Chick Corea, Jazz Pianist Who Expanded the Possibilities of the Genre, Dead at 79

Chick Corea, the virtuosic keyboardist who broadened the scope of jazz during a career spanning more than five decades, died on Tuesday from a rare form of cancer. A post on his Facebook page confirmed the news. Corea was 79.

In the early Sixties, Corea established himself as an A-list pianist, working with Stan Getz, Herbie Mann, and others. Later in the decade, he joined Miles Davis’ band and played a key role in helping the trumpeter make the transition to a more contemporary, plugged-in sound on albums like Bitches Brew. Following his work with Davis, he formed his own groundbreaking electric band, Return to Forever, which played some of the most vibrant and dynamic music of the fusion era. In the ensuing decades, Corea threw himself into countless projects, showing off his limitless range — from a duo with vibraphonist Gary Burton to his trendsetting Elektric Band. His most recent album, the 2020 live solo disc Plays, showed off his wildly diverse skill set and body of influences, touching on classical pieces, bebop, and more.

“I want to thank all of those along my journey who have helped keep the music fires burning bright,” read a message from the pianist on Facebook. “It is my hope that those who have an inkling to play, write, perform or otherwise, do so. If not for yourself then for the rest of us. It’s not only that the world needs more artists, it’s also just a lot of fun.

“And to my amazing musician friends who have been like family to me as long as I’ve known you: It has been a blessing and an honor learning from and playing with all of you. My mission has always been to bring the joy of creating anywhere I could, and to have done so with all the artists that I admire so dearly — this has been the richness of my life.”

Born in 1941, Corea grew up near Boston. His father, a Dixieland-style jazz trumpeter, introduced him to piano. Corea also played drums at an early age. He would go on to study briefly at both Columbia and Juilliard but soon left school and began gigging with established bandleaders such as Getz, Mann, and Blue Mitchell. By the late Sixties, he was already making strong statements as a bandleader, including 1968’s Now He Sings, Now He Sobs, an album featuring bassist Miroslav Vitous and drummer Roy Haynes that set a new benchmark for the modern jazz piano trio.

His work with Davis began with a transitional band known as the Lost Quintet given that it never made a proper studio album. “It really was a bad motherfucker,” Davis once said of the group, which bridged the daring postbop of earlier Davis band and boldly abstract free improvisation featuring Corea on electric piano, an instrument he was initially skeptical of. Corea would go on to appear on foundational Davis albums like In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew, A Tribute to Jack Johnson, and On the Corner.

Corea formed Return to Forever in 1972, and the second version of the band — featuring bassist Stanley Clarke, drummer Lenny White, and guitarist Bill Connors, later replaced by Al Di Meola — became a leading group in the jazz-rock movement of the time, along with John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra and Weather Report. Along with many in the jazz world, the group would prove hugely influential to rock artists including the members of Bad Brains and Living Colour’s Vernon Reid.

“The hair stood up on my arm,” Corea recalled of writing a piece for Return to Forever’s 1973 classic Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy. “It was so exciting and it worked so great and everyone was so enthusiastic about it. It really set a new direction, and it developed from there. The venues we were playing were bigger and the audiences picked up on the vibe. There was a synergy going on between what we were creating and how audiences were digging it. “

Though he established himself early in his career as a virtuosic player, Corea was also a restlessly inventive composer-bandleader who never shied away from new ideas. He explored avant-garde jazz with the collective group Circle; upbeat, Latin-influenced material on the album My Spanish Heart; the Thelonious Monk songbook with the Now He Sings trio; and danceable, pop-informed sounds with the Elektric Band; along with tributes to his musical heroes ranging from Mozart to bebop legend Bud Powell.

“What making music for people does, I’ve observed, is it stimulates what’s natural in all of us,” Corea told Jazz Times in 2020. “It’s native sense, in every person. You don’t have to be a professional anything — all you need to do is be a living human being, and open to the play of imagination.”