Customer Reviews

Chick Corea Elektric Band: Live at Montreux 2004

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Chick Corea has been the most important Jazz Musician since Miles Davis, and this DVD shows that he still is just that. Joining Chick are all 4 original members of the Elektric Band. Each memeber of the Elektric band is quite possibly the best performer at his instrument. Eric Marienthal is a great sax player and performs at a top level during this whole set. John Patitucci is an amazing bass player. His standard fingering bass technique is nothing short of greatness; His phrasing and playing on this show that. Dave Weckl is one of the best drummers on the planet and has been for decades. His playing on this DVD is a must hear for drummers. He has taken his virtuosity to a new level. Frank Gambale is one of the best Fusion guitarists alive. His sweep picking technique has been a major influence on guitarists since the mid 1980's and he is spellbinding to hear. Together, they are the most talented group of musicians touring together on the planet. I have never seen a better band.(Some on the same level, but none better) During the 80's/90s this group recorded 4 great Cds together and I saw all of those tours. The decade between those cds and "To The Stars" didn't do anything to their compositions, telepathic interplay, virtuosity or live performance. This DVD captures the band at their most incredible state yet.The DVD is quality with good camera work and sound. The performance totals over 2 1/2 hours!

The concert is in two parts. The first part is a live version of the "Two The Stars" CD. Like all other CCEB tours, the music is taken to greater heights. The band improvises greatly and on "Check Blast", "Mistress Luck", and "The Long Passage" the band takes turns amazing the audience and each other. All members of the band applaud for each other and Chick has a smile that shows he knows that something special happens when he is playing with these guys. They even do an extended acoustic version of "Alan Corday" which is amazing. I found "To The Stars" to be a good but not great Corea effort. This version is as amazing as anything that they have ever done. The band then takes a break.

As great as the first part of the concert is, the second part is unreal. The band performs music from their 80's/90's tours. "CTA" is a Jimmy Heath song that the CCEB have been covering for years and have played during these last reunion tours nightly. This song is unbelievable. Each member of the band takes a solo spot. It is during this set that Dave Weckl takes his drumming to a new level. "Eternal Child" is from the "Eye of the Beholder" Cd. Once again, the band takes a compostion that I found to be good on Cd and make it great live. The whole band improvises again, and Gambale, Patitucci, and Marienthal are all incredible. ("Not shabby" in the words of Corea) 'Got A Match?' has always been a concert favorite and this version is awe inspiring. Chick starts out by trading be-bop lines with the audience. Then a great be-bop/jazz incluenced melody is played and improvised over. The whole band's virtuosity is taken to new levels. Most notable is John Patitucci's bass work. He never stops his "walking" bass and his solo is incredible. I am glad that Chick was able to get him for this gig. Chick, Marienthal and Gambale all add their own solos and then Chick trades fours with Dave Weckl. There has always been a special level of interplay between these two. They team up, yet again, to inspire each other and the audience. There is a flurry of unison lines by all and then the song ends. This tune is JAZZ fusion and an acoustic version would be amazing. All of Chick's years studying be-bop and jazz come out on this masterpiece. The DVD price is paid in full by this song alone. The first encore is "Spain". "Spain" has been a Corea concert staple for decades. The intro, based on the adagio movement from the "concierto de aranjuez"(Rodrigo), is improvised by both Corea and Patitucci. There are definite classical overtones during this part of the song. During the actual song, Marienthal and Gambale provide solos that are short, well phrased and virtuostic. Weckl closes it out with his typical brilliance. "Blue Miles" is the closer and the band shows some bluesy influences in the main theme. All performers do their thing again and then the show is over.

To sum it up; This is the DVD that Fusion fans have been dreaming of and is now a reality. You will never buy a better Jazz/Rock/Fusion DVD based on Talent of the band. If you are a fan of any of these 5, then you'll want this immediately. As individuals, each member is an absolute revelation on his instrument and as a group this is a truly timeless perfomance. Buy it now.

I remember watching Chick Corea perform years ago on public-
TV. I believe at that time, with Return to Forever. Well,here
he is, 30 years later, & just as brilliant and innovative as
ever.For anyone with an ear for jazz variations on keyboard, I
highly recommend this DVD. Not only is this outstanding, but
you also get well over 2 hours of LIVE performance!! And all of
the original members of the Elektric Band are reunited for this
show. Very 'tight' & very right. 5*++

I don't know what that guy is talking about misaligned video with the audio, but what I saw was perfect. He must've watched it on a PC DVD player and that tends to lose synchronicity. But, enough about that. The concert was all that I hope to have from the Electric Band. This was way more than adaquate. The performances given by each musician was nothing but unselfish love and devotion to the fans. No, and I mean NO punches were pulled in their performances. The endurance that Dave Weckl has to play using such a physical instrument (Drums) is a testimant to his flawless abilities as a drummer. I know him personally and I know that he suffers from a injured left shoulder and to play like he does, you'd never know it!!!!

I'm very happy to have this in my collection. I felt the drums could've come up a little more in the mix because at times the keyboards and synth were too loud and overshadowed the rest of the group. But other than that, it was such a delight to watch and enjoy these guys. I highly recommend this concert if you are a true fan of Chick and the band.

