Chick Corea - Circle 1: Live in Germany
Label: CBS / Sony
Series: SX68Sound
Released: 1971
Genre: Jazz
Style: Free Jazz, Fusion
In this realm of resonances, where the tapestry of time and melody interweaves in a haunting symphony, I find myself ensnared in a spellbinding odyssey. The vinyl record, a conduit to a cosmos of harmonies, transforms into a vessel for the quintessence of the fifth sense.
As the turntable hums, and musical notes pirouette through the air, I transcend the role of a mere listener; I become a voyager navigating the celestial canvas painted by each auditory brushstroke. The room, bathed in a soft luminescence, evolves into a sanctuary where the boundaries between the tangible and the fantastical dissolve.
In this rhapsodic reverie, the vinyl record, a canvas etched with cosmic messages, assumes a life force of its own. The electric whispers emanating from the rotating disc metamorphose into vibrations that envelop me, ushering in a momentary detachment from the material world. It's a dream, a palpable yet intangible encounter where the known and the unknown converge.
A delicate interplay between the cerebral and the emotional unfolds within these melodic strains—a dialectic dance in which I become entangled. The sophistication of jazz intertwines with the approachability of popular music, creating a fluid current that carries me away, providing glimpses into a reality hitherto unknown.
As my gaze lingers on the album cover—a white-framed sphere on an ink-black background—it encapsulates the essence of this sonic odyssey. 'Circle 1: Live in Germany Concert,' a title that, much like the music itself, suggests a journey with distinct phases, a circular narrative echoing the perpetual motion of the spinning record.
In these ephemeral moments, the consciousness of the physical world dissipates, replaced by an immersion in the abstract language of sound. It's a surrender, a willing submission to the music as it sculpts the contours of my consciousness. Each note becomes a brushstroke, painting scenes of emotion and nuance that resonate in the silent spaces between sounds.
Yet, as the final notes dissipate, I'm drawn back to the room—the subdued lighting, the turntable's stillness, the short glass with a lingering trace of cognac. This record has guided me through a transcendent experience, an expedition that eludes easy articulation. The refined tones linger, leaving me in a state of contemplation, yearning for more of this auditory alchemy.
Allow me to recount my journey with this extraordinary record, an opus unjustly overlooked by ALLMUSIC. This remarkable album, orchestrated by a quartet under the mastery of piano virtuoso Chick Corea, weaves an incredible tapestry of sonic landscapes. In these archival narratives, we catch a glimpse of a chapter in Corea's career where his artistry plunged into the avant-garde realms of jazz, a prelude to the metamorphosis that awaited as he embarked on a trajectory toward the domain of jazz fusion.
The sonic sorcerers constituting Circle form a fellowship of virtuosos, their arcane talents including the multi-instrumental wizardry of Anthony Braxton, the gravitational grooves of double bass and cello maestro Dave Holland, the rhythmic sorcery of drummer Barry Altschul, and the pianistic enchantment woven by none other than the illustrious Chick Corea. Each of these sonic alchemists unfurls a tapestry of enchantment in this live session, a bewitching symphony where their instruments engage in a telepathic dance reminiscent of the ethereal players in Eric Dolphy's 'Out To Lunch!'
Yet, amidst this melodic séance, it is maestro Chick Corea who emerges as the true conjurer-in-chief. His hands navigate the labyrinth of creative improvisation in a celestial ballet, painting sonic frescoes that defy the confines of time, echoing with a freshness that transcends even the temporal boundaries of 2024. His left hand, the architect of chords both inevitable and novel, frames musical landscapes that stand as timeless monuments. His right hand, painting melodic flourishes of poetry in a dance of arcane utterances, conjures within us memories of times yet to come.
The tension swells with each heartbeat of the performance, a crescendo that binds our senses in a spell until, in a moment of tantalizing revelation, Corea resolves the chord progression. A magician of the highest order, he wields control over our senses, our emotions, and our undivided attention. His playing is not a mere performance; it is a transcendental journey, a bewitching spell that leaves us suspended between the realms of sound and silence.
This album, despite the faint whisper of tape hiss, stands as a paragon of impeccable recording—an auditory marvel that transcends the realm of typical live recordings, echoing with a clarity that befits a meticulously crafted studio performance.
The inaccessibility of this musical gem, a rarity not readily found on streaming services in 2024, adds to its mystique rendering Circle-1 in dire need of a reissue. Fortunately reasonably inexpensive used copies are still available online where fine vinyl can be purchased, and keeping a keen eye on the jazz section of your local record store can yield a serendipitous discovery as well.
Chick Corea, often hailed for his exploits in the jazz fusion frontier, may bask in the limelight of his later works, but the chronicles of Circle-1, though often relegated to the shadows, emerge as a testament to his virtuosic zenith. Here, in this auditory tapestry, we witness Corea at the apex of his powers, crafting otherworldly melodies that transcend the confines of time. Circle-1, a monument to pure creative virtuosity, beckons as a portal to an era when Chick Corea wove spells of transcendence, and this chronicle unfolds the pinnacle of that creation in the raw, unfiltered embrace of real-time experience.
