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Hometown headliner
[Times photo: Dirk Shadd]
Chick Corea, standing on the balcony of the Crystal Ballroom at the Fort Harrison Hotel, moved to the bay area in 1997 to be near the Church of Scientology’s spiritual headquarters. |
By PHILIP BOOTH, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published October 17, 2002
Chick Corea has lived in Clearwater since 1997, and Jazz Holiday organizers have been trying to get him to perform at the event ever since. This year he's on the bill.
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It had been a decade since the Chick Corea Elektric Band, one of the smartest and most creative of the jazz-fusion groups, played together. But when they reunited recently, Corea says it was almost as if the music had never stopped.
"As soon as we got together for rehearsing, the creative process clicked back in with all of us," the master jazz pianist said last week from his home in Clearwater. "Even the standard repertoire that we were putting together again started getting altered and changed and flexed around."
The group's Clearwater Jazz Holiday performance Saturday will be only the fourth stop on a short but eagerly anticipated U.S. tour.
"It's a very blowing (soloing) band, but also about structured and composed music as well," Corea said. "This was my attempt to work strongly as a composer for an ensemble with a sound like that. This is an experiment right now. We're going to do this and see how we fit into the world these days and what (impact) we can make. I hope we can keep doing some version of this every now and again."
Jazz Holiday organizers have been trying to nab Corea for the festival since he moved to the bay area in 1997 to be near the Church of Scientology's spiritual headquarters. He has visited Coachman Park frequently during the last few years, sitting in with groups led by Marienthal, Bruce Hornbsy and Al Di Meola. Last year, he checked out a Jazz Holiday performance by Dee Dee Bridgewater.
"It just hasn't worked out one way or another, schedule-wise," he says about not playing the Jazz Holiday in past years.
But this year he made it onto the bill.
"That's real fun. That's really nice. We've grown to really love the area."
The Chick Corea Elektric Band began in 1985 as a recording project and evolved into one of Corea's most durable groups.
And there have been many: Corea, who has been recording since the '60s, is perhaps best known for his work leading the innovative fusion band Return to Forever, avant-garde band Circle, duo projects with vibraphonist Gary Burton and pianist Herbie Hancock, a trio with drummer Roy Haynes and bassist Miroslav Vitous, and as a sideman for the likes of Miles Davis, Stan Getz and Herbie Mann.
The Elektric Band started with Corea teaming with acoustic and electric bassist John Patitucci and drummer Dave Weckl. Later, they were joined by alternating guitarists Scott Henderson and Carlos Rios for 1986's The Chick Corea Elektric Band. The group's lineup solidified with the addition of guitarist Frank Gambale and saxophonist Eric Marienthal on the next year's Light Years. That version of the group, with Corea, Weckl and Patitucci occasionally playing and recording as the Akoustic Band, stayed together until 1991, when Behind the Mask was released.
Corea decided to reunite the Elektric Band after his 60th birthday celebration at the Blue Note in New York last year. He was joined by a variety of current and former musical associates for three weeks' worth of performances at the famed Greenwich Village jazz club. Burton, Haynes, Patitucci, Vitous, Weckl, bassists Christian McBride and Eddie Gomez, drummer Steve Gadd, saxophonists Michael Brecker and Joshua Redman, trumpeter Terence Blanchard, pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, singer Bobby McFerrin and Corea's Origin band were among the artists participating.
"It felt good to meet all my friends again that I had spent so much a part of my life with," he says. "These bands weren't just one-tour projects. Some of these bands lasted for years. A lot of life went down between us. It was so refreshing. All of a sudden, it didn't look like any return to the past. It felt very fresh and very of the moment and very vital."
Neither the Elektric Band nor Return to Forever played the Blue Note. Last August, though, Corea reunited with both of those bands for a show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
Corea's band of the moment, as usual, is hardly the only project on his mind. He's headed to Japan next month for a series of trio dates with McBride and drummer Ignacio Berroa, to be followed shortly thereafter by a tour with bassist Avishai Cohen and drummer Jeff Ballard of Origin, and a second recording from that group, heard on last year's Past, Present and Futures.
Also on the schedule are additional performances with the reunited Return to Forever and a variety of solo-piano concerts; he's been commissioned to write a second piano concerto, this time for a Mozart festival.
"I try to pick the important ones and things that I really want to do, projects that I'd like audiences to hear," he says. "I've always got projects kind of simmering and burning in the background. In a way, it's a scheduling challenge. But it's a rich life."
Clearwater Jazz Holiday
At a glance: Today through Sunday at Coachman Park on the waterfront in Clearwater. Performances are 6 to 10:30 p.m. today, 6:30 to 11:15 p.m. Friday, noon to 10:30 p.m. Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. Free general admission. A limited number of preferred seats closer to the stage are available for $25 per day at Ticketmaster outlets or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets also are available at the Clearwater Jazz Holiday offices, 201 Drew St., Clearwater, from 9 a.m to 1 p.m. Coolers and beverages may not be brought into the park; food and drink, including beer and wine, will be available for sale. For information, call the Jazz Holiday office at (727) 461-5200 or go to www.clearwaterjazz.com.
