Trilogy (3xCD)
On September 9, 2014, Stretch Records/Concord Jazz will release Trilogy a recording to rank with the landmarks of Corea's career. Trilogy is a triple-CD set recorded live around the world with his spectacularly virtuosic trio featuring bassist Christian McBride and drummer Brian Blade, both star leaders in their own right (and previously the rhythmic backbone in Corea's Five Peace Band). A marvel of live recorded sound, particularly for having been captured in multiple stops on the road, Trilogy sees the trio reinvent classic Corea compositions (such as 'Spain'), as well as previously unreleased originals ('Piano Sonata: The Moon'). The group also performs an array of jazz standards (including two Thelonious Monk tunes) and even re-imagines a Prelude by fin-de-siècle Russian composer Alexander Scriabin ('Op. 11, No. 9'). The recordings were made live in Washington, D.C., and Oakland, CA; in Spain, Switzerland and Austria; and in Slovenia, Turkey and Japan. Corea, McBride and Blade are joined by special guests on three tracks: flutist Jorge Pardo and guitarist Nin o Josele in Madrid ('My Foolish Heart' and, aptly, 'Spain') and vocalist Gayle Moran Corea, the pianist's wife, in Sapporo ('Someday My Prince Will Come').