Pianist Chick Corea, now 71, sounds on scintillating form here – in fact, his acoustic break on the Coltranesque Pledge for Peace ranks among his all-time best solos in its constant replenishment of ideas. This album's lineup includes virtuoso bass guitarist Hadrien Feraud, fiery British reeds-player Tim Garland and implacably tight drummer Marcus Gilmore. It mixes time-switching fusion forays, typically Spanish-flavoured Corea themes, soft-swinging ballads and soulful meditations such as the aforementined Pledge for Peace, which is enhanced by guest Ravi Coltrane's vibrantly mournful tenor sax. Only a faintly self-conscious free-form episode, nodding to Corea's Bitches Brew period with Miles Davis, sounds remotely insecure. The title apparently represents the vigil of jazz's elder statespersons in cherishing their pasts – but this unexpectedly full-on set is all about celebrating and reinventing, not polishing silverware.
Chick Corea: The Vigil – review
More than just polishing silverware, Chick Corea's latest album cherishes the past but forges forwards at the same time, writes John Fordham