Chick Corea

Chick Corea has continually re-invented himself since emerging on to the scene in the 1960s. He came to the fore around the same time as Keith Jarrett and Herbie Hancock, and these three pianists are considered the main successors to mid-20th century jazz icons Bill Evans and McCoy Tyner. Corea started recording albums as a leader in the 1960s, before collaborating with Miles Davis on his classic album Bitches Brew (which is credited with launching the jazz-rock era). By the 1970s, he was playing highoctane fusion with his band Return to Forever. After this band broke up, he played acoustic piano in a variety of all-star lineups, before forming his Elektric band in the mid-1980s, adding a heavy dose of funk to his inventive jazz stylings. In the 21st century, he continues to juggle straight-ahead acoustic jazz with cutting-edge fusion, and remains a potent force in the jazz world.

Recommended listening:

• Return to Forever, 1972 (ECM)
• Three Quartets, 1981 (Warner Bros)
• Eye of the Beholder, 1988 (GRP)