Friday 8 February 2019

For Yous Chick Corea & Gary Burton - 2008 The Novel Crystal Silence

The New Crystal Silence is a 2008 alive Jazz album yesteryear Chick Corea too Gary Burton. It was released inwards a 2-disc set. The starting fourth dimension disc was recorded May 10 & 12, 2007 at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. The 2nd disc was recorded on July 7, 2007 at Bjornsonhuset inwards Molde, Norway, except for the rail "Señor Mouse", which was recorded July 13, 2007 at the Auditorio de Tenerife inwards Canary Island, Spain.

The album peaked pose out 11 inwards the Billboard Top Jazz album charts too also won the Grammy awards for the Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group.

When Crystal Silence starting fourth dimension appeared inwards 1972 on the ECM label, its comprehend photograph depicted a stellar shot of the sun, which appeared to hold out setting. That duet album featured 2 already-seasoned jazz veterans who were inwards their thirties, too had been purpose of many of the developments inwards the music for a decade. Corea's credits included Miles Davis, his ain Return to Forever, the "Is" sessions, Circle, too many others; Burton's included tenures amongst George Shearing too Stan Getz every bit good every bit Larry Coryell. But the duet album they recorded for ECM was thence utterly striking too arresting because it highlighted non only an solely novel means of playing duets betwixt pianoforte too vibes -- which had been done previously too good yesteryear others -- but a novel means of hearing them every bit well.
After 35 years, 5 duet records, too countless tours together, the dyad revisit the notion of the duet inwards 2 dissimilar contexts on this delightful, compelling double-disc packet from Concord. The starting fourth dimension disc finds the dyad playing alive inwards Sydney amongst that city's symphony orchestra conducted yesteryear Jonathan Stockhammer too arranged yesteryear Tim Garland. The programme includes 5 tunes, all of them composed yesteryear Corea. While it is disconcerting on starting fourth dimension thought every bit to how an orchestra could add together to the special intuitive communication this duo has developed since its starting fourth dimension accidental surgical operation at a festival inwards 1971, those fears disappear rapidly after the orchestra's intro, when Corea's pianoforte makes its entrance too Burton responds. It's striking at that topographic point was thence lilliputian rehearsal time, too that Garland's arrangements are thence spot-on too attuned to the intricacy of what happens harmonically betwixt these two. "Duende" opens the laid amongst an enormous introductory sweep that feels to a greater extent than similar a crescendo, but it gives means within 2 minutes to the exploration of extrapolated minors when Corea plays a unmarried annotation that initiates his speaking vocalization on the piano. Burton answers too moves them into about other direction, icon from the within too pulling on for certain notes every bit he quotes a tune that feels strangely similar "The Shadow of Your Smile." Then the dyad are off, the orchestra brooding too shimmering behind them, opening upward spaces where at that topographic point would hold out tension inwards such a focused infinite of nestling keys that sweep this means too that way, too and then they engage fully amongst the orchestra. This continues through "Love Castle" too the speculative intro to "Brasilia," which feels similar a question. The rhythmic interplay is built layer upon layer, all the same sparely yesteryear the harmonic striations of vibes too pianoforte every bit strings hover too cautiously seem to follow into a much to a greater extent than romantic too exotic flying of fancy. Of course, the championship track, piece seemingly an solely novel piece when played amongst this symphony, is no less limpid than its predecessor. The compositional notion is merely eased into to a greater extent than tentatively, but the interpolations betwixt Burton too Corea are fifty-fifty cannier than 1 mightiness expect. Everything begins inwards shade too shadow too is revealed inwards the amount low-cal of day. The laid ends amongst a driving rendition of "La Fiesta," begun amongst an intensely intricate serial of counterpoint exchanges betwixt the pair.
Disc 2 contains a alive surgical operation from the Molde Festival inwards Norway, amongst 1 cut, "Señor Mouse" (also from the Crystal Silence debut), recorded inwards the Canary Islands. Far to a greater extent than breezy but perchance to a greater extent than taut too far less tentative, the laid starts off amongst Corea's "Bud Powell," too Burton shines amongst his solo, moving through the lyric phrases every bit Corea punches inwards spaces amongst tough, jaunty chord masses. It swings similar crazy earlier giving means to a stellar reading of Bill Evans' "Waltz for Debby." The melody, straight off recognizable inwards Corea's hands, is nonetheless a flake heavier inwards touch, but that's what makes it audio novel every bit well. The solo he opens amongst carries the basic lyric frame inwards his two-handed chords too runs earlier Burton slides the tune inwards solo, every bit expressive too intimate every bit 1 could ever promise for earlier it opens broad too sings. This happens on the other standards hither every bit well, the deeply emotive reading of "I Loves You, Porgy," amongst Burton's solo every bit tender every bit a vocalist emoting the words, too "Sweet too Lovely," where the dyad exactly dig inwards too allow the tune guide them on a wonderfully engaging, swinging ride through its harmonic possibilities. The other 4 Corea tunes hither include a really dissimilar version of "La Fiesta" every bit a laid closer; "No Mystery," which is to a greater extent than mysterious inwards about ways because of its usage of arpeggios, space, too counterpoint; too the all-too-brief rhythmic excogitation of "Alegria." The bottom line, of course, is that this set, every bit dissimilar every bit its 2 mirroring discs are, is nearly magical inwards both its intensity too creativity, too inwards its wonderfully relaxed means of walking through the deep passageways of improvisation. Anyone who is a fan of the duet recordings betwixt these 2 should ain this. Anyone non familiar should depository fiscal establishment jibe out the ECM disc first, too and then motility direct here, filling inwards the gaps later. They are wonderful counterparts to 1 about other too immensely satisfying listens.

