https://www.rollingstone.com/music/m...-obit-1127283/

Chick Corea was a huge figure in the fusion jazz scene in the 1970's. He worked with a wide range of artists and the group Return to Forever in addition to his solo career.


Not my favorite flavor of fusion, but his influence was huge. He was still active, having released an album in 2020.

Another classic artist I'll never get the chance to see

I used to work for a company that made MIDI adapters for acoustic pianos, and many big name artists (Billy Joel, Elton John, Bruce Hornsby, Keith Emerson, etc) used them . But anytime any of those people called for support, it was always the piano tech I ended up talking to on the phone. Except for the one time when Chick Corea just took the phone from the tech's hands and explained the problem to me himself. That's my one and only exposure to Chick Corea, since I don't really dig that style of music. But it's probably the last time I can tell that story.

Chick Corea had a giant reputation, but I have never heard anything he did except for playing on Bitch's Brew. I don't like Bitch's Brew. His name kept coming up in Keyboard magazine, so musicians must have admired him greatly.

I've heard the name Chick Corea and his band Return to Forever many times over the years, as well as Stanley Clarke (School Days), Lenny White, Al Di Meola, but I couldn't remember any of his music. So I listened to a song of his with the previously mentioned musicians and wasn't all that impressed with what I heard. Perhaps it's because I've grown beyond this type of music, I don't know, but it just sounded too chaotic to me. I'll always respect what he did for progressive jazz & fusion, it's sad that he had to go like that. RIP Chick.

I’ve always been a big fan of his duo projects with Bela Fleck.

Seems I saw him TWO nights at the Playboy Jazz festival in 1990. I went to 3-4 years of those, and saw an amazing number of legendary artists. Etta James, Miles Davis, on and on.

I've listened to him since the early 80s. In 1987 I was visiting a friend in NYC and we were wandering around late one night and came to the Blue Note. We peeked in the door, and the door man said "it's your lucky night" and motioned for us to go in. We stood at the back of the room as Chick Corea played the end of his set, with Steve Gadd on drums (who I've seen a few times). It was amazing.

I did lose some respect for him when I later learned he was a scientologist, though.

That'll do it, won't it? Sort of like how I felt when I found out that Eric Carmen (Raspberries) is a hardcore Trumpist, believing that the election would eventually be overturned, etc

As an aside, I just finally found what the "blue note" is: the flatted fifth, even though the so-called "blues scale" uses a perfect fifth. Man, add that flatted fifth into your improvising and it totally gives you that blues sound I'd never been able to replicate before.