CD Reviews: Chick Corea and John McLaughlin: Five Peace Band “Five Peace Band Live” 2009, Concord (CRF-31397-02)
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Posted by: editoron Thursday, August 06, 2009 - 03:43 PM |
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Mark Hayes
It’s taken almost forever to return to the point where Chick Corea and John McLaughlin’s careers first intersected, but listeners can rest assured that the time between nothingness and eternity – actually, about 30 years – was well worth the wait. Corea and McLaughlin, joined by saxophonist Kenny Garrett, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, comprise the neo-fusion outfit called the Five Peace Band.
This live recording – two CDs worth of music – was recorded during the European leg of the band’s 2009 world tour, in which Colaiuta handled timekeeping duties. Anyone who caught the US and Asian legs of the tour saw Brian Blade on drums, but that probably wouldn’t have changed much, as the virtuoso level of playing on this release is clear from the very first notes.
Corea, who formed the Five Peace Band with his good friend McLaughlin and who chose the rest of the players, stands a bit more at the front of the group than the others, although McLaughlin certainly gets his generous share of solo time. All but one of the tunes comes in at over 10 minutes long, with the intergalactic “Hymn to Andromeda” making a voyage out to the edge of the universe and back that takes over 27 minutes. Needless to say, everyone gets a chance to stretch his chops.
And there are chops aplenty. But unlike the fusion days of old, when louder, faster, and more powerful playing was the way jazz tried to compete with rock, the Five Peace Band embodies a lighter but no less impressive approach to pushing the limits. Best among the eight tracks on this release are those that settle into a groove, “Dr. Jackle,” which coheres nicely after a playful opening passage from Corea, and the opening track, “Raju” a driving piece that’s most reminiscent of McLaughlin’s work with the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Comparisons to Corea’s Return to Forever and Weather Report are also tempting, but the Five Peace Band seems very much its own group: confident, steady, and tight.
The groove, courtesy of McBride on fretless electric and acoustic basses and Colaiuta on what sounds like a huge drum kit, is first-rate when it’s allowed to last, but at times during the lengthy jams, it seems that the ensemble is impatient with sitting on any sort of vamp for too long. McBride, versatile and unpredictable in midst of it all, isn’t given the quite the proper weight in the mix. Colaiuta, who broke into the business playing polyrhythms in Frank Zappa’s groups, is plugged into each soloists’ phrasing and rarely lets an idea go unpunctuated without a cymbal or tom-tom flourish.
Kenny Garnett stands out, returning perhaps to a frame of playing familiar to him from five years with Miles during the Prince of Darkness’ electric period. Garnett’s efforts here blend in well with the ensemble and stand out when they should, clearly and imaginatively. One notes he also plays the least. His pleasantly manic, slightly off-kilter riffing on the heavy-but-sweet “New Blues, Old Bruise” is the highlight of his playing on this release.
With so many long tracks, there is bound to be a little looseness and slack here and there. While “The Disguise” succeeds with a free open form bracketed by clear transitional sections, a number like “Senor CS” offers a bit too much of the busy stuff, and you start to long for a groove, if not an ending.
Likewise, the group’s tribute to the oldfangled electric days with Miles, “In a Silent Way/It’s About That Time,” has the added bonus of Herbie Hancock sitting in (as on the original), but wobbles slightly between too much busyness and a clean groove. Miles would have had Teo Macero edit that mother down a bit. But these are all nits to pick among the almost two and a half hours of music.
All will be forgotten, indeed, with the closing track, “Someday My Prince Will Come,” a lovely rubato duet on this old standard between the principals. You can hear Corea and McLaughlin, all their years of playing in so many different formats, simply happy to be hanging out with each other in an old familiar place, friends among friends, at peace.
Artist Web: www.fivepeaceband.com
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