The circumstances that led to pianist Chick Corea too vibraphonist Gary Burton collaborating on Crystal Silence (ECM, 1973) are the Definition of serendipitous happenstance. Neither thought the tape would convey broad appeal, yet it's gone on to croak non only a classic for the label, but for both artists, who convey since built large discographies amongst enough of private milestones. Recording infrequently every bit a duo, they've played together every twelvemonth since that starting fourth dimension meeting, amongst about pregnant globe-trotting inwards 2007 to commemorate their thirty-fifth anniversary together. The double-disc The New Crystal Silence documents that celebration amongst performances culled from dates inwards Australia, Kingdom of Norway too the Canary Islands.

The duo revisits cloth from Crystal Silence through to their most recent too 5th recording, Native Sense (Stretch, 1997), inwards add-on to a novel Corea tune too iii standards. The 2nd disc, from the Kingdom of Norway too Canary Island shows, finds the duet on their ain too inwards top form. Anyone who caught a 2007 demo knows—as their Portland Jazz Festival surgical operation amply demonstrated—that amidst the stunning virtuosity, empathic interaction too subtle nuances is an around mischievous playfulness. Some of this may hold out serious music, but Corea too Burton are clearly having fun.

The "new" comes amongst the starting fourth dimension disc, where Corea too Burton convey a soundless 3rd partner inwards British woodwind multi-instrumentalist/composer/bandleader Tim Garland. Garland doesn't perform, but was recruited yesteryear Corea to suit 5 tunes from the duo's repertoire for the pianist, Burton too symphony orchestra—in this case, the Australian Sydney Symphony. This isn't the starting fourth dimension time Garland has scored Corea cloth for orchestra—his "Fantasy on Crystal Silence" was a highlight of his ain The Mystery (Audio-B, 2007), too also featured Corea every bit a guest. Here, his orchestration of "Crystal Silence" is to a greater extent than reverential, although at that topographic point are moments of unexpected ability during a tune that has ever been to a greater extent than of a tranquil tone poem.

It's to Garland's credit that he finds the perfect blend of orchestration too improvisation. While at that topographic point are open-ended sections that allow Burton too Corea to croak where they will, Garland has turned Corea's compositions into miniature concertos, where the symphony weaves inwards too around solo too duet sections. Just how dissimilar the approach tin give the axe hold out is clear amongst the 2 versions of Corea's Spanish-tinged "La Fiesta" included—a to a greater extent than form-based version amongst the orchestra on disc 1 too a looser, to a greater extent than fully extemporaneous duet version on disc two.

