Special Guests Performing with Corea, Clarke and White Include Chaka Khan, Jean-Luc Ponty and Bill Connors
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2009, at 8 PM
The 2009 Jazz series at the Hollywood Bowl continues on Wednesday, September 2, at 8 p.m. with multiple Grammy-winning jazz pianist Chick Corea, joined by Return To Forever band mates Stanley Clarke and Lenny White, for their first worldwide trio tour. Also sharing the stage is master guitarist John Scofield and The Piety Street Band. All-star guests include vocal great Chaka Khan, violin virtuoso Jean-Luc Ponty, and original Return To Forever guitarist Bill Connors. For the first time since 1974, Corea, Clarke & White, along with Bill Connors, will reprise their dynamic chemistry from 1973’s Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy, performing such early Return To Forever material as “Space Circus,” “Captain Señor Mouse” and “Spain.”
Since his critically acclaimed solo debut of Tones for Joan’s Bones in 1966, Chick Corea has been at the forefront of jazz as a brilliant composer and masterful pianist. An instrumental figure of the electric fusion movement of the 70s, Chick Corea gained plaudits from critics and the public alike with his formation of the renowned group Return To Forever. Consequently, RTF’s discography boast numerous “essential” albums, beginning with their 1970 self-titled classic debut Return To Forever, continuing with 1973’s rock-oriented Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy, and the Grammy-winning No Mystery in 1975. Along with RTF’s staggering album success, Chick Corea’s individual musical resume teems with accolades, including more than 50 Grammy nominations, 14 Grammys, and the 2006 NEA Jazz Master award, the highest honor the U.S. bestows on jazz musicians.
Famously known for their collaboration with Return to Forever, Stanley Clarke and Lenny White’s illustrious careers continue to influence the modern jazz world. A brilliant player of both acoustic and electric basses, Stanley Clarke became an influential force when he teamed up with RTF, preceding the great Jaco Pastorius. Although much of his career has been spent outside the jazz world, he still maintains the ability to play jazz with the very best. Along with Clarke’s rhythmic foundation on bass, Lenny White gained much reputation as one of the top fusion drummers during his stint in Return to Forever. Much of White’s success has been due to his versatility, which has allowed him to play in various musical settings.
Other special guests to perform are violin virtuoso Jean-Luc Ponty, a key collaborator on Chick Corea’s 1976 classic My Spanish Heart and Stanley Clarke’s 1995 Rite of Strings. Along with Jean-Luc Ponty, soul singing icon Chaka Khan, featured with Corea, Clarke, and White, tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard on 1982’s Echoes of an Era, is expected to perform some of her own hits along with such early Return To Forever staples as “500 Miles High.”
A principal innovator of modern jazz guitar, John Scofield has expressed himself in the vernacular of bebop, blues, jazz-funk, organ jazz, acoustic chamber jazz, electronically tinged groove music and orchestral ensembles with ease and enthusiasm. Regardless of the stylistic setting, his distinct guitar sound and compositions are unmistakably Scofieldesque, always coupled with an improvisational excellence and dedicated to the finest in jazz tradition. It is a rare artist that can explore more than one kind of music with true fluency, virtuosity and sincerity but Scofield can, and he’s proven it once again with his Piety Street project - a powerful collection of Gospel renditions.
After touring and recording with Miles Davis from 1982 to 1985, Scofield placed himself firmly in the foreground of jazz consciousness as a player and composer. He prominently leads his own groups in the international Jazz scene and has recorded 36 albums as a leader, many already classics. His history of collaborations with jazz legends such as Chet Baker, Charles Mingus, Joe Henderson, Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden, and Herbie Hancock are uniquely balanced by contemporary projects with Bill Frisell, Brad Mehldau, Mavis Staples, Jack DeJohnette, Joe Lovano, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Government Mule, and Phil Lesh. Scofield’s compositions, in association with composer Mark-Anthony Turnage, have been the foundation of the orchestral piece Scorched which has been performed by some of the world’s leading orchestras.
One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the HOLLYWOOD BOWL has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922, and is home to the best and brightest in all genres of music. The 2004 season introduced audiences to a revitalized Hollywood Bowl, featuring a newly-constructed shell and stage and the addition of four stadium screens enhancing stage views in the venue. To this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's concerts. While the Bowl is best known for its sizzling summer nights, during the day California's youngest patrons enjoy "SummerSounds: Music for Kids at the Hollywood Bowl," the Southland's most popular summer arts festival for children, now in its 42nd season. In January 2009, the Hollywood Bowl was named Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue for the fifth year in a row at the 20th Annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards; the Bowl's summer music festival has become as much a part of a Southern California summer as beaches and barbecues, the Dodgers, and Disneyland.
EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2009, at 8 PM
HOLLYWOOD BOWL, 2301 N. Highland Ave. in Hollywood
Jazz Series
CHICK COREA, STANLEY CLARKE & LENNY WHITE
CHAKA KHAN, special guest
BILL CONNORS, special guest
JEAN-LUC PONTY, special guest
JOHN SCOFIELD AND THE PIETY STREET BAND
Tickets ($1- $96) are on sale now at HollywoodBowl.com, at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office (Tuesday–Saturday, 12 p.m.–6 p.m.), or by calling Ticketmaster at 800.745.3000, and at all Ticketmaster outlets. Groups of 10 or more may be eligible for a 20% discount, subject to availability; call 323.850.2050 for further details or group sales. For general information or to request a brochure, call 323.850.2000.
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Sophie Jefferies, sjefferies@laphil.org, 213.972.3422; Lisa Bellamore, lbellamore@laphil.org, 213.972.3689; For photos: 213.972.3034