Chick Corea
Rendezvous in New York

THE REVIEW

I’m not getting older, I’m getting better. If it is true that the live dimension is the ideal one for jazz music, it is equally true that another essential component is the chemistry between the musicians. I've had to erase from my memory dozens of concerts where the musicians played just because they had to. Unmotivated, tired, boring, and bored. Fortunately, the atmosphere in this double live album is different, because it is clearly evident that Chick & Company really enjoyed playing at the Blue Note in New York. The laughter, the applause, the audience's enthusiasm are proof of this.

The album is truly heartfelt from beginning to end. At times exhilarating. Perhaps the spark that ignited the protagonists' enthusiasm was the very reason for their presence at the Blue Note in NY: a celebration. The album, in fact, is nothing but the testimony of a concert session organized to celebrate Chick Corea's sixtieth birthday, sixty years largely coinciding with an important part of jazz history. The guest list is extensive and includes some legendary figures of recent and past jazz. Indeed, there are Bobby McFerrin, Steve Gadd, Roy Haynes, Miroslav Vitous, Joshua Redman, Gary Burton, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Terence Blanchard, John Patitucci, Michael Brecker, Eddie Gomez, etc. In short, a kind of jazz Dream Team gathered to have fun and entertain. Describing the entire album without being verbose is impossible.

Certainly, the three duets with Bobby McFerrin (Armando's Rumba, Blue Monk, and Concierto de Aranjuez) are highly valuable and worth the price of the double CD alone. But how not to mention Crystal Silence with Gary Burton, or the deconstruction of Autumn Leaves with the Akoustic Band, or Concierto de Aranjuez with Gonzalo Rubalcaba, or even the tribute to Bud Powell with Joshua Redman, Roy Haynes, Terence Blanchard, and Christian McBride. In short, it's pointless to waste too many words. It's an extraordinary album. Period.