CHICK COREA: Montreal Reviews!

[Bryan Valeriani]

Hi Everyone!

I just returned from my trip to the Montreal Jazz Festival... I went to see Chick Crea's Akoustic and Elektric Bands.

Friday night was the Akoustic Band... its hard to describe other than amazingly brilliant! That would be an understatement.

The band was incredibly tight. Weckl played with his usual grace and was telepathic with the band. Especially when comping with Chick... every little nuance was cohesive. As LP mentioned in his review of the London show, Weckl's dynamics in this setting were unreal... very light yet so bang on!!!!!!!!!!

He played a small Absolute kit (cherrywood!)
18" BD 10" 14" and a 12" to his left along with his bongos. He used a ride that sounded great (wasn't an evolution)to the left of his rack tom and I believe his evolution to the right as well as a sizzle cymbal besides that.

We had amazing 1st row seats! AND, the show was being filmed for a DVD release!! After set #2, Chick told us that the show was done, but that anyone who wanted to could stay because they wanted to tape some more footage! Needless to say, I was on cloud 12!

They played two more tunes... ended with Bessies Blues... Weckl smoked that one with an uncanny solo that just exploded!!


The next night, we had great 3rd row seats for the ELEKTRIC BAND.

This show was equally amazing on a different level... you can hear the maturity in this regrouping. The music has more tectures and dynamics twists and turns. Gambale's guitar playing was beautiful! He played some Spanish stylings that sounded incredible. Dave played effortlessly throughout. any idea that was played you could hear him react to it and make it "sit" so well. Again, the band was so tight! The new tunes were pretty complex, but they pulled everything off as if they've been playing them for years.... inspiring!!

Set two was delegated to some of the older materials, and I was glad to hear "Got A Match"! I had seen them from a nosebleed distance in Saratoga last year, and I must say that being so near the stage made this tune even more powerful for me! Weckl was just nutty!! His ideas seemed endless and his telepathy with Corea was so evident!

The set ended with an encore of "Blue Miles"... great grooving... everyone in the hall was bopping with that one. It was intense. Also, it was the first time I have ever seen Weckl break a stick! It happened right at the end of the tune.

Well, that was an awesome weekend for me! I also picked up a copy of the new CD... the CD is a concept type of thing based upon an L Ron Hubbard book. the pieces are musical backgrounds for parts of the book. Regardless of your feelings on such concept CD's, the music is very cool. It sounds very similaiar to the last Elektric BAnd album, but with the more "mature" sound as witnessed in their concert.

So, that's my little review! I am completely inspired! [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

Bryan

[beat Hit]

Thanks Bryan [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

Sounds real promising... Gonna have to catch them on November 3rd at Toronto's Massey Hall...

[Drums5001]

Beat Hit,

Where did you hear that Chick Corea is playing at Massey Hall? I've checked his website...no listings...I've checked masseyhall.com....nothing. Is it the AKoustic and Elecktric bands both? I've never seen Weckl live with a band before!! This would be outstanding!!!

Thanks,
Rob

[beat Hit]

Well I just made it up... [img]redface.gif[/img] I guess now the challenge is to convince Chick... [img]graemlins/wonder.gif[/img] Anyone's got his email address? Randy?

But seriously...

Got it from Frank Gambale's Tour Schedule HERE.

Not on sale yet, I'll keep an eye on Massey Hall's Site HERE.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ July 07, 2004 01:27 AM: Message edited by: beat Hit ]</font>

[tombo74]

Thanks for the review BV!! [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]
Chick never stops. He did 4 nights in a row in Montreal: 1)Solo 2)Duos (w G. Burton & L Desmarais) 3) AB 4) EB

Also this Oscar Peterson/Oliver Jones concert will be broadcasted live on TV on Radio-Canada:
http://www.montrealjazzfest.com/fijm...rSearch=oliver

[Steve Holmes]

Hey thanks for the review. I posted the filming info as news.

[FuseU1]

Thanks for he review, BV. I've just now caught this post.

Can't wait to get the new CD AWA for that new DVD to come out!

Chick also needs to have that older AB-Alive vid put out on DVD BIG-TIME, for shore. I saw that it was in the computer syst at FYE here a couple of yrs ago, but wasn't on the shelves. I tried to order it, but, later, no go. Right after that, you couldn't get hide nor hair of it. I've never seen it. [img]frown.gif[/img]

I was just listening to that CCEB Live Lugano Jazz Fest STG boot, &... [img]eek.gif[/img] ...too bad there's no emoticon of a guy who looks like an emoticon poopin' his dighties...otherwise I would've slapped it on here. That've been me.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ July 12, 2004 08:55 PM: Message edited by: FuseU1 ]</font>

[bryan v]

Fuse,
I've seen the CCAB Alive video on EBAY several times... check Chick Corea.

I've tried to make a copy of it, but I believe its encoded or something, because the image is distorted. (?!)

It is definitely a must have... one of my favorite videos ever.

BV [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]

[beat Hit]

Well, well... Gambale's Schedule doesn't match Chick's HERE...

Toronto HODers, CCEB will be in town on October 3rd.

Should the venue still be Massey Hall, tickets are not yet displayed in their October Schedule HERE

As soon as anyone finds out, please post, thanks.

[Randy walker]

I got an advance copy of the new elektric band cd and am not diggin it as much as I thought I would, track 12 I think starts kewl with a shuffle type groove from Weckl but goes into this chorus vocal stuff fomr Chick's wife Gayle.