On January 13, months before a set of shows abroad, Chick Corea was able to wrangle his old Akoustic Band players (bassist John Patitucci, on break from Wayne Shorter's band; drummer Dave Weckl) for two intimate performances which doubled as rehearsals for the impending tour dates.
The sets were being recorded to video and audio for future release, and Corea was candid about what he and his old Elektric Band cohorts where trying to accomplish.
HOMEGROWN INTERNATIONAL JAZZ SPECTACULAR
Chick Corea Akoustic Band dazzles fans from around the globe at rare, intimate St. Petersburg College gig
In her review for CL, Arielle Stevenson wrote that he 76-year-old jazz legend was greeted by a standing ovation as the trio entered the stage. Corea grabbed the mic for commentary and was both hilarious and self-effacing.”It’s homegrown show tonight.”
“We are playing some hard stuff,” Corea cautioned. “We might stop and do things again.”
The trio certainly did, but not leave the crowd unentertained. Corea, Patitucci and Weckl played many old favorites as well as cuts by Coltrane, Ellington, Monk, Bronisław Kaper and Arthur Schwartz.
See more photos, glance at the setlist and read Stevenson's review here. Have a listen to songs from the set below.
This article appears in Jan 11-18, 2018.