Biography

Through his diverse array of projects, Chick Corea (1941-2021) influenced music from jazz fusion, to latin jazz, to piano trio. Corea made his recording debut as a leader in 1968 with the release of Tones for Joan’s Bones, which features an ethereal post-bop sound. Now He Sings, Now He Sobs, an album that helped define modern piano trio music, also released in 1968. Corea soon embraced fusion, contributing to Miles Davis’ landmark album Bitches Brew (1970). In 1972, Corea formed “Return to Forever.” The album Light as a Feather, released that same year, featured some of Corea’s most popular compositions, including “Spain,” and, “500 Miles High.” The project’s eclectic mixture of fusion, jazz, and samba elements created the sound that defines Corea’s music for many listeners. Collaborations with people like Herbie Hancock and Chaka Khan characterized much of the following decade for Corea, and his next major undertakings as a leader did not come until the 1980s. His “Elektric Band” fused traditional jazz elements with electric instruments, and the “Akoustic Band” balanced this headfirst plunge into electric jazz. Many of Corea’s later projects revisited and retooled the works that made him a leading figure in jazz. A revamped version of Return to Forever proved fruitful for Corea, and his 2019 album Trilogy 2 offers new takes on classics like “500 Miles High,” and “Now He Sings, Now He Sobs.”