That Corea too Burton are in-tandem improvisers capable of taking nifty risks piece consistently delivering near-perfect performances is what made their starting fourth dimension recording a classic. It's difficult to alive upward to Crystal Silence's iconic stature. Still, The New Crystal Silence proves that, every bit amongst whatsoever committed relationship, these 2 are never at a loss for fresh too relevant dialogue. The add-on of Garland's orchestral arrangements only provides an fifty-fifty to a greater extent than expansive context around which Corea too Burton tin give the axe croak on to create too strengthen a pairing that's destined to final a lifetime.

When they teamed upward inwards 1972 to play inwards a piano-vibraphone setting, lilliputian did Chick Corea too Gary Burton realize that 35 years subsequently their duo would croak on to expand its modern bedchamber music approach to jazz amongst amount introspection too exhilaration. Even though their serendipitous debut, Crystal Silence, was released on Germany-based ECM Records, which at the fourth dimension did non convey a distribution bargain inwards the U.S., the album non only forged the alchemic partnership, but also brought to renown the deep too insightful collaboration of the 2 virtuosic improvisers. After their premiere outing, they recorded 4 to a greater extent than albums too convey never skipped a twelvemonth performing together.
In celebration of the Corea-Burton duo’s 35th anniversary, they released The New Crystal Silence, a double CD featuring the dyad performing amongst the Sydney Symphony too every bit a duet captured inwards a sublime surgical operation at the Molde Jazz Festival inwards Molde, Norway. The orchestral concert bears the fruit of an invitation from 2 symphonies inwards Australia, inwards Perth too Sydney, which offered the twosome the chance to perform too tape their repertoire inwards an orchestral setting. As for the duo disc, Corea too Burton marked their long human relationship onstage of anticipating each other’s musical ideas yesteryear embarking on a worldwide tour too and then chose 1 of their best performances to document.
Writing inwards The New Crystal Silence liner notes, Burton reflects:
I’ve ever held the theory that all musical collaborations, peculiarly amid jazz musicians, eventually run their class every bit players evolve too everyone moves on to novel ventures. But, I’ve come upward to believe that what Chick too I convey together is going to interruption that rule. The performing nosotros convey done over the yesteryear twelvemonth has been our best inwards 35 years, too nosotros are really pleased to larn inwards available on these CDs.” He adds, “We both experience that our music has evolved inwards the final 10 years to a greater extent than than it did before. We play the tunes really differently, amongst fresh concepts too novel inspiration.Gary Burton
Corea agrees:
The means nosotros were approaching the music during our 35th anniversary concert tour was thence dissimilar that I thought it warranted documentation. Gary’s playing continues to amaze too inspire me. The tours we’ve done over this yesteryear twelvemonth are my favorites of all that we’ve done. There’s to a greater extent than to come, but hither is a piece of what we’re into these days.Chick Corea.
 Track listing

Disc one

    "Duende" (Corea) – 10:54
    "Love Castle" (Corea) – 12:41
    "Brasilia" (Corea) – 9:38
    "Crystal Silence" (Corea) – 14:09
    "La Fiesta" (Corea) – 13:35

Disc two

    "Bud Powell" (Corea) – 7:55
    "Waltz for Debby" (Bill Evans) – 8:03
    "Alegria" (Corea) – 5:49
    "No Mystery" (Corea) – 9:12
    "Señor Mouse" (Corea) – 9:10
    "Sweet too Lovely" (Gus Arnheim, Charles Daniels, Harry Tobias) – 6:56
    "I Love Porgy" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin & DuBose Heyward) – 4:09
    "La Fiesta" (Corea) – 10:41

Personnel

    Chick Corea – piano
    Gary Burton – vibraphone
    Sydney Symphony Orchestra
    Jonathan Stockhammer – conductor


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