at hotel in mid- or late afternoon, just in time for the hotel restaurant’s lunch time to end, with no food in sight until the restaurant’s dinner time—which is likely to be as late as 6 or 7 pm (in Spain, more like 8 or 9 pm). Solution: go on the Touring Guy’s famous “Search For Food” and end up with the usual burnt offerings of pizza and beer. Stay on your diet and refuse to accept this Food For Young People; eat a health bar you brought with you and wait for the Food at the Gig after the Sound Check.

Eat the Gig Food, play the concert, and then get back to the hotel in time for the hotel restaurant to be closed. Try room service and enjoy some more stale pizza and a dry chicken breast with no mayonnaise.

Hey, it’s really not all that horrible—just kidding—and often it’s really cool (I’m writing this while still trapped heading through the Black Hole on my way home).

Taking a photo of photographers taking a photo of me

But sarcasm aside, the real reward is the of fun playing on stage and seeing the musicians and the audience all having a good time—and me, too. This is true.

Where’s Lenny?

For example, there were the last two nights in Marciac, one the the oldest jazz festivals in Europe. In this little town of 1,000 people amid the vineyards of Southern France, the festival celebrated its 30th year presenting jazz.

The night before my duet performance with Gary Burton, I went to the concert stage (a two-and-a-half-hour drive from my Toulouse hotel) to see my old buddies Stanley Clarke, Al DiMeola and Jean Luc Ponty play as a trio. It was an amazing performance by three veteran virtuosi; made me a little nostalgic for the seventies, and I was encouraged to see how my three friends had continually improved their art through the years - they sounded better than ever.

The great Wayne Shorter and bassoonist Monica Ellis

The next night I had the last concert on my two-month jaunt: it was one of the highlights of the duet tour with Gary Burton. Besides having one of our best nights on stage (we sounded incredible :-) ), we shared the stage that night with Wayne Shorter and his adventurous quartet. Then his chamber music was performed by the Imani Winds, a New York wind ensemble that absolutely killed Wayne’s beautiful new chamber music written for the ensemble. (”to kill” in musician talk means to play at the top level of creative performance—to sound great, astounding, etc).

Hangin’ at Marciac with Jeff Ballard and Larry Grenadier

I had a very pleasant conversation with Pat Metheny, who was scheduled to perform with Brad Meldau, Jeff Ballard and Larry Grenadier the next night. We talked about some of our favorite music, including The Beatles, Ornette Coleman, and Henri Dutilleux.

I chatted with Jeff and Larry. Said hello to Danilo Perez, whom I hadn’t seen for a while, reminiced with my E. Band partner, John Patitucci, and had a quick hello with Wynton Marsalis. Often these jazz festivals are the only time I get to see my friends and hear them play.

It was a wonderful way to end the best set of concerts that Gary and I have ever played. Fortunately, since Bernie Kirsh was live-mixing each show, he was on hand to record most of the shows we did, and sometime soon we’ll release a special package of recordings and DVDs from our performances over this past year, as I described in a previous blog entitled ‘Summertime here in the UK’.

Now I’m taking a short break while I prepare for the next Jaunt to beloved Japan this September. My thanks to the Japanese for being some of the most caring Keepers of Jazz on the planet.

I’ll be tucked in at the Tokyo Blue Note for ten days, with three separate performances over the course of three days each.

Chick & Hiromi give thumbs up to an upcoming CD together

I’m looking forward to making some more music with an incredible young Japanese pianist who has been making her creative marks felt all over throughout these past few years. I first met Hiromi when she was in her mid-teens, when she was presented to me by Yamaha Artist Relations as an amazing young talent—and so she was! I heard no more about her until Shuji Kodaka, my Japanese concert organizer, had me listen to a CD of this creative young pianist’s work, thinking some duet piano music between us could come about. And so it did—we performed last summer at the Tokyo Jazz Festival, and it went so well that we decided to make a recording of our duet. So the first three days of the Tokyo Blue Note will be recorded and will turn into Hiromi’s and my first duo piano CD.

With Antonio Sanchez and John Patitucci

After that I’ll be regrouping my trio with John Patitucci and Antonio Sanchez, and we’ll be playing the new music we just recorded in my home studio as part of the “5 Trios” project (to be released first in Japan only).

Finally Béla Fleck and I will play our new duet music for Japanese audiences for the first time.

Universe of two. Chick and Béla Fleck

Lastly, I’d like to try to articulate a new realization I had after these last fulfilling months of performances, including my duets with Béla Fleck and Gary Burton. In a few idle Road Moments, I began to ponder the concept of duet playing—I’ve been doing a lot of it lately, and I’ve found I truly enjoy this setting.

I found myself thinking about the mechanics of duets more and more, in terms of contrasting opposites and complementary forces and qualities. I think of it like the two poles of an electric current, examining opposites like dense and sparse, high and low (in pitch or register), simple and complex, hard and soft (both in terms of emotion and timbre), short notes and sustained notes, background and foreground (accompaniment and lead), and so on.

For instance, Gary would play some sustained chords - I then had the choice of doing the same, creating a denser texture by playing more sustained chords, or of adding a contrasting element of shorter, percussive notes. Or Béla would play a flurry of high, fast cascading notes (dense) and I would tend more and more to contrast these with fewer notes (sparse) in a lower register. The examples could go on and on. The object is always to create a pleasing balance of elements and to make all the sounds fit together clearly and beautifully.

I thought that the Duet could be seen to be the microcosm of any group performance: in any group of musicians playing together, there should ideally be communication between each two members. The duet could be viewed as four separate communications, two for each player.

In a quintet, for instance, each musician has two distinct communication lines with each of the other players. Let’s take the piano player—he has to make his phrases heard and understood by the bass player, and he also has to ensure that he hears and understands the bassist. That’s two lines. So altogether, the pianist has eight separate communication lines with the other four players. Since each of the other four players also has eight communication responsibilites, that’s 35 separate communication lines in all.

Chick, Eddie and Airto communicating

Well, not to flog the blog, but to cut to the chase: I found the duet to be the best model to use in studying the art of music performance, since all the elements of playing music as an ensemble are present in a duet and can be applied to ensembles of any size.

Maybe I’ll expand on this concept of the dual nature of things and flesh the idea out in more detail sometime, but for now, I’ve at least shown the tip of the iceberg of my theory as it applies to music performance.

Any questions?

Q: Yeah, like what’s all this got to do with makin’ a lot of money and lookin’ good?
A: Well, it takes two to tango.

Q: How can this help me get the bass player to turn down?
A: He would have to believe in you.

Q: What was it like working with Miles Davis?
A: He once told me, “Chick, if you want to catch Tony on the turnarounds, play on 4.”

Until next time.
Have a nice lunch and a relaxing swim, and be nice to one another.

(-: Chick :-)