Jazz Devotees Hear Burton, Corea at SPAC
by Debbie L. Tocci, The Post-Star, August 8, 1977
Atmospherically, the weather at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center Friday night provided the perfect background for the floating and ethereal music of vibraphonist Gary Burton and pianist Chick Corea.
They led off the first of four nights at the fourth annual Upstate Jazz Festival held at SPAC over the weekend.
The evening was damp and foggy with a fine gray mist swirling about the golden globes that light the park in front of the amphitheater, and the clear, bell-like sounds of Burton’s vibes and the lilting pirouettes of Corea’s piano seemed to hang in the air over the park, almost riding on the mist.
A young and appreciative crowd of approximately 2,700 was on hand for the performance, most of them seated at the back and in the balconies of the auditorium, with a sparse scattering of people on the lawn, creating an effect inside the amphitheater of being at an intimate gathering of friends rather than in a formal concert hall.
Burton performed solo on the vibes for the first 45 minutes of the concert, showing exceptional skill of technique, and originality of interpretation, producing a musical sound with a haunting harmonic beauty. Alone on stage. Burton appeared dwarfed by the setting, but thanks to the marvels of SPAC amplification and Burton’s strong percussive style, using, as he does, a four-mallet approach to the vibes, the sound he produced was anything but small. Rather, it was full, complex, and somewhat dazzling, with solid chords, intricate harmonies, and gliding arpeggios producing an impressionistic effect that ranged from hard-driving and atonally surrealistic to romantic — drawing enthusiastic applause from the crowd.
Corea immediately followed Burton on the stage, playing solo on a grand piano for a second 45-minute interval. Corea set up at once a rapport with the audience that was as friendly and informal as his apparel. He chatted with the audience before performing each of his selections, telling a little bit about the history of each piece and its musical meaning for him
For his second selection of the evening, Corea told the audience that he was “into” painting musical portraits, and that he was going to improvise a portrait of them, which he then did, producing a musical creation that expressed a variety of emotional temperaments from aggressive to questioning to delicate and sweet. Perhaps subconsciously, he gathered in the thoughts of the varied personalities seated before him.
During this portion of the concert, he played several of his own compositions which he has recorded with his group called “Return to Forever.”
He did a tribute to Bud Powell, a prominent jazz bebop pianist of the 40s and 50s. who was influential in effecting Corea’s early pianistic style. After this rendition, however, he returned to the style of playing for which he is best known—reflecting not so much the roots of American jazz—but the influences of classical European composers, Latin tempos and Eastern European folk music.
Following a short intermission, the concert continued with Burton and Corea joining forces — their similar impressionistic musical style and exceptional technical competence creating an exciting and majestic blend. Among the set up at once a rapport with the audience that was as friendly and informal as his apparel. He chatted with the audience before performing each of his selections, telling a little bit about the history of each piece and its musical meaning for him.
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