Chick Corea - Forever Yours: The Farewell Concert [2LP]

Chick Corea's final public performances were two solo piano concerts in Clearwater, Florida, in 2020, and Forever Yours: The Farewell Concert preserves them across two LPs in a gatefold jacket.

He died in 2021, only four months later, so there is real poignancy here, yet the music itself is anything but mournful. Alone at the piano on the stage of Ruth Eckerd Hall, Corea plays like a host at a dinner party, chatting to the audience between pieces, explaining ideas and inviting listeners into his process. His longtime collaborator Bernie Kirsh recorded the evenings, spoken introductions and all.

The programme roams freely. Armando's Rhumba, one of his best-loved originals, dances with Latin swing even without a band behind it. Stevie Wonder's Overjoyed becomes a tender meditation, while Waltz for Debby and In a Sentimental Mood pay tribute to Bill Evans and Duke Ellington. He also visits Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell and Mozart, and plays selections from his own Children's Songs cycle.

Best of all are the Portraits, where he invites audience members on stage and improvises a musical sketch of each one.

For anyone who loved his playful, generous spirit, this is a moving and joyful goodbye from one of the great pianists in jazz, captured with warmth and remarkable clarity.