snobb
After his all-time greatest period (early - mid 70s) that included some excellent solo albums as well as a very successful Return To Forever project, it looked like Chick Corea was in constant transition for all of the late 70s to early 80s. His albums from that period are all in different directions, from avant-garde to post-bop, but almost all of them are not at the same level as the releases from the beginning of the decade. Many fans were disappointed and lost interest in his music, but it was during this time that "Three Quartets" was released.
The original vinyl release contained four original Corea compositions, all melodic, very groovy and perfectly played. Chick switched to acoustic piano on this album, all three of the collaborating musicians are of the highest level and are in excellent form. Usually I am not a big fan of Michael Brecker's sax playing (too often its too melodic and sweet for my taste), but here on this release he, as a rule, avoids his pop-tricks. The album's hero is bassist Eddie Gomez - his deep groovy velvet bass is possibly the greatest element, giving a very personal feel to all of the music. Drummer Steve Gadd is more than competent, and most important of all - all of the musicians are partners on this recording, partners with an excellent level of communication.
Besides Corea's "Live In Montreux" released that same year (three compositions from that release are added as bonuses on "Three Quartets" CD reissue version), this album is one of this great pianist's best releases coming from a generally difficult time for all of jazz as the 80s were.
Recommended for every Corea and good post-bop fan.
