Chick Corea in Concert
Rare Solo Piano Performance

"I like the audience to sense the challenge and risk that's being taken in the act of improvisation. When that excitement of discovery is communicated through the music, I feel the goal has been achieved—at least for that moment." - Chick Corea

One of the most creatively restless and indefatigably imaginative jazz artists in the history of the music, Chick Corea defies easy categorization—equally at home in acoustic and electric settings, eager to find new ways of expression with old friends and quick to explore new partnerships with youthful adventure-seekers.

Since heeding the solo calling in 1966 with his critically acclaimed debut, Tones for Joan's Bones, Corea has been at the forefront of jazz, forging new ground with his acoustic jazz bands and expanding the sound of fusion with groups such as Return to Forever and the Elektric Band. His career resume teems with accolades, including more than 50 Grammy nominations and 14 Grammy Awards.

It is no overstatement to call Chick Corea one of the most prolific composers of the second half of the 20th century. The volume of his recorded output over the past 40 years is staggering. From avant-garde to bebop, from children's songs to straight-ahead, from hard-hitting fusion to heady forays into classical, he has touched an astonishing number of musical bases in his prodigious career, all the while maintaining a standard of excellence that is simply uncanny.

"Nothing in my creative world has changed in a major way since the very beginning of my music making," says Corea, who started his recording career as a leader in 1966 with Tones for Joan's Bones, followed by the classic Now He Sings, Now He Sobs in 1968. "I still, as always, love pursuing something new and refreshing. I consider that the only experience I want to give others with music is one I'm totally immersed in. I like the audience to sense the challenge and risk that's being taken in the act of improvisation. When that excitement of discovery is communicated through the music, I feel the goal has been achieved—at least for that moment."

Born Armando Anthony Corea in Chelsea, Massachusetts in 1941, Corea began studying piano at age 4. Classically trained, he drew early on from the works of Horace Silver and Bud Powell. In addition to numerous and eclectic solo recordings, he has collaborated with greats such as Sarah Vaughan, Herbie Mann, Stan Getz and Miles Davis, replacing Herbie Hancock in Davis' band in 1968. In 1971, Corea formed the band Return to Forever and recorded some of his best-known compositions, including La Fiesta, Spain and with Gary Burton, 500 Miles High. Over the years, the contributions of Lenny White, Bill Connors and Al DiMeola developed the band into a Grammy winning, rock and jazz sensation. The late 70s saw Corea collaborating with Herbie Hancock in recordings and on tour; the 80s saw significant creative work, including the formation of Echoes of an Era with Chaka Khan. His work in the late 80s and early 90s was some of the best fusion of the era, including Elektric Band (1986), Eye of the Beholder (1988) and Beneath the Mask (1991). In 2000, Corea recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra and continued creating new work, reuniting with collaborators from the past while forging new creative relationships. The current century has seen a revival of the Elektric Band, more symphonic compositions, recordings with Béla Fleck and notably, a reuniting of the classic Return to Forever (with Al DiMeola, Stanley Clarke and Lenny White) and the creation of the Five Peace Band group, a recent project with renowned jazz guitarist John McLaughlin. Corea continues to create abundantly.

His performance at Appalachian on October 1, 2009 is a solo piano concert.

Late seating policy applies.