Chick Corea

Chick Corea distinguished himself as an exceptionally skilled and stylistically expansive jazz pianist, earning widespread recognition through recordings that ventured into harmonically daring post-bop, electric fusion, Latin idioms, and classical repertoire. Emerging during the 1960s, he drew early attention via the 1968 release Now He Sings, Now He Sobs and through sideman appearances alongside Willie Bobo, Blue Mitchell, and Stan Getz. Corea later entered Miles Davis’ electric band, contributing to the 1969 album Bitches Brew. Leading his own projects, he extended ideas developed with Davis by assembling the forward-looking fusion ensemble Return to Forever and composing enduring jazz standards such as “Spain,” “500 Miles High,” “La Fiesta,” and “Windows.” A remarkably productive artist and the fourth most-nominated figure in Grammy history—with more than sixty nominations and twenty wins—Corea maintained a consistent output of highly regarded albums that reached the Top Ten on jazz charts, among them 1976’s The Leprechaun, 1989’s Chick Corea Akoustic Band, 2014’s Trilogy, and 2019’s Antidote. Resonance, a double-live duo recording with pianist Makoto Ozone, appeared in September 2021. A live duo performance with banjoist Béla Fleck surfaced in 2024 as Remembrance.

Born Armando Anthony Corea in 1941 in Chelsea, Massachusetts, he received his first piano instruction at roughly age four from his father, a trumpeter rooted in Dixieland. By age eight he had also taken up drums. Growing up surrounded by jazz at home, Corea absorbed the playing of pianists Horace Silver and Bud Powell, who shaped his early outlook. Another key influence was pianist Salvatore Sullo, under whom he studied classical piano and composition. During his teenage years Corea performed with the local St. Rose Scarlet Lancers drum and bugle corps while beginning to play jazz engagements of his own. After completing high school he attended Columbia University and Juilliard briefly before departing to focus on a jazz career.

Some of Corea’s most formative work occurred in the early 1960s alongside Latin bandleaders Mongo Santamaria and Willie Bobo. He also performed in small jazz groups with Blue Mitchell, Herbie Mann, and Stan Getz. As a bandleader he made his recording debut with 1966’s Tones for Joan’s Bones. Yet it was the 1968 trio album Now He Sings, Now He Sobs, featuring Miroslav Vitous and Roy Haynes, that established him as one of the most accomplished improvisers of his generation. The recording later attained classic status, and in 1999 its title track entered the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Following a period with Sarah Vaughan, Corea replaced Herbie Hancock in Miles Davis’ group, remaining from 1968 to 1970 during the trumpeter’s pivotal shift from acoustic post-bop toward electric fusion. Davis encouraged Corea to adopt electric piano and featured him on landmark recordings including Filles de Kilimanjaro, In a Silent Way, and the groundbreaking Bitches Brew.

After leaving Davis, Corea launched the avant-garde acoustic jazz quartet Circle, which included Anthony Braxton, Dave Holland, and Barry Altschul. He also formed a trio with Holland and Altschul that issued 1971’s Song of Singing on Blue Note and made its ECM debut the same year with A.R.C. Two reflective solo piano albums for the label followed: 1971’s Piano Improvisations, Vol. 1 and 1972’s Piano Improvisations, Vol. 2.

By late 1971 Corea had redirected his focus once more, performing briefly with Stan Getz before founding Return to Forever. The ensemble began as a Brazilian-tinged group featuring bassist Stanley Clarke, saxophonist Joe Farrell, percussionist Airto Moreira, and vocalist Flora Purim. Their self-titled 1972 debut reached number eight on the Billboard Jazz chart. The following year brought Light as a Feather, another Top Ten jazz release that earned Corea his first two Grammy nominations, one of them for Best Instrumental Arrangement on the widely recognized composition “Spain.”

Within a year Corea had steered Return to Forever toward a more aggressive fusion sound, adding guitarist Bill Connors and drummer Lenny White. This lineup recorded 1973’s Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy, reflecting Corea’s continued engagement with electric instrumentation developed during his time with Miles Davis. Return to Forever underwent further personnel shifts, introducing a then-19-year-old guitarist Al DiMeola on 1974’s Where Have I Known You Before. After the group disbanded in the late 1970s, Corea retained the name for occasional large-ensemble performances with Clarke. In subsequent years he returned to acoustic settings, undertaking separate duet tours with Gary Burton and Herbie Hancock, forming a quartet with Michael Brecker, leading trios with Miroslav Vitous and Roy Haynes, presenting tributes to Thelonious Monk, and exploring classical repertoire.

