Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
The jazz world was stunned and saddened by the unexpected passing of legendary pianist Chick Corea in February. In a posthumous statement on his facebook page, Corea bid farewell to his compatriots and fans, thanking those who “helped keep the music fires burning bright.” Two of the gifted musicians who’d helped him do that were bassist John Patitucci and drummer Dave Weckl, the pianist’s bandmates in the storied Akoustic Band. Chick had worked hard making sure everything was just right for the first release by the trio in over two decades. “Chick Corea Akoustic Band Live” was recorded in June of 2018 in St. Petersburg, Florida, and serves as a celebratory reminder of Corea’s singular genius.
Decades of friendship and the crossing of paths in the music industry does not necessarily guarantee opportunities for intimate, meaningful collaboration. But every so often, the chance to get a project together that is musically and emotionally rewarding comes about. The collaborative recording, “Say It Quiet,” by longtime friends John Ellis, Adam Levy and Glenn Patscha is the result of taking advantage of such an opportunity. Once the three united, they decided to bring together material in a sort of potluck dinner style, with each member suggesting music they would like play.
Also this week, saxophonist Houston Person’s preoccupation with the art of melody is on full display on a new live recording, “Live in Paris”;
Polish pianist and composer Lukasz Pawlik is joined by guitarist Mike Stern, drummer Dave Weckl and others on his debut recording, “Long Distance Connections”;
and trumpeter Theo Croker crafts a loosely conceptual atmosphere centered on themes of Black identity and reclamation of culture and ancestry on “Blk2Life/A Future Past.”