It's hard to find a jazz idiom in which pianist Chick Corea has not only dabbled, but mastered. Whether playing straight ahead ensemble jazz, soloing with his own piano compositions and improvisations, helping lead the 1970s fusion movement, heading up avant-jazz groups or collaborating with any number of world-class musicians to produce his own and group recordings, Corea has rightfully earned a reputation as one of jazz's most potent artists.
Yet even with 12 Grammy Awards to his name, Corea has never rested on his laurels or locked into one style for extended periods of time. His philosophy seems to be to always move forward, to always explore, to always innovate. That philosophy comes out in his latest release, The Ultimate Adventure. Joined by such stalwarts as Brazilian percussionist Airto Moreira, drummer Steve Gadd and flutist Hubert Laws (to name a few), the album is the second of Corea's inspired by the fiction of L. Ron Hubbard. (Yes, if you must ask, Corea is a Scientologist.)
Two years ago, Corea brought back together his Elektric Band and recorded To The Stars, for which Hubbard's science fiction novel of the same name served as Corea's inspiration. The Ultimate Adventure is Corea's musical interpretation of an early fantasy work of Hubbard's about a young man magically transported to a world with backdrops similar to The Arabian Nights. Corea categorizes these works — and several of his others — as a "tone poem," his favorite form of musical expression. He describes a tone poem as "an extended piece of music that is based on a literary, artistic, or ideological theme, for example, a folk tale or landscape.”
The Ultimate Adventure fits that billing. The recording, with several pieces that are multi-part works, explores a variety of ideas and themes with a myriad of musical expression. The music is also full of polyrhythms and, in addition to the artists named above, features some standout work by bassist Carles Benavent, a member of Corea's current band, Touchstone. Because the underlying story has a southern Spain-northern Africa/Arabian background, Corea freely infuses many of the pieces with a Middle Eastern or Spanish flavor, both stylistically and percussively. These added shades bolster the recording's feel as a musical rendition of the book's themes.
Article comments
1 - Rufus T Firefly
"an early fantasy work of Hubbard's?"
http://www.lermanet.com/scientology-and-occult/
"The magical cults of the 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th centuries in the Middle East were fascinating. The only modern work that has anything to do with them is a trifle wild in spots, but is a fascinating work in itself, and that's the work of Aleister Crowley - the late Aleister Crowley - my very good friend."
L Ron Hubbard, Philadelphia Doctorate Course, Lecture 18, "Conditions of Space-Time-Energy."
L Ron Hubbard moved in with Jack Parsons, where they began the practice of the occult and sexual magick. Parsons' mistress, Sara Northrup, left him for Hubbard and later became Hubbard's second wife, even before Hubbard had divorced his first wife.
The most well known and documented story of Hubbard's relationship with Jack Parsons, is that of the Invocation of the Goddess, Babalon," which they performed in the "Babalon Working" ritual along with "Scarlet Woman," Marjorie Cameron. The goal of this ritual was to produce a satanic "Moonchild."
The only other reference to a 'moonchild ceremony' being performed is by Adolf Hitler:
"From page 24 of Gods and Beasts - the Nazi's and the Occult by Dusty Sklar Pretzsche had introduced Hitler to consciousness-expanding drugs, as well as to astrological and alchemical symbolism. Hitler told Stein that Pretzsche had been present when List tried to materialize "the Incubus" in a ritual designed to create a "Moon Child." "...About 1912, disciples of Lanz and List started the Germanen Orden under the leadership of a member of List's Armanen, a journalist named Philipp Stauff, and several others. [ Ed.Comment: The German Orden later evolved into the Nationalist Socialist Party or Nazi Party recruiting Hitler as their 'Fuhrer']
2 - Mark Saleski
i mostly have to ignore the 'back story' of Corea's projects since the music itself is often quite good.
this goes all the way back to his "A.R.C.", one of my favorite jazz records.
3 - godoggo
Nice to see Laws's name. Does he solo much?
4 - Tim Gebhart
Laws solos a bit but most of the time his playing is as part of the ensemble and trading with Corea.