In 1985 Corea assembled another signature fusion outfit, the Elektric Band, which debuted with the self-titled album and included bassist John Patitucci and drummer Dave Weckl. The same musicians also recorded as the Akoustic Band for 1989’s Chick Corea Akoustic Band. When Patitucci launched a solo career in the early 1990s, Corea continued to lead dynamic groups, among them a quartet with Patitucci and Bob Berg. From 1996 to 1997 he toured with an all-star quintet featuring Kenny Garrett and Wallace Roney that offered modern interpretations of Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk material, documented on Remembering Bud Powell. Additional notable collaborations included sessions with vibraphonist Gary Burton, such as 1997’s Like Minds with Pat Metheny. Two years later Corea released his first studio album with the Origin ensemble, Change.

Corea opened the twenty-first century with the solo piano projects Solo Piano: Originals and Solo Piano: Standards in 2000, followed by Past, Present & Futures in 2001. Rendezvous in New York appeared in 2003 and To the Stars in 2004. The Ultimate Adventure arrived in 2006, the same year he issued Super Trio with drummer Steve Gadd and bassist Christian McBride. In spring 2007 he released the duet album The Enchantment with banjo master Béla Fleck on Concord. A Japan-only six-disc box set, Five Trios, followed in 2008, presenting Corea in several trio configurations. That year he and vibraphonist Gary Burton issued their fourth joint recording, The New Crystal Silence.

Also in 2008 Corea reunited with John McLaughlin for the first time since their late-1960s work with Miles Davis. They assembled a band with saxophonist Kenny Garrett, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, and bassist Christian McBride to record Five Peace Band: Live, which included a guest appearance by Herbie Hancock on “In a Silent Way/It’s About That Time.” Concord reissued Return to Forever’s four albums from 1973 to 1976—Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy, Where Have I Known You Before, No Mystery, and Romantic Warrior—leading to a reunion tour that produced the live album Returns and an accompanying concert DVD. In 2009 Corea collaborated with Japanese pianist Hiromi on Duet and later issued the live trio album Forever with Clarke and White, drawn from their “RTF Unplugged” tour. The two-disc set, released by Concord in 2011, featured guest contributions from Chaka Khan, original RTF guitarist Connors, and violinist Jean-Luc Ponty.

Corea remained highly active in 2012. He delivered the trio recording Further Explorations on Concord in January with Eddie Gomez and Paul Motian, both veterans of various Bill Evans ensembles. Corea: The Continents Concerto for Jazz Quintet and Chamber Orchestra appeared on Deutsche Grammophon in February. September brought another duet with Burton, Hot House, on Concord. In summer 2013 he introduced a new electric band on The Vigil, featuring bassist Christian McBride, drummer Marcus Gilmore, reed and wind player Tim Garland, and guitarist Charles Altura. The expansive three-disc live set Trilogy, recorded worldwide with bassist Christian McBride and drummer Brian Blade, surfaced in 2014.

Corea next rejoined longtime associate Béla Fleck for the 2015 duet album Two, assembled from more than seven years of live performances. The following year he marked his seventy-fifth birthday with a six-week residency at the Blue Note in New York City. Joined by guests including Herbie Hancock, Bobby McFerrin, Wynton Marsalis, John McLaughlin, and Stanley Clarke, the performances were issued in 2017 as part of The Musician album and documentary. He also teamed with longtime associate drummer Steve Gadd for Chinese Butterfly, which included Lionel Loueke, Steve Wilson, Carlitos Del Puerto, and Luisito Quintero. Trilogy 2, Corea’s second live collection with bassist Christian McBride and drummer Brian Blade, arrived in 2018.

For 2019’s Antidote, Corea convened an updated edition of his Latin-infused octet, exploring new compositions alongside material from earlier Latin-oriented albums such as 1976’s My Spanish Heart and 1982’s Touchstone. Named the Spanish Heart Band, the lineup included Madrid saxophonist and flutist Jorge Pardo, formerly of Paco de Lucia’s band, and guitarist Niño Josele from the same generation. Trumpeter Michael Rodriguez and trombonist Steve Davis completed the horn section, while the rhythm team comprised Cuban bassist Carlitos Del Puerto, percussionist Luisito Quintero, and drummer Marcus Gilmore. Flamenco dancer Niño de los Reyes and singer Ruben Blades also participated. The album earned Corea his twenty-third Grammy and his first in the Best Latin Jazz Album category. The solo piano album Plays appeared in 2020, presenting jazz standards alongside classical works by Mozart, Scriabin, Chopin, and others.

Corea remained active until his death on February 9, 2021, at age 79, shortly after a diagnosis of a rare cancer. In September the posthumous live duo recording Resonance with pianist Makoto Ozone was issued by Universal Japan. In May 2024, Béla Fleck Productions released Remembrance, a duo project recorded during their final tour in 2019.