Chick Corea - Notes From the Road

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 ! ! :-)