Lineup
Tonight
Suzette Jennings with Moodswingz! (6-7 p.m.) -- For six years, singer Suzette Jennings and Moodswingz! have delighted the Tampa Bay area with a sophisticated, sassy mix of jazz and R&B standards. Jennings' sultry voice and saucy stage antics are the key ingredients, but don't overlook top-notch playing by keyboardist Janet Street, drummer Michael James and bassist Mike Foley. -- GINA VIVINETTO, Times pop music critic
[Publicity photo]
Deanna Bogart
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Deanna Bogart (9:15-10:30 p.m.) -- A crowd-pleasing singer, pianist and saxophonist, the Jazz Holiday favorite draws from a mix of boogie-woogie, New Orleans R&B, jump blues and swing. The Detroit native, called "an extravagant entertainer" by Down Beat magazine, released her debut album, Out to Get You, in 1991. Bogart's recent CD, Timing is Everything, was released this year. -- PHILIP BOOTH, Times staff writer
Jack Wilkins (7:30-8:45 p.m.) -- Saxophonist and composer Jack Wilkins teaches jazz studies at the University of South Florida, but he's no egghead: Wilkins gigs a lot with his group, with the USF Faculty Ensemble and with Chuck Owens' Jazz Surge Bug Band. The critically acclaimed Wilkins will lead an eight-piece ensemble of four horns and a dynamic rhythm section. The compositions are originals from Ridgelines, Wilkins' latest album. -- G.V.
Friday
[Publicity photo]
Ghetto Love Sugar
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Ghetto Love Sugar (6:30-7:45 p.m.) -- Local favorite Ghetto Love Sugar is an act that doesn't just have a quirky name; the Tampa-based band plays a decidedly avant garde form of jazz rich in wild improvisation. The core of the band is the talented quartet of guitarist Joel Lisi, organist Raulton Reichel, drummer Jonathan Priest and bassist -- and St. Petersburg Times staff writer -- Philip Booth. They frequently invite virtuosos such as tabla master Shantilal Shah to groove with them, creating an eclectic, world music vibe where anything goes. Former St. Petersburg resident Jonathan Powell and his brother Jeremy will join the band on trumpet and saxophone, respectively. -- G.V.
Astral Project (8:15-9:30 p.m.) -- It doesn't take a highbrow to appreciate the musical camaraderie and onstage synchronicity of Astral Project, the best modern-jazz band in the city where the music was born. Guitarist Steve Masakowski, saxophonist Tony Dagradi, bassist James Singleton and drummer Johnny Vidacovich sound like they were born to work that voodoo they do.
The long-running ensemble, a quartet since the departure this year of pianist David Torkanowsky, debuted in 1978 under the leadership of Dagradi at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
Vidacovich, a modern master of the drums, recently played St. Petersburg's State Theatre as a member of Charlie Hunter's touring band.
From the start, Astral Project has poured a variety of influences -- bebop, funk, R&B, New Orleans street beats, African rhythms -- into its mix. It's a high-grade blend of driving grooves, heady melodies and brilliant improvisations. All those elements are aptly displayed on this year's independently released Big Shot, a followup to two discs, Voodoo Bop and Elevado, on Compass Records.
"Astral Project has always been a format where you could do anything, you could try anything," Dagradi said. "That attitude has just grown, has been amplified over the years. We really go in a lot of different directions." Singleton said: "New Orleans has taught us to respect the traditions. Life has made us disdainful of convention." -- P.B.
Jon Faddis
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Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All Stars (10-11:15 p.m.) -- Jon Faddis, a high-flying trumpeter mentored by the late, great Diz, leads this group of front-rank former Gillespie collaborators. For this show, Faddis will be accompanied by jazz trombone standard-bearer Slide Hampton, legendary saxophonist and flutist James Moody (Slide and Hampton have their own sets Saturday), pianist Billy Childs, bassist John Lee and drummer Dennis Mackrel. Things to Come, a live CD released this year on Telarc, has Faddis, Hampton, Lee, Mackrel and other musicians exploring such Gillespie favorites as A Night in Tunisia and Manteca, along with material by Thelonious Monk and Benny Golson. -- P.B.
Saturday
Dan McMillion Jazz Orchestra (Noon-1:15 p.m.) -- The Dan McMillion Jazz Orchestra is one of the area's most respected jazz combos because of its fantastic selection of music and virtuoso musicians. The 16-piece orchestra gussies up works by Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, Count Basie and other greats. McMillion is a veteran of Herman's orchestra. Trumpets, saxophones, piano, bass and drums are the tools, and the players make a beautiful noise appreciated at home and throughout the United States and Europe, where their four acclaimed albums are played on jazz stations. -- G.V.