Good news first. This is a remarkable perfomance. Superb musicianship. I am most fascinated by Dave Weckl and Frank Gambale's playing. Now bad news. This DVD has convinced me that cameramen are inherent morons. I fully agree with Alejandro Briceno. It is just beyond any visual logic why they show the jerking head of John Patitucci or the back of Dave Weckl, when Frank Gambale is playing solo. Why they show Chick Corea or Dave Weckl, when John Patitucci is playing solo. Otherwise, greatly recommended.

I have to recommend this DVD to everyone who is a fan of jazz and jazz-rock-fusion. This is absolutely awesome! These guys play with incredible fluidity. Watching them work together and create those beautiful atmospheres and furious burning tempos with complex time signatures is hard to describe! But few do it better than the CC's Electric Band. These guys are the best of the best. This is top-notch all the way! Very, very recommended.

I've been waiting since the late 80's to see the Chick Corea Elektric Band. The years passed and I had long given up that I'd ever see most of the original members playing together (living in South Africa and then New Zealand doesn't help seeing artists like these either!). What a joy to watch this DVD and see Chick, Frank, Eric, John and Dave stretching out and enjoying themselves. An additional surprise was how recent a recording this is - 2004 at Montreux. This means great sound and lovely clarity of picture. Final surprise is the low price of this DVD. Over two hours of concert, this is great, great value.

There is a danger of rating this DVD too highly simply because of the lack of decent live contemporary jazz DVDs. There seems to be such a small selection of recent fusion jazz or even progressive rock concerts - and these are the type of concerts you want to view again and again. (Where are the live DVDs of Tribal Tech, Allan Holdsworth, CAB, Michael Brecker, Dregs, Yellowjackets or Baked Potato concerts etc.)

If I look at this objectively, this DVD fails in some critical areas. Yes, the concert is wonderful and I love the wide range of material and a chance for the players to solo to their hearts content. But I watch a DVD to see them - for most of this concert you do not see Chick Corea's hands. It is unbelievable that the film crew could not get a camera behind Chick. Fortunately he comes on stage and straps on his guitar-like keyboard towards the end of the concert otherwise you'd never see his hands up close. (It's like watching a Wimbledon tennis match and only seeing where the ball lands and never seeing the players serve.) Fortunately Gambale, Marienthal and Patitucci get excellent footage so all is not lost. I can't say the same for Weckl. Often the camera angle is directly behind him - don't camera men know that the side drum needs to be seen? There are some appalling calls as to which camera shots are used. During a drum solo where Chick is comping (I think this is called drumming over an ostinato pattern?) the camera focuses on Chick's hands doing almost nothing while arguably one of the world's finest jazz drummers is not shown at all. Often the camera man realises that Dave is doing something fantastic but by the time they focus on him, the fill is long finished. Oh the frustration while watching.

We are fortunate that this is such a long concert so they do manage to give Dave Weckl some coverage. Without going to the trouble of literally timing with a stop watch, it's quite clear that Chick and Dave get the least coverage. The camera focuses on the middle of the stage where John Patitucci happens to be standing. This means great coverage of his bass work - and as he is an animated, incredible musician this is not a bad thing. I'd have just liked more of Dave!

In spite of these flaws, this is still my favourite contemporary jazz concert DVD. Don't hesitate if you love exciting, live jazz. Watch this DVD and see one of the greatest lineup of jazz musicians of the last two decades.

I really really wanted to like this one. Always been a fan, but this dvd has finally made me realize what I don't like. The sound is horrible - nothing but sax and keys most of the time (sorry, but Marienthal is closer to smooth jazz than I care to be). If you strain to listen, you can make out some snare drum and cymbal crashes that let you know Weckl's probably doing something amazing. Terrible camera work.

Don't get me wrong, there are some stellar moments. Patittuci is great, every once in a while Gambale gets to shine, and Chick gets some cool spots. The whole effort, as one reviewer pointed out, doesn't really ooze FEEL. As great as the players are, I'm not getting much passion. Somebody please tell Chick not to do anymore "audience participation" cheeseball antics (it went on forever). I bought the Gonzalo Rubalcaba Trio on the same order - it has all the ingredients this one lacks!

Fans of Chick Corea's "Elektric Band" are in for a real treat with this live CD from Montreux in 2004. The band was no longer active when this performance took place, but you'd never know it from the level of musicianship and interplay displayed by all the original members of the group. The arrangements are tight and the solos consistently masterful; everyone on the stage is at the top of their game. And unlike the "Live at the Maintenance Shop" DVD of the Elektric Band from 1986, this release has crisp video images, excellent editing and superb sound quality. It's also like getting 2 shows for the price of one, as both sets on this release are long enough to warrant a DVD on their own.

Personally I like the 2nd set better than the first, mostly because of the song selection, but the whole concert is awesome. And having seen them live myself once, I think this DVD does a great job of capturing the energy and vibe of the band in a live setting. I've always felt that this band was far better live than in the studio, where the complexity of the music seemed to overwhelm the warmth and humor that Chick brings to a live event. So I'd recommend this for any fan of Chick Corea and this "Elektric" phase of his career. It's a phenomenal band, and they absolutely smoke through these tunes!

Having seen the band do some of this material the same year, I was more than pleased with this DVD. Top notch talented group, you could see and hear how well the knew each other muscially. I can't think of a group performing today that has this level of talent. The sound is very good as well as the filming. And obviously the crowd was with them all the way, and the humor content was fun as well.

I bought this CD because Dave Weckl plays in it. His drumming is one of a kind and totally inspires me. I could listen to his drumming all day long. I think he is the top drummer of our time and his jazz playing is incredible. Buy this album!!