Chick Corea
Friends

THE SMURFS!... No, don't worry, I haven't completely lost my mind yet, at least not entirely. It's just that it feels a certain way to find cartoon characters on the cover of a jazz record...

This work from 1978, made in collaboration with saxophonist and flutist Joe Farrell, and the well-established rhythm section of Eddie Gomez - Steve Gadd, is not only very pleasant but also interesting because it stands at an imaginary crossroads of the many, countless stylistic directions taken by Anthony Armando "Chick" Corea in his now forty-year-long career: the formidable piano playing, whose trajectory spans a history of jazz that embraces Bud Powell, Horace Silver, up to the most abstract and creative free; the mastery at the keyboards, with the legendary Fender Rhodes in the forefront, illustrated in the most seminal records of Davis' "electric" period, but also in the endless rides of Return To Forever; the glossy, super-luxurious, and super-criticized fusion of the Elektric Band; collaborations with the most disparate figures in music at all levels, from Gary Burton to Anthony Braxton. In short, he hasn't missed anything, in a rainbow of artistic exploits dotted with inspired masterpieces, which has also seen some lapses in style, forgivable only by the greatest.

Four friends, therefore, but also four old hands who know perfectly how to hook the audience and transport them on a delightful and meaningful musical journey. The pianist of Italian origins chooses simple, apparently childlike themes (two of the famous "Children's song" are present here). Thanks to the undeniable executive class of the musicians gathered, the joy, levity, and melodiousness are nothing but a vehicle to support the calm fire of heartwarming improvisations. But, when necessary, they also know how to flare up, driven by burning and sudden rhythmic accelerations. Corea, naturally, takes the lion's share, dividing himself between his two loves, the acoustic and electric piano. He is accompanied by a caressing Farrell on the flute, who, however, when the time is right, brings out a lot of grit, as happens in "Sicily" and "Waltse For Dave" (the latter dedicated to Brubeck).

Everyone has a chance to shine, and everyone does a great job. Eddie Gomez, in a couple of solos, once again astonishes with his impressive double bass technique, regarding which he once stated: "It's a matter of conception, more than of technique. I think of the instrument as if it was a horn". And if he says so... Steve Gadd, a highly sought-after stickman and sideman at the time, showcases elegant polyrhythms in the more lively and danceable tracks, and doesn't make you miss the absence of a percussionist. His solo in the sensual and captivating "Samba Song" is beautiful.

A special mention deserves the ineffable closing track "Cappucino", swinging between bebop and modal, and invigorated by imperious piano brushstrokes. The sequence of solos is thrilling, with Farrell delighting in his perfect control of the soprano sax. At the end of each solo, one's hands involuntarily clap in a hypothetical applause (anyone who has attended at least one live jazz concert understands what I mean).

Fifty minutes of excellent jazz played as God commands. A great record, with the only fault of being, inevitably, inferior to masterpieces like "Now He Sings, Now He Sobs" and "A.R.C.", and therefore does not receive the highest score.