Experiencing Chick Corea

With twenty-three Grammy wins, Chick Corea is a legendary jazz figure and one of the most prolific and influential contemporary pianists of our time. He has produced hundreds of releases in multiple genres over five decades, and he is one of the hardest-working musicians in the industry, with a yearly tour schedule of over 250 international concerts. He has authored multiple books and instructional works, and many regard him today as easily one of the most influential musicians of his generation. Experiencing Chick Corea looks at the full span of Corea's career, decade by decade, touching on the vast array of musical styles he engaged, from his initial work with Herbie Mann to his free explorations with Circle. It touches on his arguably most influential album Now He Sings, Now He Sobs, his involvement with Miles Davis' Bitches Brew and subsequent efforts as pioneer in the fusion scene with Return to Forever, his duo collaborations, classical outings, and his acoustic and trio work in the 1990s and beyond. Learning how to listen to Corea is itself a bit of a magic carpet ride, given the range of material he has created and the breadth and depth of that work. Experiencing Chick Corea introduces this American Icon to audiences beyond the domain of jazz fans already familiar with this work. Monika Herzig places Corea's creations in their historical and social contexts so any music lover can gain a fuller understanding of the incredible range of his work.

With twenty-three Grammy wins, Chick Corea is a legendary jazz figure and one of the most prolific and influential contemporary pianists of our time. He has produced hundreds of releases in multiple genres over five decades, and he is one of the hardest-working musicians in the industry, with a yearly tour schedule of over 250 international concerts. He has authored multiple books and instructional works, and many regard him today as easily one of the most influential musicians of his generation. Experiencing Chick Corea looks at the full span of Corea’s career, decade by decade, touching on the vast array of musical styles he engaged, from his initial work with Herbie Mann to his free explorations with Circle. It touches on his arguably most influential album Now He Sings, Now He Sobs, his involvement with Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew and subsequent efforts as pioneer in the fusion scene with Return to Forever, his duo collaborations, classical outings, and his acoustic and trio work in the 1990s and beyond. Learning how to listen to Corea is itself a bit of a magic carpet ride, given the range of material he has created and the breadth and depth of that work. Experiencing Chick Corea introduces this American Icon to audiences beyond the domain of jazz fans already familiar with this work. Monika Herzig places Corea’s creations in their historical and social contexts so any music lover can gain a fuller understanding of the incredible range of his work.

A Living Jazz Legend, musician and composer David Baker has made a distinctive mark on the world of music in his nearly 60-year career—as player (chiefly on trombone and cello), composer, and educator. In this richly illustrated volume, Monika Herzig explores Baker's artistic legacy, from his days as a jazz musician in Indianapolis to his long-term gig as Distinguished Professor and Chairman of the Jazz Studies department at Indiana University. Baker's credits are striking: in the 1960s he was a member of George Russell's "out there" sextet and orchestra; by the 1980s he was in the jazz educator's hall of fame. His compositions have been recorded by performers as diverse as Dexter Gordon and Janos Starker, the Beaux Arts Trio, the Composer's String Quartet and the Czech Philharmonic. Featuring enlightening interviews with Baker and a CD of unreleased recordings and Baker compositions, this book brings a jazz legend into clear view.

Experiencing Mahler surveys the symphonies and major song sets of Gustav Mahler, presenting them not just as artworks but as vivid and deeply felt journeys. Mahler took the symphony, perhaps the most tradition-bound genre in Western music, and opened it to the widest span of human experience. He introduced themes of love, nature, the chasmic depth of midnight, making peace with death, facing rebirth, seeking one’s creator, and being at one with God. Arved Ashby offers the non-specialist a general introduction into Mahler’s seemingly unbounded energy to investigate the elements that make each work an experiential adventure—one that has redefined the symphonic genre in new ways. In addition to the standard nine symphonies, Ashby discusses Das Lied von der Erde, the three most commonly heard song sets (the Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, Kindertotenlieder, and Rückert-Lieder), and the unfinished Tenth Symphony (in Cooke’s edition). Experiencing Mahler is a far-reaching and often provocative search for meaning in the music of one of the most beloved composers of all time.

