In 2013, Chick Corea teamed up with a couple of gold-standard rhythmists - Christian McBride on the double bass and Brian Blade on drums - with whom he recorded Trilogy, a brilliant live album which saw him blend his own repertoire with classic standards by Thelonious Monk, Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein, Kurt Weil, Irving Berlin & co.
Chick Corea: Trilogy 2 with Christian McBride & Brian Blade (Album Trailer)
Chick CoreaJust as the title indicates, Trilogy 2 repeats the exercise: same cast, same idea, same great result. Of course, the relationship between the three of them has been consolidated over the years. And while Corea’s piano remains one of the best of his generation, it’s the McBride/Blade tandem that really shines as a creative stroke of genius.
Chick Corea on Trilogy 2 with Christian McBride & Brian Blade
Chick CoreaThe accuracy of their interventions and punctuations are staggering, never off-kilter and never over the top.
Finally, the repertoire is a touch more original than on the previous Trilogy, with Steve Swallow’s Eiderdown, Monk’s Crepuscule with Nellie, 500 Miles High by Return to Forever, Lotus Blossom by Billy Strayhorn as well as Pastime Paradise by Stevie Wonder.
