The New Crystal Silence

by

Chick Corea and Gary Burton

Edit

Though this live double CD marks the 35th anniversary of pianist Chick Corea and vibraphonist Gary Burtons landmark piano and vibes album "Crystal Silence", it is in no sense a retread of the original.

The pair have collaborated regularly since that seminal debut, and have pushed what was already a sophisticated musical dialogue to ever-more rarefied levels of invention.

This double CD caters for both the converted and the doubters Burton originally anticipated: half the tracks are just for piano and vibes, the other half have the support of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra playing Tim Garland's arrangements of jazz classics and Burton's and Corea's regular duo material.

The years have brought an air of ease and relaxation to the duo's hyper-aware, hyper-responsive virtuosity.

Corea and Burton, both consummate virtuosos, are at the peak of their improvising game here, and the double-disc set is worth it for their dialogue alone.

Only two the original tunes appear here: an orchestral version of "Crystal Silence" (Corea's original from the 1972 "Return To Forever" album) - and a performance of "Señor Mouse" recorded in Tenerife added to a duo concert recorded at the Molde Jazz Festival.

Disc 1, features the pair performing with the Sydney Symphony: a lush backdrop, with echoes of Ravel in the orchestration.

Disc 2 shifts from grandiosity to intimacy, as Corea and Burton explore standards and revisit old favourites like "Senor Mouse" and "La Fiesta" without any distractions.

Either in orchestral or chamber mode, the results are equally impressive: their playing together is impeccable, immaculate and perennially fresh. But maybe it's the second part of the set that is the most hypnotically engaging: intimately integrated and gleamingly precise, yet free.

Crystal Silence

Return to Forever

Although disc 2 is another wonderful collaboration between Corea and Burton -- brilliant, spare -- the orchesteral arrangements on Disc 1 come off like they were written by John Williams for a Spielberg film and played by the City of Prague Orchestra. Compare them to the arrangements on Corea. Concerto (unfortunately, you will not pick this up in the 30 second samples). In that earlier work, the orchestra adds a distinctive new thematic element. Here, it's all melodramatic crescendos, with the strings and horns repeating the main theme over and over, as you find in soundtrack music.

Enjoy disc 2 and use disc 1 as a coaster.