Product Description

Every once in a while, Chick Corea forms a new trio. Some of his notable adventures in this format have included legendary figures such as Roy Haynes, Miroslav Vitous, John Patitucci, and Dave Weckl. Newcomers Avishai Cohen (bass) and JeffBallard (drums), both members of Corea's larger Origin ensemble, complete this group, dubbed his New Trio. Like the pianist, each possesses a highly refined approach that is balanced with an earthiness that gives this ensemble a musical quality all its own.
Led by Corea's masterfully rhythmic keyboard antics, the music is full of surprises, playful, and expressive. Signature Corea licks dominate tracks like the jaunty opener "Fingerprints" and the spicy Latin dance "Rhumba Flamenco". Ballard provides many intriguing percussion textures like his hands-on-drums groove on the dark "Anna's Tango" and his hurricane of stickings on the rhythmically astounding "Life Line". Cohen is nothing short of stunning throughout, deftly supporting Corea's whirling piano lines with expert tangents of his own down in the bass region. A conspicuous example of the trio's skills can be found in the disc's only standard, Fats Waller's "Jitterbug Waltz". In all, thisNew Trio continues Corea's traditions with a little extra added for flavour.

Track Listing

1. Fingerprints
2. Jitterbug Waltz
3. Cloud Candy
4. Dignity
5. Rhumba Flamenco
6. Anna's Tango
7. Chelsea Shuffle
8. Nostalgia
9. Revolving Door
10. Past Present & Futures
11. Life Line

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #125163 in Music
• Released on: 2001-04-16
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Past, Present & Futures features Chick Corea's so-called New Trio with bassist Avishai Cohen and drummer Jeff Cohen, but it's taken them no time to mesh into a formidable and impeccably integrated unit. Corea has long been one of the finest pianists in jazz and his playing here is unsurprisingly splendid--as melodious as harmonically inventive and with a gorgeous touch that can roar or whisper with equal facility. Less impressive on this occasion is his writing: excepting Fats Waller's "Jitterbug Waltz", all 12 pieces are his and none of them matches in impact or beauty the things he wrote 30 years ago for Stan Getz and his own Return To Forever band or indeed the material that so distinguished his ECM projects. However, one cannot expect even a great musician to come up trumps every time in every way and there's more than enough on this CD to please all but the most curmudgeonly judge. --Richard Palmer