Expressions

テーマをスタンダードや自作曲に絞り、ロマンチックな響きを追求した感動のピアノ・ソロ作品。 斬新なハーモニーの中で響きわたるメロディックなプレイが胸を打つ1990年代を代表する名盤。1994年録音。

EXPRESSIONS is an elegant album of solo jazz piano at its best. Chick Corea performs 12 standards and 2 originals with grace, drama and passion, expressing himself while acknowledging his wealth of influences.
To hear Chick do a Strayhorn standard is to hear a master at play. His technical facility is beyond superlatives; he is free to match the beauty of these songs with the beauty of his instrument. Corea honours the masters by stepping into Monk's swagger on "Panhonica" and "Monk's Mood", and by bouncing through Bud Powell's "Oblivion". He also pays homage to Art Tatum, to whom EXPRESSIONS is dedicated, with "Blues For Art".
Yet for all of these references and acknowledgements, Corea's own eloquent and inimitable voice stands clear. His arrangements are logical, his lines deliberate. Melodies are presented in sublime, lyrical beauty. At times Corea plays with his own sense of harmony, exhibiting enough poise and patience to let the listeners' ears digest some of the richer ideas. One of the more electrifying spots on EXPRESSIONS is where the pianist takes the standard, "I Want To Be Happy". Maintaining a driving ostinato with his left hand, he spins melody and colour with his right, infusing the song with stunning twists and surprises. This is how jazz piano should sound.|