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  • CHICK COREA REUNITES WITH THE BANDS AND COLLABORATORS FROM HIS PIONEERING JAZZ CAREER
  • Aug. 28, 2002
  • KLON's JAZZ AT THE BOWL

    WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, AT 8:00 PM

    Sponsored by Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts

    Media Sponsor: KLON 88.1

    On Wednesday, August 28 at 8 p.m., the Hollywood Bowl presents a special concert reuniting keyboard master Chick Corea with his former bands and frequent collaborators through the years, including the Elektric Band, the Three Quartets band featuring Michael Brecker, and Gary Burton, as well as Flora Purim & Airto Moreira from the original Return to Forever band.

    Backbeat Live pre-concert performances take place one hour prior to the concert at the Patio, and are free to all ticket holders. The August 28 session features an interview with Chick Corea.

    Chick Corea, who began playing the piano at the age of four, established himself early as a master keyboardist. After a three-year stint with Miles Davis, Corea launched into rock fusion with his 1972 landmark release Return to Forever. In the late '80s, with bands such as the Elektric and Akoustic Bands, Corea turned his focus to the distinctively brittle and precise tone that has since been imitated the world over.

    Opening the program, Chick Corea performs a duet with vibraphone player Gary Burton. The two have shared a long professional relationship that has cemented itself with several joint albums and four Grammy Awards dating back to 1972.

    Also performing is the Three Quartets band, featuring the inventive saxophonist Michael Brecker, exploring the 1981 album Three Quartets that featured both Corea and Brecker in an intimate acoustic ensemble.

    The concert also features Corea with the Elektric Band - the 1985 ensemble that accommodated Corea's fusion and traditional jazz translations. The end of the concert features a special arrangement of Corea's classic work, "Spain," with long-time collaborators Flora Purim and Airto Moreira.

    Inventive and experimental, CHICK COREA has been a significant presence in jazz since his 1968 classic trio set, Now He Sings, Now He Sobs. After stints with Sarah Vaughan, Miles Davis, and Stan Getz, the masterful keyboardist formed his own groups suited to his mercurial style of playing: Return to Forever, the Elektric Band, and the Akoustic Band. While pushing the boundaries of jazz, Chick Corea also composed jazz standards including "Spain," and "Windows." He last performed at the Bowl in 1999.

    Self-taught vibes player GARY BURTON, famous for his four-mallet style, made his recording debut when he was 17. Subsequent tours with George Shearing and Stan Getz led him to form his own groups with the likes of Larry Coryell, and to record duet sets with Ralph Towner, Steve Swallow, Keith Jarrett, and Chick Corea. He has been a permanent staff member of Berklee School of Music since 1971 and continues to be an innovative stylist. Gary Burton last performed at the Bowl in 1993.

    Nine years after the breakup of the Return to Forever band, Chick Corea ended a period of freelance projects by forming his ELEKTRIC BAND, which became one of the top jazz fusion groups of the late '80s. Members of the group for this performance are Dave Weckl (drums), John Patitucci (bass), Eric Marienthal (sax), and Frank Gambale (guitar). The Elektric Band last performed at the Bowl in 1990.

    After moving to the United States in 1968, Brazilian husband and wife team, percussionist AIRTO MOREIRA and vocalist FLORA PURIM came to international notice touring and recording with Miles Davis in 1970. They were members of Chick Corea's first Return to Forever band in 1972. Since then Airto has become one of the most sought-after percussionists. Flora and Airto last performed at the Bowl in 1998.

    The THREE QUARTETS band featuring Michael Brecker (sax), Eddie Gomez (bass), and Steve Gadd (drums) formed in 1981 around the recording Three Quartets released in 1981 and a subsequent tour. Since known for their solo work with Chick Corea, the group's most recent week-long engagement at the Blue Note in New York in December 2001 was a rare and highly successful event.

    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

    Wednesday, August 28, 8:00 PM


    Hollywood Bowl (2301 N. Highland Ave in Hollywood)

    Chick Corea and Friends

    CHICK COREA

    GARY BURTON

    THREE QUARTETS featuring MICHAEL BRECKER, saxophone

    THE ELEKTRIC BAND

    FLORA PURIM & AIRTO MOREIRA

    SCOTT WILLIS, host

    Sponsored by Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts

    Media Sponsor: KLON 88.1

    Backbeat Live pre-concert performances take place one hour prior to the concert at the Patio, and are free to all ticket holders. The August 28 session features an interview with Chick Corea.

    Tickets ($1 - $70) are on sale now at the Hollywood Bowl box office, by calling Ticketmaster at 213.480.3232, at all Ticketmaster outlets (Robinsons May, Tower Records and Ritmo Latino locations), or online at hollywoodbowl.com. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for a 20% discount, subject to availability; call 323.850.2050 for further details. For general information or to request a brochure, call 323.850.2000.

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  • Contact:

    Elizabeth Hinckley, 323/850-2047; David Barber, 323/850-2023