Role

:

Composer  

Country

:

United States of America

Birth

:

June 12, 1941 in Chelsea, MA

Death

:

February 9, 2021 in Tampa Bay, FL

Genre

:

Vocal

 

Chick Corea was an American jazz and classical music composer, pianist, and bandleader. He was born on June 12, 1941, in Chelsea, Massachusetts, to a musical family. His father was a trumpet player and bandleader, and his mother was a singer and pianist. Corea began playing the piano at the age of four and was soon performing with his father's band. Corea's early musical influences included jazz pianists such as Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, and Bill Evans, as well as classical composers such as Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven. He attended Columbia University in New York City, where he studied music composition and theory. In the 1960s, Corea began his professional career as a jazz pianist, playing with such legendary musicians as Stan Getz, Miles Davis, and Herbie Mann. He also formed his own groups, including Circle and Return to Forever, which blended jazz, rock, and Latin music. Corea's compositions were known for their complex harmonies and rhythms, as well as their use of electronic instruments such as synthesizers. His most famous works include "Spain," "500 Miles High," and "La Fiesta," which have become jazz standards. In addition to his work as a composer and pianist, Corea was also a respected bandleader and mentor to younger musicians. He founded the Chick Corea Elektric Band in the 1980s, which featured a fusion of jazz and rock music, and the Chick Corea Akoustic Band in the 1990s, which focused on acoustic jazz. Throughout his career, Corea received numerous awards and accolades, including 23 Grammy Awards and a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship. He was also inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame and the International Association for Jazz Education Hall of Fame. Corea continued to perform and record music until his death on February 9, 2021, at the age of 79. His legacy as a pioneering jazz and classical music composer and pianist will continue to inspire and influence musicians for generations to come.

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