Chick Corea Elektric Band was a

jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and ke ...

band, led by keyboardist and pianist

Chick Corea Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz composer, pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", " 500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba", and ...

and founded in 1986 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The band was nominated twice at the

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

. The sixth band album, a tribute one named ''Chick Corea Elektric Band II - Paint the World'' and released in 1993, received an additional nomination the next year. The group reunited in 2003, and Corea died in 2021.

History

Original lineup and first two albums

The band was and its typical line-up, in addition to Corea, who played keyboards and piano, was

Eric Marienthal Eric Marienthal (born December 19, 1957) is a Grammy Award-nominated Los Angeles-based contemporary saxophonist best known for his work in the jazz, jazz fusion, smooth jazz, and pop genres. Early life Eric Marienthal was born on December 19, 1 ...

(saxophone),

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(guitar),

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(electric bass), and Dave Weckl (drums). This was the line-up for the first two albums: the eponymous ''The Chick Corea Elektric Band'', released in 1986, and ''

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'', released in 1987.

Third and fourth album

The third album was '' Eye of the Beholder'', released in 1988. The material for the fourth album, ''

Inside Out Inside Out may refer to: *Backwards (disambiguation) or inverse Books * '' Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd'', by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason * ''Inside Out'', Christian book by Larry Crabb * ''Inside Out'', novel by Barry Eisler ...

'', released in 1990, was Corea originals. The last album featuring the band's traditional line-up was '' Beneath the Mask'', released in 1991.

Fifth album and comeback of some historical members

For the next album, ''Elektric Band II: Paint the World'' released in 1993, only Corea and Marienthal returned from the original line-up. Gary Novak became the new drummer,

Jimmy Earl James Christopher Earl (born 1957) is an American jazz bass guitarist who is a member of the ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' band. Early life and education In 1957, James Christopher Earl was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to James and Sylvia Earl. He i ...

took the bass, and Mike Miller played guitar. The album's style is jazz-oriented.

The tribute album and return of other historical members

In 1996, the band recorded a version of "Rumble" from ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play '' Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid ...

'' for the tribute album ''The Songs of West Side Story''; this saw Weckl and Gambale returning. The original members reunited in 2004 for '' To the Stars''.

Last band tour and Corea's death

The band’s last tour took place in 2018. Corea died of cancer at his home in the Tampa Bay area of Florida on February 9, 2021, at age 79; he had only recently been diagnosed.

Discography

Studio albums

*'' The Chick Corea Elektric Band'' (1986) *''

'' (1987) *'' Eye of the Beholder'' (1988) *''

'' (1990) *'' Beneath the Mask'' (1991) * Elektric Band II: ''Paint the World'' (1993) *'' To the Stars'' (2004)

Live albums

*''Live from Elario's (The First Gig)'' (rec. 1985, rel. 1996) *''Live in Tokyo 1987'' (rec. 1987, rel 2017).

References

{{Authority control American jazz ensembles Jazz fusion ensembles Musical groups established in 1986 Musical groups disestablished in 2017 Musical quintets