Chick Corea...
A pianist with a highly original and unmistakable style, heir to the harmonic lessons of various McCoy Tyner, Hancock, Silver, often divides critics and listeners; perhaps due to his eclecticism, not always orthodox sound, or the disorienting (more than 110 albums!!) and not always consistently high quality discography.
However, he is a musician with impeccable credentials: even the purist (and in jazz, this category is abundant) cannot deny the value of many of his works (see above all "Now He Sings, Now He Sobs").
This album cannot be defined as the quintessence of jazz: the swing, in some tracks, barely surfaces while the flamenco sound, Bartok reminiscences, and impressionistic atmospheres take the lead. But it is a splendid album, with expressive lyricism and an astonishing sense of timbre.
Credit also goes to Burton's vibraphone. They make a winning, perfect pair. Like Corea, Gary Burton is a versatile musician, with a distinctive style and an extensive discography; and like Corea, he is inclined towards (good) contamination.
The two understand each other wonderfully, creating a compact and stylistically harmonious style. Their happy interplay proves to be very fruitful and will be renewed numerous times in the future ("Duet", "Native Sense").

Of the "lyrical" Corea, this remains one of my favorite albums, along with "Children Songs" and "Lyric Suite for Sextet". Melodic but not syrupy, accessible but not trivial, lively and very elegant. Never boring. Many of the tracks are now standards (and the various "Real Books" report the themes). Among all, I point out the title track, already present in the previous, equally splendid, "Return to Forever", and Señor Mouse.
Essential not only for a jazz piano enthusiast but for anyone in search of good music.

Tracklist

01   Señor Mouse (06:22)

02   Arise, Her Eyes (05:08)

03   I'm Your Pal (04:02)

04   Desert Air (06:26)

05   Crystal Silence (09:04)

06   Falling Grace (02:42)

07   Feelings and Things (04:46)

08   Children's Song (02:12)

09   What Game Shall We Play Today (03:42)

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