Record reviews

Press, 27 November 1986, Page 20

Record reviews

By

ALLAN FRANCIS

CHICK COREA. Pacific Jazz. Chick Corea, piano with unlisted personnel play originals inspired by writings of I. Ching — “Book of Changes.” WORLD RECORD CLUB WC 9837.

Chick Corea was always extravagant; with Stan Getz he inspired some of the tenor player’s best work, later with Miles Davis there was a transformation to jazz-rock which added much to his brilliance though little to actual depth of character.

Later still he fused the two concepts (“Return to Forever”), adopted a more sober stance and produced a style that was more acceptable to a wider audience. In spite of his natural exuberance this is where he is at this stage in his career with “Pacific Jazz.” The poetic ideas that abound in this 1981 album spring from Chinese writings, listed in order as “Steps — What Was,” “Matrix,” “Now He Sings, Now He Sobs,” “Now He beats The Drum” and “The Law of Falling and Catching Up.” For those who prefer simplicity, the whole idea seems to be based on variations on “Like Someone in Love,” and as he certainly goes “rejoicing to high heaven” the roots are firmly based in down-to-earth tunes that we have known since birth. There are many im-

pressionistic touches, harmonic complexities, but Corea seems so consumed with his own ideas that he forgets completely those who serve him so well on bass and drums — a grave oversight.

But no-one could ever deny him the right to claim that at this point he leans on no other pianist for his inspiration. There is nobody quite like him, whether you like him or not.

ROOM WITH A VIEW. Music from the film featuring Kiri Te Kanawa, soprano with the LPO conducted by Sir John Pritchard. EMI RECORDS EMC 292. Kiri Te Kanawa was hard pressed to get on to records when she first went to the United Kingdom, but now it seems there is nothing not wide open to her multiple talents.

Eventually some avenues may not be suitable, but happily this is not one of them. The music is credited to Richard Robbins, but obviously this is not entirely true. Opening with “O Mio Babbino Caro” sleeve writers totally ignore the valuable contribution of Puccini and much is owed to the original inspiration of the older generation of film music writers, North and Victor Young. It is in the Italian song that Te Kanawa finds her proper niche; there are only two numbers from her, the opening track

and “Chi 11 Bel Sogno Di Doretta,” another Puccini aria infused with total beauty. Undoubtedly Kiri Te Kanawa supplies the high points of the album, but there are many interesting little sidelights in the incidental music that are interesting, if not exactly essential listening. The playing of the London Philharmonic is compelling and one can only admire the high standard of music that film producers now use compared with even 20 years ago. BUTTERFLY. Jeff Clarkson. Music for relaxation. CMP 0901 — cassette.

This is "doodling” music performed with a minimum of effort, straying wherever the fancy dictates, no form, no actual melody, only sounds that a child might make on the family piano at the age of three. The purpose behind it all has nothing to do with music, it is a means of relaxation where the listener sits back as if in a field on a summer’s day to allow the beauties of nature to wash over without having to make any conscious mental or physical demands.

Music of this kind demands no effort, for there is nothing for the intellect to grappie with, only to sit back and let unrelated sounds remove the problems of the day. In this it succeeds admirably, if that is the way you want it.