CD review: Chick Corea – Plays 2020: Video, CD cover

The latest addition to Chick Corea’s remarkable discography is ‘Plays’, a captivating and intimate double album of solo performances. While he claims that, “Solo piano is lonely,” Chick finds himself in good company throughout these stellar performances, engaging with several of his favorite composers.

The list of icons represents a wide swath of musical history, from the classical repertoire of Mozart and Chopin to formative jazz influences like Thelonious Monk and Bill Evans, on to the Great American Songbook classics, the bossa nova beauty of Jobim, and the modern pop sensibility of Stevie Wonder.

With countless classics having become standards over the last half century, Corea himself deserves to take his place in that pantheon, and ‘Plays’ includes a number of pieces – reprised from past albums or spontaneously improvised – from his own estimable songbook. The album also showcases his charming rapport with enthusiastic audiences in concert halls across Europe and the U.S., who become integral collaborators in these spirited renditions.

CD1

1. Chick Talks Mozart and Gershwin (Live in Clearwater / 2018) (2:13)
2. Mozart: Piano Sonata in F, KV332 (2nd Part – Adagio) (Live in Clearwater / 2018) (4:18)
3. Someone To Watch Over Me (Live in Clearwater / 2018) (7:40)
4. Improvisation on Scarlatti (Live in Paris / 2018) (2:18)
5. Scarlatti: Sonata in D minor K9, L413 Allegro (Live in Paris / 2018) (2:08)
6. Yesterdays (Live in Paris / 2018) (5:40)
7. Chick Talks Bill Evans and Antonio Jobim (Live in Berlin / 2018) (0:41)
8. Waltz For Debby (Live in Berlin / 2018) (7:22)
9. Desafinado (Live in Berlin / 2018) (5:07)
10. Chopin: Prelude Op. 28 #4 (Live in Paris / 2018) (4:14)
11. Scriabin: Prelude Op. 11 (Part 1) #4 (Live in Paris / 2018) (5:00)
12. Chick Talks Monk (Live in Berlin / 2018) (0:20)
13. Pannonica (Live in Berlin / 2018) (4:13)
14. Trinkle Tinkle (Live in Berlin / 2018) (2:34)
15. Blue Monk (Live in Berlin / 2018) (4:21)

CD2

1. Pastime Paradise (Live in Clearwater / 2018) (5:56)
2. Chick Talks Paco (Live in Clearwater / 2018) (0:47)
3. The Yellow Nimbus (Live in Paris / 2018) (9:33)
4. Chick Talks Portraits (Live in Paris / 2018) (0:59)
5. Portrait: Henrietta (Live in Paris / 2018) (2:22)
6. Portrait: Chris (Live in Paris / 2018) (2:08)
7. Chick Talks Duets (Live in Paris / 2018) (0:22)
8. Duet: Yaron (Live in Paris / 2018) (3:57)
9. Duet: Charles (Live in Paris / 2018) (3:07)
10. Chick Talks Children’s Songs (Live in Paris / 2018) (0:43)
11. Children’s Song No. 1 (Live in Paris / 2018) (1:43)
12. Children’s Song No. 3 (Live in Paris / 2018) (1:12)
13. Children’s Song No. 4 (Live in Paris / 2018) (2:36)
14. Children’s Song No. 9 (Live in Paris / 2018) (1:25)
15. Children’s Song No. 10 (Live in Paris / 2018) (3:50)
16. Children’s Song No. 15 (Live in Paris / 2018) (1:34)
17. Children’s Song No. 17 (Live in Paris / 2018) (3:43)
18. Children’s Song No. 12 (Live in Paris / 2018) (7:57)