Chick Corea, one of the greats in the fusion genre and a jazz keyboardist extraordinaire, is an inspiration not just for his compositions but for who he employed in his various projects. Like me, you may not play keyboard or piano but you can get inspiration from Chick Corea. A great way to honor him is by following those who played with him over his amazing career. Some musicians are noted for their ability to recognize talent and launch careers through their own bands and projects and Corea was one of them.
As I have mentioned in a previous blog post, Charlie Daniels, inspiration comes from many players and many genres. Keep their legacy and music alive by delving into their music and those who followed after.
I was introduced to Chick Corea through his first Elektric Band album in 1986. My older brother was always looking for something new and gave me a cassette of that album. At first, I was a bit taken back. I had listened to some fusion before but nothing like this album. Listening to something this different and new can take a few listens to absorb. I have to admit, this took a few listens. First, I was not a “keyboard guy” and synthesizers were something from the New Wave music. I was a bass player and guitarist for cryin’ out loud!
The Bassists
But, hold on a sec…who was this bass player? That guy was amazing! John Patitucci not only kept up with the wild swings of the music but added his own unique flavor that I could immediately latch on to. Next was the guitarist, Carlos Rios. Another unknown to me but, again, he popped out to me as one to check out further.
I read about Allen Holdsworth in Guitar Player and picked up one of his recordings, Road Games. It was a bit over my head at the time. His angular approach and lack of attack was something I needed to get used to. However, I went back to that album and looked up the bass player on his album, Jeff Berlin. That led me to his album – Pump It! A bit more accessible for me.
Dipping into Corea’s catalog a bit further brought me Return to Forever and Stanley Clarke – should be a household name among bass players. If you are a bassist and don’t know Clarke, you are doing yourself a disservice. In the same way as Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clarke paved the way for much of what we take for granted in modern music.
The Guitarists
In those days, I relied on copies of Guitar Player magazine to help me get to know guitarists but I had to dig if I was going to find truly unique players to for inspiration. This was clear from my experience with Chick Corea and the Elektric Band album.
One guitarist I had already gotten to know was Al Di Meola. His name had become a regular reference by many guitarists around that time. Thanks to Guitar Player, again, for introducing me to his music. What I did not know was that he also came to prominence through the work of Chick Corea. If you want to know fast, he set the stage for the later speedsters like Eddie Van Halen. Whether he was an influence or not is not clear but the world had gotten exposed to really fast guitar solos from his work.
Al Di Meola led me to John McLaughlin for some more mind-bending fusion. The collaborations between these two are nothing short of astounding. The interplay is enough to keep you busy for a while.
How to Honor The Masters
So, how do you honor the masters? Dig into their catalog and get to know their music, of course. However, take the next step and see who they played with. You cannot deny the influence. You certainly cannot deny the fact that the masters provided launching pads for other greats that we may never have had the chance to hear.
I did not mention the various drummers and percussionists but I leave that to the ‘A’ students. If you are a bass player, dig in and drink deep. Drummers jam with other amazing rhythm sections and bass players are a huge part of that.
You have a lot of music to listen to; so, get on with it! Some of the old recordings are getting harder to find. Fusion was never a big seller but the lamp is kept burning by a few of us. Broaden your catalog and perspective. You don’t have to play like them but you should try to get a little of their inspiration and let that take you to new places.
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Chick Corea: How to Honor the Masters
Chick Corea, one of the greats in the fusion genre and a jazz keyboardist extraordinaire, is an inspiration not just for his compositions but for who he employed in his various projects. Like me, you may not play keyboard or piano but you can get inspiration from Chick Corea. A great way to honor him is by following those who played with him over his amazing career. Some musicians are noted for their ability to recognize talent and launch careers through their own bands and projects and Corea was one of them.
As I have mentioned in a previous blog post, Charlie Daniels, inspiration comes from many players and many genres. Keep their legacy and music alive by delving into their music and those who followed after.
I was introduced to Chick Corea through his first Elektric Band album in 1986. My older brother was always looking for something new and gave me a cassette of that album. At first, I was a bit taken back. I had listened to some fusion before but nothing like this album. Listening to something this different and new can take a few listens to absorb. I have to admit, this took a few listens. First, I was not a “keyboard guy” and synthesizers were something from the New Wave music. I was a bass player and guitarist for cryin’ out loud!
The Bassists
But, hold on a sec…who was this bass player? That guy was amazing! John Patitucci not only kept up with the wild swings of the music but added his own unique flavor that I could immediately latch on to. Next was the guitarist, Carlos Rios. Another unknown to me but, again, he popped out to me as one to check out further.
I read about Allen Holdsworth in Guitar Player and picked up one of his recordings, Road Games. It was a bit over my head at the time. His angular approach and lack of attack was something I needed to get used to. However, I went back to that album and looked up the bass player on his album, Jeff Berlin. That led me to his album – Pump It! A bit more accessible for me.
Dipping into Corea’s catalog a bit further brought me Return to Forever and Stanley Clarke – should be a household name among bass players. If you are a bassist and don’t know Clarke, you are doing yourself a disservice. In the same way as Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clarke paved the way for much of what we take for granted in modern music.
The Guitarists
In those days, I relied on copies of Guitar Player magazine to help me get to know guitarists but I had to dig if I was going to find truly unique players to for inspiration. This was clear from my experience with Chick Corea and the Elektric Band album.
One guitarist I had already gotten to know was Al Di Meola. His name had become a regular reference by many guitarists around that time. Thanks to Guitar Player, again, for introducing me to his music. What I did not know was that he also came to prominence through the work of Chick Corea. If you want to know fast, he set the stage for the later speedsters like Eddie Van Halen. Whether he was an influence or not is not clear but the world had gotten exposed to really fast guitar solos from his work.
Al Di Meola led me to John McLaughlin for some more mind-bending fusion. The collaborations between these two are nothing short of astounding. The interplay is enough to keep you busy for a while.
How to Honor The Masters
So, how do you honor the masters? Dig into their catalog and get to know their music, of course. However, take the next step and see who they played with. You cannot deny the influence. You certainly cannot deny the fact that the masters provided launching pads for other greats that we may never have had the chance to hear.
I did not mention the various drummers and percussionists but I leave that to the ‘A’ students. If you are a bass player, dig in and drink deep. Drummers jam with other amazing rhythm sections and bass players are a huge part of that.
You have a lot of music to listen to; so, get on with it! Some of the old recordings are getting harder to find. Fusion was never a big seller but the lamp is kept burning by a few of us. Broaden your catalog and perspective. You don’t have to play like them but you should try to get a little of their inspiration and let that take you to new places.
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