Back to back giants of jazz

Jazz fans are in for a double dose of excitement when two of the genre’s most acclaimed geniuses come to play Bangkok’s 15th International Festival of Dance and Music.
On September 20, Chick Corea will make his debut in the capital at the Thailand Cultural Centre. The winner of some 20 Grammy awards, the noted composer and keyboard wizard has attained “living legend” status after five decades of staggering productivity.
From his 2012 Grammy win for Best Improvised Jazz Solo, through his enormously prolific career, Corea has touched an astonishing number of musical bases in his career – from traditional to avant-garde jazz, bebop to fusion, children’s songs to chamber music, along with some far-reaching forays into symphonic works, while maintaining a standard of excellence that is awe-inspiring.
Watching him move effortlessly between these different styles is one of the paramount pleasures of seeing Corea and his accomplished group the Vigil play live.
Corea began his career playing with luminaries such as Stan Getz, Sarah Vaughan and Miles Davis, when he participated in such landmark sessions as “In a Silent Way” and “Bitches Brew”. Embarking on a solo career in 1966, Corea has been at the forefront of jazz, both as a renowned pianist forging new ground with his acoustic-jazz bands, and as an innovative electric keyboardist with Return to Forever and the Elektric Band.
The jazzman refuses to rest on his laurels. Over the last 18 months he has done three international tours and released four new albums, including “The Continents: Concerto for Jazz Quintet and Chamber Orchestra”, a crowning achievement in his work as a master composer, as well as “Hot House”, a transcendent set of standards in a Grammy-winning duet with Gary Burton.
Hot on the heels of Chick Corea and the Vigil will be the virtuosic jazz guitarist Mike Stern on October 4.
He has been bending notes and ears ever since his heydays with the solid gold hit-makers Blood, Sweat and Tears back in the ’70s, and stints with Billy Cobham and Miles Davis in the ’80s.
This six-time Grammy nominee will be demonstrating his six-string genius in Bangkok with a full band to lend his efforts extra heft.
All three of his band-mates are world-class talents – Grammy-nominated bassist Anthony Jackson, drummer Steve Smith, who’s played with Journey and Mariah Carey, and saxophonist Bob Malach, who has played with pop divas like Barbra Streisand and Madonna and soul icon Stevie Wonder.
This punchy band of groovers and shakers will be backing up a guitarist whose solo career stretches out 25 years. Stern has used his jazz roots as a starting point for exploring a range of alternate territories that include R&B, rock, swing, funk, world music and numerous other soundscapes.
Perhaps the ultimate accolade in his career thus far was bestowed last year when he won Guitar Player magazine’s Certified Legend Award.
Making these rare concerts even more special is the fact they are sponsored by the US Embassy in celebration of the 180th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Thailand.
The festival is sponsored by Bangkok Bank, Bangkok Hospital, B Grimm, Dusit Thani Bangkok, Indorama Venture, The Nation Multimedia Group, Beiersdorf (Nivea), SCG, Singha, Thai Airways International, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Toyota Motor Thailand.
 

WE HAVE TICKETS!
The Nation is giving away tickets for Sunday’s 2pm performance of “Nutcracker on Ice”. Just be one of the first three readers who can name the opening and closing shows of Bangkok’s 15th International Festival of Dance and Music. Send your answers to [email protected] (subject: Dance & Music Fest) by noon tomorrow.
Tickets for Chick Corea cost Bt700 to Bt3,500 and for Mike Stern Bt700 to Bt3,000. Visit www.ThaiTicketMajor.com or call (02) 262 3191.
For more details, go to www.BangkokFestivals.com.