Camp Fire, Larry Camp Quartet (1:45-3 p.m.) -- Guitarist Larry Camp plays soulfully and enjoys the distinction of having been named one of the country's 10 best guitarists by Musician. Camp blends the lyrical style of Wes Montgomery with the ferocity and passion of Jimi Hendrix to create a dynamic sound. Camp Fire finds him playing with talented bassist Mark Neuenschwander, Richard Drexler on bass and piano, and drummer Steve Moretti. The group plays compositions by the greats, from Latin jazz to bebop, as well as originals. -- G.V.
[Times photo: John Pendygraft 1999]
Slide Hampton
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A Tribute to Jobim, featuring Slide Hampton (3:30-4:45 p.m.) -- Hampton, a bebop-bred musician, made his name in the bands of Lionel Hampton, Maynard Ferguson and Woody Herman, and in the late 1970s organized World of Trombones, which featured nine trombones. Jazz Matinee, recorded with the WDR Big Band, was recently released, following last year's Exodus on Verve. For the Jazz Holiday, Hampton will be joined by bassist Lee and a first-rate group of international players, including Brazilian musicians Helio Alves on piano, drummer Duduka da Fonseca and singer Maucha Adnet in a tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim, the Brazilian bossa nova master and composer of such classics as The Girl From Ipanema, Corcovado and Meditation. -- P.B.
James Moody with Marlena Shaw (5:15-6:30 p.m.) -- Moody, a jazz institution, played with Dizzy Gillespie's orchestra during the mid 1940s, later working with Miles Davis, Max Roach and other major players. Moody's Mood For Love, with Eddie Jefferson's lyrics to Moody's tenor saxophone improvisation on I'm in the Mood For Love, was a 1952 hit for King Pleasure. Moody Plays Mancini was released in 1997 on Warner Bros. Moody and Shaw, a one-time Count Basie Band vocalist, has recorded for the Blue Note, Verve, Concord and Columbia labels. -- P.B.
Jeff Berlin
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Jeff Berlin (7-8:15 p.m.) -- A genuine electric-bass virtuoso with chops and creative imagination to burn, Berlin made his name as a fusion hero in the 1970s. In recent years, he's gone for a jazzier approach, as demonstrated on last year's self-released In Harmony's Way and 1997's Taking Notes, on Denon. In addition to his extensive jazz work, Berlin has performed alongside Yes, Van Halen, Rush, and K.D. Lang, and he also worked with Frank Zappa.
Berlin, head of the Clearwater-based Players School of Music, tours and records with a trio featuring former Pat Metheny Group drummer Danny Gottlieb and Richard Drexler, a longtime Tampa Bay area jazz luminary who doubles on piano and acoustic bass. -- P.B.
Sunday
Jes' Grew (Noon-1 p.m.) -- Jes' Grew will appeal to lovers of fusion and funk. Featuring the electrifying stylings of guitarist -- and St. Petersburg Times correspondent -- Tony Green, Jes' Grew wins fans for its energetic improvisation and groovy vibes. The band includes some of the area's mightiest musicians: bassist Kenny Walker, percussionist Frank Martinez and keyboardist Jeremy Douglass. Together the quartet tackles tunes by a variety of composers: Bob Marley, Parliament-Funkadelic, Miles Davis, OutKast. -- G.V.
Mike MacArthur Group (1:30-2:45 p.m.) Saxophonist Mike MacArthur leads this homegrown group when he's not touring with jazz great Maynard Ferguson. MacArthur and his fellow musicians combine funk, fusion and R&B with traditional jazz to create a sound that's fresh, filled with exciting rhythms, and as accessible as it is energetic. -- G.V.
Steve Reid
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Lou Rawls
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Jonathan Butler
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Steve Reid's Bamboo Forest (3:15-4:30 p.m.) -- Contemporary New Age music, a combination of organic and synthesized sounds, might be the best way to describe Bamboo Forest. Steve Reid, former percussionist for smooth-jazz favorites the Rippingtons and 1970s rockers Supertramp, has played on more than 700 recording dates, including sessions for Miles Davis (Tutu, Music From Siesta), Dave Koz and Nelson Rangell. Reid leads a group of instrumentalists and singers from all over the world. He recently brought the stage show Dream Scapes to the Mahaffey Theater. The CD of the same name is a laidback blend of pop, R&B, trance and smooth jazz. -P.B.
Lou Rawls (5-6:15 p.m.) -- The biggest old-school pop act on the Jazz Holiday bill, the Chicago-born exponent of Philly soul is probably best known for the slinky You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine, the hit from 1976's All Things in Time. Rawls has had his share of career ups and downs, in recent years specializing in Christmas-themed recordings. -- P.B.
Jonathan Butler (6:45-8 p.m.) -- The South African-born singer and guitarist, a favorite on the smooth jazz scene, mixes appealing vocals with laidback R&B and pop tunes and dexterous six-string work. Not unlike George Benson, Butler has moved from mostly instrumental efforts with a touch of vocals to song-oriented productions. The big-selling, Grammy-nominated 1988 album More Than Friends spawned the hits Lies and Sarah, Sarah. Surrender, released in June on Warner Bros., hints at influences ranging from Stevie Wonder to James Taylor. -- P.B.
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