Chick Corea's four-decade career is the stuff of jazz lore, an amalgamation of influential, limit-stretching musical experiences which have filled many a page in 20th century music history encyclopedias.
Chick's earliest compositions were recorded during one of his first professional stints, three years with trumpeter Blue Mitchell, which led up to the pianist’s first project as a leader, “Tones For Jones Bones.” Early gigs with the likes of Willie Bobo, Cal Tjader, Herbie Mann and Mongo Santamaria instilled a love of Latin music, prevalent in much of Chick's early work.
After a year accompanying Sarah Vaughan, he rose to true prominence in the jazz world by joining Miles Davis’ band playing electric piano. In his years with Miles, Chick played on the ground-breaking classic fusion recording “Bitches Brew” and “In a Silent Way.” From there, Chick formed his own avant-garde improvisational group, Circle, with bassist Dave Holland, drummer Barry Altschul and saxman Anthony Braxton.
In 1971, Chick changed his focus. Jazz has never been quite the same since the birth of Return To Forever. This group spearheaded the mid-70s fusion movement with such innovative albums as “Where Have I Known You Before” and the Grammy-winning “No Mystery.”
In the mid-80s, he started the Elektric Band which produced the Grammy-winning “Leprechaun,” among a series of standout albums. In 1992, Chick realized a lifelong goal, forming Stretch Records, a label committed to stretching musical boundaries (like its founder) and focusing more on freshness and creativity than on musical style.
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