Chick Corea

[Lazaro Vega]

When Chick Corea appeared with his Vigil band at St. Cecilia Music Center in 2014 there came a point in the concert where he turned to the audience and said, “We’re just going to play for a while now. You’re welcome to stay.” And the inference was clear: the band was going to stretch out, play long, winding, improvised arrangements and we were welcome to stay for the ride. But if we were expecting a pithy medley of Chick’s hits, well...On his new album “Chinese Butterfly,” which celebrates a 50 year musical collaboration with drummer Steve Gadd, the same aesthetic is in play: stretch. As we heard last night on Jazz From Blue Lake, found here: www.bluelake.org/ondemand.