Feb 13

Feb 13 Saying Goodbye to Chick Corea

It’s been a couple of days since I got the news that Chick Corea had passed away on February the 9th. Since then, the outpouring of love for the man from the music community has been nothing short of incredble. I’ve enjoyed reading all the stories about Chick, and while there may be bias involved here and there, there is no doubt in my mind that he was a good human being as much as he was an amazing musician, who genuinely wanted to help others and understood the concept of being a mentor to younger musicians.

Anyone who has had a conversation remotely about music with me knows how much of an influence he was to me. I first discovered his music when I had just entered university in the year 2007 with a burning desire to figure out how to play this music called jazz. I’m almost certain the first tune of his I heard was Spain, though I cannot remember who introduced it to me (whoever it is, please know that at that point you quite literally changed my life). I remember when I chanced upon the video of the Elektric band playing that tune at Montreaux Jazz Festival in 2004, while understanding less than 10% of what was happening there, I kept rewinding the video again and again, unable to believe what was happening on stage. Musicians could do THAT? One thing led to another, and I started from the Elektric band and delved further into his music. That proved to be gateway into all the amazing jazz fusion music of that period I was to discover.

Like all the greatest musicians of any generation, Chick had a unique voice. His touch on the instrument was special - it was exceptionally clear, focused, and especially in the earlier material, absolutely fearless. His soloing was one thing, but his comping was the real deal. When I listen back to some of his earlier Return to Forever albums, the amount of control he has over the band when he comps is staggering, and often feels like the band is being dragged along by the sheer ferocity of his comping (in the best way possible). In all his music, it’s obvious that he knew exactly where the time was and how to put himself in there as a soloist and an accompanist to perfectly lock in with the groove. His percussive way of comping would somehow never get in the way of the other rhythm instruments, however complex it got (just listen to Captain Marvel from the Light as a Feather album - what ridiculous comping!). Chick and his Rhodes Mk II was undoubtedly one of the defining sounds of that era of jazz fusion.

Even now, 14 years after discovering Chick Corea, I have not yet gone through his entire musical catalogue. The man was truly prolific, to say the least, and just when I think I’ve heard it all, I would find out about another tune of his I have never heard before. I sincerely hope that similar episodes of discovery will continue happening for the rest of my life. It is thanks to him that my fascination with Afro-Cuban and various other Latin American music, as well as Spanish Flamenco music began, and I reckon there will be a lifetime of music I can listen and learn from just by staying close to the music he’s created throughout his life.

The world has lost a true visionary. Goodbye Chick, and thank you.