Corea To Play 80 Shows at Blue Note During Historic Residency
Chick Corea will perform the most elaborate birthday residency in jazz
history this fall when he plays 80 shows over the course of eight
consecutive weeks at The Blue Note in New York City.
The pianist/keyboardist, who turns 75 on June 12, will celebrate the
milestone with the most ambitious residency in the jazz venue’s history,
playing The Blue Note from Oct. 19 to Dec. 12. He’ll perform two shows
each night (at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.).
Presale for American Express cardholders begins on June 8, and tickets go on sale to the general public on June 23.
The residency, which will feature at least 15 bands, begins Oct. 19–23
with a series of shows by the Chick Corea Elektric Band, featuring the
leader on keyboards alongside saxophonist Eric Marienthal, guitarist
Frank Gambale, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Dave Weckl.
That will be followed by an Oct. 26–30 stint that celebrates the music
of Corea’s most famous former employer, Miles Davis. The band will
include Corea (keyboards), Kenny Garrett (saxophones), Wallace Roney
(trumpet), Mike Stern (guitar), Marcus Miller (bass) and Brian Blade
(drums).
The Nov. 2–3 shows will focus on music from the 1981 album Three Quartets, while the Nov. 4–6 shows will highlight music from 1976’s The Leprechaun. Drummer Steve Gadd, who played on both albums, will perform at all the Nov. 2–6 shows.
The concerts during the month of November will be a testament to the
immense diversity of Corea’s oeuvre, as he explores electronica music
(Nov. 9–10), flamenco (Nov. 11–13), big band sounds with the 13-piece
Trondheim Jazz Orchestra (Nov. 16–17), piano duets with a different
pianist each night (Nov. 18–20) and collaborative performances with
vibraphonist Gary Burton and the Harlem String Quartet (Nov. 22–23).
Following a break for the Thanksgiving holiday, Corea will present his
Origin II lineup on Friday through Sunday, Nov. 25–27. The leader will
play piano with Ravi Coltrane (saxophones), Steve Wilson (saxophone and
flute), Steve Davis (trombone), Carlitos Del Puerto (bass) and Marcus
Gilmore (drums).
The historic residency will conclude with two bands— one that’s
acoustic-oriented and one that’s more electric-based—playing the music
of Return To Forever.
The Nov. 30–Dec. 4 shows will include Corea, Coltrane, flutist Hubert
Laws, bassist Avishai Cohen and drummer Lenny White. (Details for a Dec.
7 show have not yet been announced.) The Dec. 8–12 shows will include
Corea, White, guitarist John McLaughlin and bassist Victor Wooten.
“From the level of talent that will be presented to the number of shows
to the overall duration, this is an unrivaled residency,” said Steven
Bensusan, president of Blue Note Entertainment Group. “You never see an
artist take residency in a venue for this amount of time consecutively,
and on this scale.”
“Though most importantly, the fact that it commemorates our longtime
friend and legend Chick Corea’s 75th birthday makes this truly special,
especially given Blue Note’s deep relationship with Chick over the past
30 years,” Bensusan added. “We’re looking forward to making history with
Chick this fall.”
American Express card members can purchase tickets in select markets
before the general public beginning Wednesday, June 8, at 1 p.m. EDT
through Thursday, June 23, at 12:59 p.m. EDT.
Tickets go on sale to the general public on Thursday, June 23, at 1 p.m. EDT. All tickets can be purchased at the Blue Note http://www.bluenotejazz.com/" rel="nofollow - website or by phone at 212-475-8592 .
—Bobby Reed
from www.downbeat.com
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