Claude Debussy holds a place as a one of the most recognizable and influential composers in the classical music. Debussy forged a new and influential sound for the twentieth century with his remarkable harmonies, fluid rhythms, airy textures, and an instinct for mystery and beauty. In Experiencing Debussy: A Listener’s Companion, Teresa Davidian welcomes readers into the infectious appeal of Debussy’s major works to consider how they can still attract and move audiences. In such works as the hauntingly beautiful Clair de Lune and the groundbreaking Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, Davidian looks beneath the surface of the music to explain its power, all the while drawing connections between different pieces to place them securely within the context of Debussy’s life and times. Written in an accessible style, Experiencing Debussy provides an engaging tour through Debussy’s works for the concertgoers, movie buffs, performers, and students regardless of musical background.

Experiencing Berlioz: A Listener’s Companion is an in-depth entrée into the sound world of Hector Berlioz, recognized today as one of the most profoundly original and engaging composers in 19th-century Europe. Melinda O’Neal offers the non-specialist a pathway into the underlying allure of Berlioz's music. His views on rehearsing and conducting, bumpy career ride and failures, the journey of a work through revisions and editions, and historical performance practices provide a backdrop to discussions of his most significant works. As O’Neal addresses the motivation and conception, sonic atmosphere, and compositional strategies of key works, she provides a new multifaceted experience not only to music historians and performers but also to any amateur music lover who has ever been entranced by Berlioz’s undeniable musical veracity. As the listener interacts with Berlioz's music, the ear's curiosity and imagination will take flight.

Fryderyk Chopin’s career is intricately entwined with the piano. Although he made forays into orchestral and chamber work, the vast majority of Chopin’s pieces feature the piano. While his relatively brief life shortened his potential contribution as a composer, the originality, richness, and quality of his work is undeniable. His harmonies were often surprising, the rhythms flexible, and the music dramatic. In Experiencing Chopin: A Listener’s Companion,Christine Lee Gengaro surveys Chopin’s position as a composer at a time when the piano stood at the center of musical and social life. Throughout, she shines a spotlight on Chopin and his music, which illuminated the Romantic period in which he lived, the social and artistic climate that surrounded him, and the importance of the individual artist at a time of political foment. Gengaro considers the different genres among Chopin’s works, linking each to the historical, social, and biographical issues that shaped them.

The musical output of pianist and composer Herbie Hancock is a design rarely seen in jazz; a child prodigy working their way up the ranks to elder statesman and influencing an entire generation of musicians across numerous genres. Sowing his oats in classical repertoire, Hancock used jazz to satiate his musical curiosities enhanced by his undying love of the technological advancements of the day. As a result, Hancock has traversed expectations and continues to be a staple in mainstream music. In concert with his performance style, Hancock’s compositional efforts have added to the jazz canon and remain popular standards today. Like a musical protein, Hancock has used jazz as his foundation and added his own personal spices creating a unique harmonic invention. In addition to being a virtuoso pianist and composer, Hancock has explored many forms of music such as rock, funk and world music, always looking ahead rather than rehashing what has already been accomplished. Hancock’s chameleon-like ways of changing musical direction to broaden contemporary styles has been met with excitement from both peers and fans alike. But all of this came naturally to Hancock, whose boundless energy and creativity formed the music he loved so deeply. In Experiencing Herbie Hancock: A Listener’s Companion, author Eric Wendell looks beyond the successes and failures of Hancock’s career in an effort to explore Hancock’s musical design both within the jazz community and within the popular mainstream. Furthermore, Wendell will explore the dramatic impact that Hancock has held on the jazz community and how his efforts have fostered the cross-genre continuity of modern jazz practitioners. Experiencing Herbie Hancock: A Listener’s Companion, is an ideal work for jazz aficionados, music students and anyone who appreciates the efforts of an artist that would rather look ahead to the great unknown then tread backwards on past endeavors.