“Welcome to our first rehearsal!”
So joked Chick Corea as he brought his all star Elektric Band to LA for only the second time. The week long gig is in celebration of the leader’s 75th birthday, and there was enough heat emitted by the band at the packed club to compete with 75 candles for the cake.
Almost all of the band has played around town recently in other contexts; Eric Marienthal was just at the club recently with Gordon Goodwin’s Little Phat band, and six string electric bassist John Patitucci brought his Electric Guitar Quartet to town a couple of months ago. Drummer extraordinaire Dave Weckl and guitarist Frank Gambale are certainly no strangers around these parts as well, but when Corea reigns them all together in one corral, the sparks flew.
With Paticucci and Weckl rumbling like the chariot race in Ben Hur, Corea and Marienthal rollicked through an exciting “Trance Dance” that had set the tone for the entire 1 ½ set. The respective solos throughout each song served as integrated parts of each piece instead of simply being spotlights for a chop fest.
But the mechanic proficiency was there, all right; rhythmic bank shots and sharp corners were supplied by Weckl while bass and keyboards did twinkle toes and Marienthal’s alto sizzled on the bopping “CTA” while the portrait “Jocelyn” served shadowy moods created by Gambale’s lithe guitar and Marienthal’s searing soprano sax. Corea’s keyboards harmonized gloriously with Marienthal’s alto before the leader went lock step with Gambale for a vivacious unison line on “Silver Temple.” The team also performed a funky “Portrait” that had Patitucci’s thumb snapping the bass and the rhythm groove as tight as George Clinton’s bellbottoms.
A closing freebopper of “ Got A Match” with Corea whipping out his hand held keyboard for a frenzied finale that had him locking horns with each teammate before a unison stampede had the enthused crowd dive under the tables for cover. Music that can be this sophisticated yet accessible and enjoyable is a rare treat, and Corea shows that the man with a Spanish Heart still knows how to work his charms.
Upcoming shows at Catalina’s include David Garfield Aug 25, Kenny Burrell Aug 26-28 and Carol Duboc Aug 30
