Woove staff writer reviews the September 25th Chick Corea Trio show in Ronoke, Virginia.

Chick Corea’s newly founded trio put on an unforgettable show at the Jefferson Center in Roanoke, VA, this past weekend.  The venue was filled up with an eager audience ready to see what Christian McBride, Brian Blade, and the legendary pianist himself had in store.  Being the group’s second show of the tour, Corea joked that it would be a “semi-rehearsal” and thanked the crowd for joining them for the night. 

The first song was a piece that Corea said he hadn’t played since he wrote it back in 1965.  It was no warm-up; Blade on the drums and McBride on bass each got a chance to showcase their talent early on, and the comfortable relationship between the stage and seating was quickly established.  The perfectly-sized venue was just intimate enough to allow easy crowd engagement like the group was playing in your living room.  The second song was written by a Russian composer according to Corea, who explained to the crowd that his version was just a little bit (with a hint of sarcasm) “different” from the original piece.  The song began peacefully with Blade putting soft touches on his drums – as he did many times during the show – only this time it involved clapping and playing with his bare hands.  The others slowly jumped on board as the song took off.  As it approached the ending, Christian McBride held down the beginning groove to bring back the slow, off-time clapping which started the song.  Soon Corea joined in with the clapping as did Blade, all while still playing their instrumental parts, and the song came to a brilliant close with the three men making music with only their bare hands.

The rest of the show consisted of Chick Corea’s multi-layered melodies and progressions balanced against endless bass lines, all accompanied by the explosive Brian Blade.  Most songs changed pace many times before the end, and the group was able to do so at the blink of an eye.  All three musicians had smiles on their faces for most of the show, but Blade’s stuck out the most.  He defied every law of physics in the way he twisted and leaned into his playing without falling out of his seat, all while changing sticks and making sweet love to his drum kit.  He used his ability to play quietly, focusing on the delicate touches of his cymbals using brushes and mallets, then seconds and a few loud snare shots later he would have everyone in the building bouncing their heads as the group followed the pick-up in energy.

Changes in tempo weren’t the only part that made the band tight.  Chick wrote most pieces, and as expected they varied in style from traditional, structured jazz compositions to psychedelic, avant-garde parts where his free style somehow held things together.  In general he did what he does best, played mesmerizing piano licks that resolved perfectly into strong progressions which would last only until one of the three took off for a lead part. 

Many times throughout the show it came down to a drum and bass duo with Corea improvising on top.  Although he composed most pieces, McBride and Blade’s contributions made it a truly collaborative effort.  A few times during the night Corea even left his seat to walk behind the group and admire a bass or drum solo, and he often got both.  The crowd also paid full attention to the solos as everyone in the building was more than intrigued, cheering on the players from start to finish.  Christian McBride covered every square inch of his upright, playing faster than normally possible for someone with human hands.  In the fun-filled spirit of the show he even jokingly collapsed on his bass while playing a higher and higher note during a solo until, with everyone watching in amazement, he couldn’t reach any further.   

You can’t question the group’s cumulative talent, and the show backed it all up.  By the end of the second set, songs brought in by both McBride and Blade – one song each – were played, further showing their versatility.  The performance was mostly fun and relaxed, but as expected from Chick Corea it had its moments of deep thought in which the music could bring tears to one’s eyes.  It’s good to see artistic music in its finest form, and this event was exactly that: at the highest level of skill, creativity, and showmanship.