The story goes that one of his aunts used to like pulling his cheeks and call him ‘cheeky’, which later became ‘Chick’ and that's how the world of music got Chick Corea - the fabulous (and nerdy looking) jazz keyboardist, who moved on from this world on 9^th February, 2021.

Chick started playing the piano at the early age of 4 and by the time he was in his 20’s he was playing with giants like Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz. His first couple of albums as a leader are today considered as classics. In fact, ‘Now He Sings, Now He Sobs’ (1968) is a personal favorite.

But it was under the guidance of that great jazz alchemist, Miles Davis (and along with other great musicians), that Chick Correa ushered in the jazz-rock fusion sound with his electric piano in albums like ‘In a Silent Way’ and ‘Bitches Brew’. The highly interesting sound of the 70's jazz had arrived and Corea was one of the pioneers of it.

Chick went on to form the concept jazz-funk group called ‘Return to Forever’ with the bassist Stanley Clarke. The thought was to have a rotating cast and an ever evolving sound, which in itself was a brilliant idea to make the expanse of their musical pursuit richer by the day. Some of his compositions like Spain, 500 Miles High and Tones for Joan’s Bones have now become jazz standards.

In fact, ‘Light As a Feather’, the second album by Return To Forever, was my first exposure to Chick and it knocked my brains out from the word go. The album became my gateway to the wonderful world of jazz (and this has been the case for many others). A journey that still continues. Thank you for that nudge and thank you for all that great music, Mr Corea...you have returned to forever.

By Meraj Hasan

Meraj Hasan is a Mumbai based communication professional (and an amateur poet/musician) with a passion for listening to music the vinyl way. His 32-year-old Technics turntable along with a humble collection of LPs across genres like Classic rock, Classical, Blues and Jazz (amongst others) are his prized possessions. He's also the author of the book 'Khyaalon ki Tapri', a collection of poems. This bestseller book is available on Amazon.  

He can be reached at +91 9833410791 or email: meraj.hasan@gmail.com