Chick Corea "I compose in various ways - I never compose at the
computer as it's too slow. I got really used to using the pencil (2B
lead - .7) on score paper - it goes swiftly for me that way. But I very
often work out ideas by improvising things at the piano - sometimes I
dream melodies - like on 'Eye Of The Beholder' that theme was a dream."
www.chickcorea.com
During an era when the word "fusion" was applied to any mixture of jazz
with pop or funk, Chick Corea's Elektric Band reinforced the word's
original meaning: a combination of jazz improvisations with the power,
rhythms and sound of rock. Eye of the Beholder, which found guitarist
Frank Gambale, saxophonist Eric Marienthal and bassist John Patitucci
displaying increasingly original solo voices, is one of this group's
finest recordings and ranks with the best fusion of the latter half of
the 1980s.
Scott Yanow, All-Music Guide
The best of the Elektric Band series! This album sums up the ingenuity
and exceptional capabilities of one of the finest jazz-fusion bands
ever. It can be heard again and again without dissapontment. Chick
Corea's unlimited talent for bringing together classical composition
with jazz, rock and latin has never been so clearly expressed in any of
his albums, except for this one. This album tought me to love jazz, it
opened my eyes for the wonderful world of improvisation, which life is.
The album is almost a journey into the mind of Corea, told by a bunch
of people who truly unites their virtuous capabilities into a blend of
sometimes humorous, sometimes deeply serious and technically baffling
orchestration. A masterpiece of what music also can be.
Massimo Fiorentino, Copenhagen
Chick Corea Elektric Band: Chick Corea (piano, synthesizers); Eric
Marienthal (saxophone); Frank Gambale (guitar); John Patitucci (bass);
Dave Weckl (drums). Recorded at Mad Hatter Recording Studios, Los
Angeles, California. Includes liner notes by Chick Corea. After a
highly impressive debut album and a stylistically simpler sophomore
release, the Chick Corea Elektric Band proceeded to produce an album
that was musically more advanced than anything they had accomplished
before. The result, EYE OF THE BEHOLDER, is arguably the best record
the band produced in their seven-year existence. With saxophonist Eric
Marienthal and guitarist Frank Gambale on board to enhance the core
trio of Corea, Dave Weckl (drums) and John Patitucci (bass), EYE is the
perfect balance of the group's stunning technical chops, musical
artistry and technological wizardry.
The most obvious difference on this record is the incorporation of more
natural, acoustic sounds into the "electric" format. Corea's use of
acoustic piano (enhanced by synthesizers), Weckl's natural drum and
percussion sounds, Marienthal's sax and even Gambale's use of some
acoustic guitar lend a much warmer vibe to EYE than previous efforts.
What's more, many compositions, including "Home Universe," "Eternal
Child," "Beauty" and "Ezinda" have a very chamber-ensemble feel with
many varied textures and dynamics. Finally, the title track is a
spectacular Spanish-flavored barnburner in the style of Corea's "Spain"
that showcases each member's strengths to the fullest.