50 years ago this month (December 2018), one of the most iconic exploratory jazz piano trio albums hit the scene. Chick Corea's album "Now He Sings, Now He Sobs" featuring his trio of Miroslov Vitous and Roy Haynes was released in December of 1968 and highlighted a plethora of interesting releases that were released in that year. Chick was just 26 years of age in this recording, and it truly is a remarkable work of art.
For me, this album is and was one of the most intriguing musical statements that seamlessly connects improvisation and composition together, blurring the lines between what is and is not, composed. It has followed me throughout my career, popping up in bits and pieces, from a fascination as an undergraduate, to playing "Matrix" on a Juilliard degree recital. During this latest encounter, earlier in 2018, I realized this year marked the albums fiftieth anniversary!
Earlier this year, my band Hear & Now recorded brand new arrangements of the tunes from Herbie Hancock's "Speak Like a Child" album, a special project for YouTube. And when I learned both "Speak Like a Child" and "Now He Sings, Now He Sobs" were released in the same year, it seemed fitting for me to delve deeper into this music and present new versions of Chick's tunes as well!
I'm very excited to share these new videos that feature:
Lucas Pino - Tenor Saxophone & Bass Clarinet
Alex Wintz - Guitar
Miki Yamanaka - Piano
Dave Baron - Bass
Jimmy Macbride - Drums
I hope these videos will serve has an inspiration for you to rediscover Chick Corea's original work, and to appreciate the fact that the sign of truly great composition is their longevity and ability to be reinterpreted again and again.
Please enjoy,
Nick Finzer
MATRIX
