Pianist
Chick Corea and drummer
Steve Gadd purposefully rekindle their '70s fusion roots on 2017's double-disc
Chinese Butterfly. Although they are longtime associates, with
Gadd touring often with
Corea and appearing on albums like 1976's
My Spanish Heart, they've never totally collaborated on an album before. On
Chinese Butterfly,
Corea joins
Gadd's working ensemble for a set of newly penned originals that make the most of their long-held mutual admiration. Joining them are their equally adept bandmates, saxophonist/flutist
Steve Wilson, guitarist/vocalist
Lionel Loueke, bassist
Carlitos Del Puerto, and percussionist
Luisito Quintero. Together, they have crafted an album that draws upon the expansive, keyboard-heavy sound of
Corea's '70s fusion work, while also weaving in various Latin and African traditions. In some ways, the album brings to mind
Corea's 1978 album
Friends, which also featured
Gadd in a similarly loose and lively atmosphere. Tracks like the opening "Chick's Chums" and slinky "Like I Was Sayin'" are funky, bop-inflected jams that could easily have been culled from a vintage
Return to Forever album. Similarly, the languid, Brazilian-accented "Serenity" is a lyrical, gorgeously rendered number that fits nicely into
Corea's long-standing love of world rhythms. Those rhythms are further explored on the album's second disc, which features an epic reading of the classic "Return to Forever" theme featuring guest vocals by
Philip Bailey. Elsewhere,
Loueke grounds the Afro-bossa-influenced "Wake-Up Call" with his hushed vocals that give way to the band's lively group interplay. With both
Corea and
Gadd in their seventies at the time of recording, it's refreshing to hear them sound so inventive and willing to explore new songs, even as they look back on their over 50-year partnership. Ultimately, it's that vibrant, in-the-moment reciprocity that makes
Chinese Butterfly such a compelling listen. ~ Matt Collar