Chick Corea, Nicolaus Economou - On Two Pianos (Deutsche Grammophon 2012)

Parallel to the release of The Continents we are bringing out On Two Pianos, restoring to the catalogue Chick Corea s only other recording on the Yellow Label a great live concert given by the jazz giant with virtuoso pianist Nicolaus Economou at the Munich Summer Piano Festival in 1982. Like a conversation between two insightful, intelligent men, who never quarrel because they appreciate and like each other (Süddeutsche Zeitung). Corea, the chameleon of jazz , is, of course, renowned for his collaborations with musicians of all kinds (in the same year as this recording, 1983, he brought out two more albums, where he was partnered by Friedrich Gulda and Gary Burton, respectively). Nicolaus Economou, a precociously talented pianist from Cyprus, received a classical training in the rigours of the Moscow Conservatoire in the late 1960s, before establishing himself in Munich. There, in addition to his concertizing, he was active as composer, arranger, conductor and organizer of musical festivals, including the Munich Summer Piano Festival, from which these recordings are taken. Each artist improvises in his own style; their interaction creates a glorious musical fusion. In addition to an extended improvised Suite of character pieces, there are compositions by Corea (Homecoming and Duet) and selections from Bartók s two-piano pieces in his Mikrokosmos. It was a great concert. Yet, it was something more: it was enlightening. (Süddeutsche Zeitung) Almost thirty years on, Chick Corea celebrates his 70th birthday in 2011. Nicolaus Economou died tragically young, in a car crash in Cyprus in 1993. With the release of Corea s new double-album, The Continents, on Deutsche Grammophon, we are proud to bring back On Two Pianos to the catalogue. This is its first international release on the label.
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