“I have the hope that those who feel the urge to play, to write, to perform in spectacle, can do so.
(...)
Because it's more fun ”.
Addressed in a press release that his relatives were to make public after his death, the last words of pianist Chick Corea, jazz luminary, who died at the age of 79, of a rare form of cancer, on February 11, 2021, certainly resonate louder in the ears of his former playing partners. He confided to them, in a last burst of humility, the "
blessing
" and "
honor
" that it was "
to learn and play with [them]
" .
They have given him back since yesterday, with many tributes to his talent and his kindness.
The American leaves behind a world of jazz in mourning, the orphan of one of his most influential and verbose pianists.
The heart "
broken
" to see his "
dear brother in arms
" disappear, Quincy Jones, subscribed to the Grammy awards, as he who won 23 (for 60 nominations), said in a publication that Instagram "
n 'there was absolutely nothing [Chick Corea] couldn't do musically
”.
A pioneer of jazz fusion, Chick Corea was part of the electric adventure of Miles Davis, on keyboards on
Bitches Brew, a record
monument of the 70s. With Stanley Clarke, he founded Return to Forever, emblem of the jazz-rock years.
If the bassist has not yet reacted on social networks, the guitarist of the formation, Al Di Meola, recalled that "
joining Return to Forever
" was, for him, a "
dream come true
".
“
Chick was my favorite musician and Return To Forever was my favorite band when I was 19.
It was an endlessly renewed musical journey.
We were at the forefront of a new idiom,
”he told Facebook.
Like Al Di Meola, who thanks Chick Corea for having "
given him the chance to play with [him], [his] hero
", John Patitucci, a young drummer who parachuted into his Electrick band at the end of the 80s, will not forget “
Never his generosity, his encouragement and his faith in a kid from Brooklyn who just wanted to play bass in his band
”.
A great improviser, musician with a thousand collaborations, Chick Corea has never ceased to renew itself.
“
[Chick] took me to places where I would never have been alone,”
said famous American singer, Bobby McFerrin, on Facebook.
Chick had this gift, to create new paths and to take musicians with him.
For Belà Fleck, banjo player, he was a “
hero
” and “
a mentor
” in addition to being a “
friend
”.
No doubt,
"his genius will continue to inspire many generations,"
as John Patitucci said in his tribute.
And in particular Shai Maestro.
The 32-year-old Israeli, also signed to the German label ECM, recalled, in a long tribute to his mentor on Facebook, having heard for the first time, "
the sound of the Fender Rhodes
", at the age of eight, when his uncle passes him
Spain
, emblematic composition of the piano giant, on vinyl.
Then from that time when, at eleven, he saw him on stage, in Stockholm, in a trio.
“
Each time, it was a life-changing experience
,” says the pianist who, like many others, grew up and was formed with the music of Chick Corea.