“Corea and Fleck, in concert” reviewed by Michael Horn

Highly Recommended ****

“MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC”!  The legendary Chick Corea and the incredible Bela Fleck made their Auditorium Theater debut for a one night only concert on the Auditorium’s landmark stage.  Pianist and composer Chick Corea is a 20-time Grammy award winner and banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck is a 15-time Grammy winner.  These two virtuosos are pioneers in their own fields and delighted the filled auditorium with   their stunning orchestrations and passion for diverse music.  Their partnership may seem at first odd, a banjo and a piano, but the two instruments truly complement each other and produce spell binding harmonies.  They have collaborated with one another in the past, Chick lending his talents to guest play on two of Fleck’s albums with his band “Béla Fleck and The Flecktones,” and Fleck appearing on Corea’s “Rendevous in New York” DVD. The two then teamed up for their firs t full-length album, “The Enchantment,” which they recorded together after only a single night’s rehearsal in a Los Angeles Hotel , later going on to receive a Latin Gramm y in 2007.

The full house at the magnificent Auditorium anxiously awaited the start of the concert and hushed when the two giants began with “Senorita” from the Enchantment Album.  This piece showed why Chick and Bela love to play together as the punchy notes of Bela’s banjo were balanced by the smooth runs of Chick’s piano…simply marvelous!  The evening included so much phenomenal music spanning jazz, bluegrass, rock, flamenco, and gospel.  Bela introduced us to “Walk for Abby”, a piece he composed for his wife and Chick gave us “Banjo and Piano” a tune he wrote to showcase the two instruments.  Stevie Wonder’s “Overjoyed” was an absolute work of art as Bela exploded on his solo followed by Chick’s cascading runs.  Bela gave us “Juno”, a tune written for his new baby while waiting for a plane at the Dallas airport and “Spectacle” was a lovely piece, bouncy with intricate banjo plucking and piano work.  The audience was entranced.  The evening was filled with everything they came for and the two maestros did not disappoint!  “MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC”!

The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, located at 50 E Congress Pkwy, is an Illinois, not -for-profit organization committed to presenting the finest in international, cultural, community and educational programming to Chicago, and to the continued restoration and preservation of the National Historic Landmark Auditorium Theatre. The Auditorium Theatre is generously supported by the MacArthur Foundation, the NIB Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council and the Palmer House Hilton. For more information about programming, volunteer and donor opportunities or theatre tours, call (312) 341–2310 or visit AuditoriumTheatre.org.

You might also want to visit www.chickcorea.com to learn more about where you might be able to get an opportunity to see him perform.