Chick Corea has died aged 79
The jazz pianist and 23 Grammy-winning giant's death was confirmed on Thursday evening
Last updated 19th Feb 2021
The jazz world is coming to terms with the sudden loss of Chick Corea; the legendary pianist has died at the age of 79. He is considered to be one of the greatest pianists in jazz history.
The news was confirmed on Thursday night with a message on his website, saying he had a rare form of cancer which was only discovered very recently.
From starting his solo career in 1966, Chick Corea was on the frontier of the jazz world as a renowned pianist, keyboardist and composer.
Chick had an astounding calling in jazz, befriending and collaborating with some of the biggest names including Stan Getz and Miles Davis who both helped launch his career in the late 1960s.
After replacing Herbie Hancock in Miles' band in 1968, Chick went onto feature in the pioneering records In A Silent Way (1969), Bitches Brew (1970), Jack Johnson (1971) and On The Corner (1972).
Together with bassist Stanley Clark, his ‘Return To Forever’ fusion band crafted some of his most famous jazz compositions and award-winning albums.
Corea's fame rose with the release of his three Piano Improvisations albums and his fusion group Return to Forever, particularly with the release of Light as a Feather (1972) and My Spanish Heart (1976).
Later, his work featured a heavy Latin influence, although his final album will be a solo live performance. He was Grammy-nominated 67 times and won 23 of those - more than anyone else in the history of jazz music. In 2006 he was made an NEA Jazz Master, the highest accolade within the jazz world in the US.
Continuing to experiment and innovate throughout his career, he firmly stamped his name as one of the jazz greats. We were even lucky enough to have him play at our Virtual Jazz Festival as part of UK Music Day in 2020.
Only last year, Chick joined Jazz FM for an hour’s special programme: ‘The Music That Made Me’ reflecting on his vast achievements and selecting his favourite music. This included Mozart, Miles Davis and Stevie Wonder:
A message from Chick before his death reads: “I want to thank all of those along my journey who have helped keep the music fires burning bright. It is my hope that those who have an inkling to play, write, perform or otherwise, do so. If not for yourself then for the rest of us. It’s not only that the world needs more artists, it’s also just a lot of fun.
“And to my amazing musician friends who have been like family to me as long as I’ve known you: It has been a blessing and an honor learning from and playing with all of you. My mission has always been to bring the joy of creating anywhere I could, and to have done so with all the artists that I admire so dearly—this has been the richness of my life.”