Want to try a little jazz fusion?

This review on Chick Corea Elektric Band's 'To the stars' has been written for those who like rock and progressive rock but cannot find anything interesting in jazz. This album is then for you.

But first an explanation to this strange slant on this review. My musical journey began as a child with listening to Simon and Garfunkel, hymns, bagpipes and later in my teens, The Beatles and Queen. Yes, I know...a weird combination. All these albums opened my ears to new sounds and musicians. After thinking that the group Kansas were the most amazing musicians I had come across till that point (then 1979), a friend asked me to listen to Al di Meola and Steve Gadd on the album 'Casino'. He then introduced me to Bill Bruford and Allan Holdsworth. I started dabbling in other genres like the fusion world of 'Return to Forever'. Initially I was very puzzled and could not get into albums like Chick's 'Three quartets' but the music bug had got a hold of me.

Not surprisingly many Chick Corea fans hate this album and find it clinical and with little swing. That's because it is often closer to an instrumental rock album - what I refer to as extreme fusion jazz. In many ways this is like some of the earlier 'Return to Forever' and 'Mahavishnu Orchestra' sounds. What is common to all is uncompromising, excellent musicianship. This album showcases five top music legends who have played together at various times for the last 25 years. The intrepid leader, composer and master keyboardist, Chick Corea showcases his talents and those of Frank Gambale, the sweep picking electric and acoustic guitarist, Eric Marienthal, top alto saxman, John Patitucci, the most sought after all-round jazz bassist for a quarter of a century and finally the greatest fusion drummer of the last twenty years, Dave Weckl.

This album rips open with 'Check Blast' a flurry of intense drumming, piano stabs and exchange of a few bars of short sharp solos from each of the five that culminate into some 'unplayable-by-most-others' in unison riffs that shift in and out. Each piece is connected by what is referred as a 'Port view' of edgy keyboard bed of sound. This is a concept album telling the story of a science fiction saga and Chick's inspiration. For proggers the idea of a concept album that has each track linked is certainly closer to their world.

The following tracks 'Mistress Luck - A portrait' will probably be a challenge to rockers as here the swing and samba rhythms come to the fore. I will say though if this is distracting, focus on the guitaring of Gambale who duets his way through and shreds during the 'Mistress Luck - The party'. However it is tracks like these that will introduce you into the delights of jazz and marvelous musicianship.

'Johnny's landing' has a cool sax dominated groove that reminded me very much of a 'Weather report' track all over a delightful percussive Weckl tour-de-force. Just when it seems a little bland, there are some amazing dark aggressive runs that builds to a long Gambale solo and later an organic Marienthal solo and more combined lines with sax and guitar together ending with Weckl at his best doing what Peart, Bruford and Portnoy dream they could do.

'Alan Corday' is in the style of latin infused jazz with more acoustic sounds. This will be a more challenging listen to prog rockers. So too will be the 'Hound of Heaven' another 'Weather report' like calypso-edged track with African township sax sounds. It has a mean fusion distorted Gambale solo that will be of interest to rockers although I think would have fitted better on acoustic. Be patient, more is to come.

'The long passage' is majestic, complex track that builds with some intriguing twists and turns along the way including some choral vocal sounds. A number of guitar sax combined lines keep linking the keyboard interludes as the musical tension slowly increases. Marienthal plays a brooding, challenging solo that will disturb which is followed by Gambale and ultimately this all combines.

`Jocelyn - The Commander' begins like a soundtrack to a movie with unusual sound effects behind a repetitive piano and rhythmic Ravel-like motif. The drums and sax weave into the mix. Gambale then plays one of his greatest solos that ultimately soars with the rest of the band. The album ends with a crescendo of musical themes coming together followed by captain Chick alone on the piano.

I love the sound production on this album - the way all instruments can be heard even during the busiest and loudest pieces. Weckl's drumming is particularly well recorded and I prefer his contribution here to his often over-playing on his solo albums.

Here is an album that grows on you with each repeated listen. If you've not listened to jazz fusion before, give this one a try...and if this doesn't work at least go back and listen to the original masters on the majestic remastered Return to Forever 'Romantic Warrior'.

"Crossroads" 20 year anniversary

I heard Eric Marienthal play live in Auckland in September 2009. I was expecting to hear a professional, experienced saxophonist - what I heard was so much more. His playing was both articulate and fluid with a range that I couldn't quite believe for an alto sax...and moreover what a humble, personable musician. Backed by the Rodger Fox big band, the evening was my big musical surprise of the year. Riveting big band charts - I think at least two from the Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band. An amazing evening and exemplary display of sax mastery.

What's this got to do with a review of Crossroads some 20 years before? Well quite honestly for many years I had dismissed Eric Marienthal as the smooth jazz influence that had weakened Chick's Elektric Band offerings. The disastrous "Light years" album was such a disappointment after their debut album that I gave up on Chick for a while. 

The first inklings that I had that Eric was far more than the musician on many commercial smooth jazz recordings was when first watching him on the Chick Corea Elektric Band Live in Montreux 2004 DVD. Wow, no soprano noodling at all but hard bebop lines to support the tracks 'C.T.A', 'Got a match', 'Spain' and 'Blue Miles'. This time it was the noodling of Gambale's guitar that seemed to interfere and Eric was masterful.

So there is a dilemma - who is the real Eric? I like to think after hearing Eric live that it's when he is playing live that the real Eric is heard. Yes, he always has a sweet tone, but live he rips it up and is adventurous. On the 20th anniversary of 'Crossroads' I can happily say that this album still sounds fresh and impeccably well-recorded...and that Eric blows away the cobwebs of most of his other solo albums. Why then does this studio album sound live? Simply because the musos played it live in front of each other when recording and the spontaneity shines though.

It does help that the best musicians in the world were there to play along with Eric. What an incredible lineup. John Patitucci is producer and the bassist through out. This is a drummers album of note - as has been pointed out by other reviewers; if you are partial to flat-out fusion drumming - then try and get a copy of 'Crossroads'. Terri Lyne Carrington is monstrous on the first track and plays like I'd imagine Weckl might have on a good day! Six of the ten tracks are played by the drum master Vinnie Colaiuta, who gets many opportunities to play out and even solo. Weckl plays on a track and Terri closes out. Keyboardists are the prolific Russell Ferrante and Chick Corea on three tracks. With three Ferrante compositions and one from Chick himself, no wonder this sounds like a mixture of an aggressive Yellowjackets and Elektric band album.

Yes, there are ballads and some pretty melodies but all eventually romping away to inventive, exciting compositions with wonderful playing by all. If you haven't heard Eric hit the high notes, the big notes and the adventurous lines, then this is the album to get.