CLEARWATER - Chick Corea and Béla Fleck, two master songwriters, musicians and bandleaders, will meet in a historic duet of piano and banjo in concert at Ruth Eckerd Hall, but not on Sunday, March 24, at 8 p.m. The show has been postponed.
Patrons are "strongly encouraged" to keep their tickets as a new date will be announced soon. For more information, call 791-7400 during business hours.
The Grammy award-winning duet will combine Corea and Fleck's most recognizable tunes with the music from their Latin Grammy-winning album The Enchantment! With a mix of jazz and pop standards, crossing a myriad of genres including jazz, bluegrass, rock, flamenco and gospel.
This will be a casual, intimate evening with two legends from different musical worlds.
An NEA Jazz Master, 20-time Grammy winner, prolific composer and undisputed keyboard virtuoso, Chick Corea has attained living legend status after four decades of unparalleled creativity and an artistic output that is simply staggering. From straight ahead to avant-garde, bebop to fusion, children’s songs to chamber music, along with some far-reaching forays into symphonic works, Chick has touched an astonishing number of musical bases in his illustrious career while maintaining a standard of excellence that is awe-inspiring. A tirelessly creative spirit, Corea continues to forge ahead, continually reinventing himself in the process.
Corea kept his incredible Grammy run going earlier this year, taking home two new Grammy Awards for Best Instrumental Composition and Best Improvised Solo. Both from his latest CD: Hot House, with long time collaborator and vibe-player extraordinaire, Gary Burton. Chick also poignantly represented the jazz art form on this year’s national telecast, performing in prime time in a tribute to the late, great jazz-pianist Dave Brubeck. Chick has the fourth-highest Grammy nominations of all time with 62.
Béla Fleck is often considered the premier banjo player in the world. A New York City native, he picked up the banjo at age 15 after being awed by the bluegrass music of Flatt & Scruggs. While still in high school, he began experimenting with playing bebop jazz on his banjo.
In 1980, he released his first solo album, Crossing the Tracks, with material that ranged from straight ahead bluegrass to Chick Corea’s Spain. In 1989, he formed the genre-busting Flecktones, with members equally talented and adventurous as himself.
Fleck's most recent projects include: Throw Down Your Heart, his ambitious collaboration with musicians from Uganda, Tanzania, Senegal, Mali, and more. He explores the African origins of the banjo, the prototype of which was brought to American shores by African slaves; Rocket Science with the Flecktones (including the return of Howard Levy); and Across the Imaginary Divide with the Marcus Roberts Trio. Up next are his Concerto for Banjo and Orchestra with the Nashville Symphony and a collaboration with the Brooklyn Rider String Quartet.
The recipient of multiple Grammy Awards going back to 1998, Fleck's total Grammy count is 15 won, and 30 nominations. He has been nominated in more different categories (jazz, classical, pop, country, world music, Latin, bluegrass, etc.) than any musician in Grammy history.
Reserved tickets priced at $62 and $45 are available at the Ruth Eckerd Hall Ticket Office located at 1111 McMullen Booth Road in Clearwater, by calling 727-791-7400 and online at www.RuthEckerdHall.com. The Ruth Eckerd Hall Ticket Office is open Monday through Saturday, from noon to 6 p.m. and one hour prior to show time.
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