"Space is deep, Man is small and Time is his relentless enemy." - To The Stars
When a legendary jazz artist finds inspiration in the words of a classic science fiction novel, the result is…elektric.
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To the Stars brings the Chick Corea Elektric Band back into the recording studio for the first time in a decade. For this latest album, twelve-time Grammy winner Chick, on keyboard and synthesizers, reunites with the original members of the band, bassist John Patitucci, drummer Dave Weckl, guitarist Frank Gambale, and saxophonist Eric Marienthal.
"We arrived at the studio with all this new music," says Chick. "As we began to lay it down, the first thing I noticed was the unbelievable performance of John, Dave, Frank, and Eric. They were all in top form. The energy of the band was unbelievable and every take was just out of this world."
As for the inspiration of To The Stars…
"I’ve been a fan of L. Ron Hubbard’s fiction writing since the early 70’s and To The Stars was always one of my favorite stories," says Chick. "When I started reading it again recently I came across a part near the beginning that describes the Captain of the spaceship playing a hypnotic melody on the piano in a dive of a bar in what is called ‘New Chicago.‘ And Hubbard describes the Captain, he describes the bar, he describes the music. And I thought to myself, ‘I hear that music.’"
Once at the keyboard, Chick began to play the music that he heard. That initial spark ignited into a composition, a portrait of one of the book’s characters entitled, Captain Jocelyn, The Pianist. From there, Chick got into another of the book’s characters, then another, and another, then into some of the novel’s intergalactic locations. By the time Chick completed his journey, he had composed nine new tunes, and To The Stars was launched.
Hubbard’s novel, a seminal work of science fiction, revolves around a scientific equation: "AS MASS APPROACHES INFINITY, TIME APPROACHES ZERO." As the speed of the ship, the "Hound of Heaven," approaches the speed of light, it also approaches zero time. So when the ship’s crew returns home after having spent a few months in space, hundreds of years have passed on Earth. They find their families, their friends, even their countries are things of the past. Theirs becomes known as the "long passage."
Chick’s compositions take the listener along on this voyage, and into the hearts and minds of the crew; the impenetrable Captain Jocelyn, his fiery consort, Mistress Luck, and the homesick Alan Corday, Engineer Tenth Class.
To reflect the length and mood of the ship’s journey, Chick created a suite entitled The Long Passage. The suite mirrors the voyage; tempos change, moods change; some musical passages take on a frenetic pace, while others take it slow and convey a sense of tranquility. And The Long Passage is graced with a brilliant vocal choir, voiced by Gayle Moran Corea.
While composing To The Stars, Chick discovered a fandango rhythm on a recording by Flamenco guitarist Paco De Lucia. Chick used that rhythm as the basis for Alan Corday Tenth Class, named for the book’s main character. Though To The Stars is pure "elektric," this tune is all "akoustic." It features Chick at the piano, Weckl on drums, Patitucci on upright bass, Gambale on acoustic guitar, and Steve Wilson joins in on soprano saxophone. According to Chick, "Alan Corday Tenth Class is probably technically the most demanding piece on the recording." Gambale, in particular, pulls off a true virtuoso turn on what Chick describes as an "impossible solo."
In addition to the original band, Pernell Saturnino adds his conga and percussion work throughout the album. Chick also called on Italian producer and keyboardist Emanuele Ruffinengo to help him realize the sound palette for the project, to create an aural atmosphere that depicts and portrays the story. As Chick puts it, "Emanuele helped me put a mood and a tone into the album that takes my compositions and the band's renditions into outer space - really painting the atmosphere of the story."
Since To The Stars is ultimately about returning home after a long journey, it is only fitting that the group recorded the disc at their former "home," Mad Hatter Studios in Los Angeles. But this was no bittersweet homecoming. The studio, now owned and operated by Golden Era Productions, had undergone a multi-million dollar renovation since the band had last recorded there.
The new design and décor of the studio brings the theme of Lewis Carroll’s tale to every corner of the building: from Studio A, now called "Alice’s Wonderland," to the green room, appropriately named "The Tea Party Room." The renovations were more than just cosmetic. Recording engineer Bernie Kirsh, who has worked with Chick for nearly thirty years and mixed all of the Elektric Band’s earlier albums, was in awe of the fully renovated 80 channel Neve board. To say nothing of Chick’s reaction to the studio’s newly restored Steinway, the instrument that was the conduit for some of Chick’s most memorable studio performances.
The melodies, the rhythms, the arrangements combine to make this one of the most challenging albums in the group’s history, raising the technical demands on each of the musicians, taking them individually and collectively to entirely new heights.
And so with To The Stars, the Chick Corea Elektric Band, like the crew aboard the "Hound of Heaven," have been propelled far into the future. And though it has only been a decade, their return is light years beyond where they started.
