Chick Corea & Orchestra da Camera Della Sardegna Sardinia: A Night of Mozart & Gershwin 2LP

In November of 2018 Chick Corea — the venerated 27-time Grammy winner and National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master — was honored to join the Orchestra da Camera Della Sardegna in Mogoro, Sardinia, as a special guest artist for the 11th Annual Cultural Festival. This live recording captures a truly special evening that Corea held dear.

Corea had collaborated with orchestras on numerous occasions and held a profound appreciation for classical music. Through his work as a composer and a performer, he sought to bridge the gap between genres, embracing the universality and enduring power of music which communicates something and moves you, whether that was through a jazz medium, a classical medium, or anything in between. This particular evening's performance turned out to be one that Corea was extremely proud of, and he was eager to officially release the set as an album.

Corea's unique vision of a classical performance shines through in these spirited interpretations of two of his favorite composers. His distinctive approach adds a touch of playfulness to the proceedings, while still upholding the integrity and reverence for the music. With the Mozart piece, Corea takes liberties and inserts flourishes as one might imagine Mozart may have done in his time. With Gershwin, he literally plays, and plays with, Gershwin's passages. Essentially improvising on Gershwin's improvisations. With meticulous, gorgeous liner notes from author and historian, Robin D. G. Kelley rounding out the package, the listener is left with an even richer understanding of Chick and the history behind these pieces.

The recording captures the essence of Corea's tireless creative vision, his strong classical sensibilities, and his undeniable genius as a performer and improviser. It stands as a testament to all the musical bases he touched in his career, and his legacy as an artist who could do it all.

It's no secret Corea had a playful, almost impish sense of humor when it came to creation, and create he does with all the humor and passion he's deservedly noted for...Sardinia stands as another triumph in a life full of them.

'Rhapsody in Blue,' which he identifies in the concert as a piece born of jazz intentions, brings out a piano performance as rangy and discursive as you'd expect. But the more extraordinary achievement on the album is Corea's interpretation of Mozart, which weighs creative license against a deep consideration of form. The pianism is personally distinctive but also thoughtfully calibrated, revealing a maturity of expression that had only begun to shine through in Corea's earlier engagements with this music. Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 24, K. 491 completed in 1786, turns out to be an ideal vehicle for him.