Chick Corea The Montreux Years 180g 2LP

Analog Planet Rated 1011 Music, 9/11 Sonics!

TAS Rated 4/5 Music, 4/5 Sonics in the January 2023 Issue of The Absolute Sound!

Chick Corea: The Montreux Years showcases some of the legendary pianist's remarkable Montreux Jazz Festival live performances. The set includes brand-new liner notes, as well as rare photos from his Montreux shows. Combos featured include Chick Corea Quartet, Chick Corea New Trio, Chick Corea Freedom Band, Chick Corea Akoustic Band, and Chick Corea Elektric Band, plus an appearance by The Bavarian Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra.

Given these recordings were mixed live on the fly, direct to stereo - alas, not multitrack, leaving no real room for 'remixing' - and they were recorded by four different engineers over the years, this track-to-track consistency makes Chick Corea: The Montreux Years all the more remarkable. Kudos to [producer Fraser] Kennedy and mastering engineer Tony Cousins for rising to this challenge of pulling together 30 years' worth of recordings to make such an enjoyable listening experience. They have created a fine album with terrific sequencing and pacing. You would be hard-pressed to discern between the analog and digital recordings used in making this album. The Montreux Years sounds rich and warm, with none of that harsh, crunchy edge that can occur from poor transfers and sloppy digital processing. This was no doubt a handle-with-care project. Of course, as to be expected from Chick Corea (who passed away at age 79 in 2021), the performances here are exemplary... all of Chick Corea: The Montreux Years pretty much smokes.

Perhaps most rare in this comprehensive collection is the composer's bouyant, Latin flavored 'America (Continents Pt. 4),' performed in 2006 with The Bavarian Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra and featuring an effervescent soprano sax solo from Tim Garland. But for sheer swing factor, nothing tops Chick's animated performance from 1981 of Monk's 'Trinkle Tinkle' with Joe Henderson, Gary Peacock and Roy Haynes.