Sometimes, you forget that “plays” can have two meanings.
Piano legend Chick Corea is one of the few remaining artists who works on connecting and having fun with his audience. This album has him in a solo concert format, and the personal connection and welcome arms of Corea are all on display, mixing his musicality, musical history and open door policy of participation in this thing called jazz.
Before many of the pieces, Corea gives a quick history on the composer he’s about to interpret, demonstrating the width, height and depth of his rainbow. His touch on a Mozart or Scarlatti Sonata is filled with rich elegance, while he sounds positively Ellingtonian on “Someone to Watch Over Me” and “Yesterdays” with his strong sense of stride.
A collection of Monk tunes capture the exuberance of both composer and performer, while he gives romance to his bossa tunes. Most intriguing and personal are his “Portraits” of family members, with a ladylike “Henrietta” and a nervous “Chris” while the collection of “Children’s Songs” are both innocent and alluring.
And who else but Corea would accept volunteers from an audience to join him on piano for duets? Whoever did the screening earned the day’s wage, as both Yaron and Charles fill in both in playing and conversing. The audience fills in with voice as well, as Corea conducts the crowd through a rich series of chordal progressions. Who else can turn a concert hall into a home parlor?