University of Florida Performing Arts

presents

Chick Corea and

Béla Fleck

Wednesday, March 20, 2013, 7:30 p.m.

Phillips Center

Sponsored by

ProgramThe program will be announced from the stage.

BiographiesChick Corea and Béla Fleck — two master songwriters, musicians and band leaders — meet in a historic duet of piano and banjo. The Grammy-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, from jazz, bluegrass, rock, flamenco and gospel, this will be a casual, intimate evening with two legends from different musical worlds.

Chick Corea 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, Corea 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.

Since embarking on a solo career in 1966, Corea has been at the forefront of jazz, both as a renowned pianist forging new ground with his acoustic jazz bands and as an innovative electric keyboardist with Return to Forever and the Elektric Band. His extensive discography boasts numerous essential albums, beginning with his 1968 classic, Now He Sings, Now He Sobs.

Corea continues to make a significant impact on the scene, as evidenced by 2007’s Grammy-winning The Enchantment (duets with banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck), 2008‘s Grammy-winning The New Crystal Silence (duets with longstanding collaborator Gary Burton), 2009’s Returns (documenting Return to Forever’s 2008 reunion tour) and 2009’s Grammy-winning Five Peace Band Live (with John McLaughlin, Christian McBride, Kenny Garrett and Vinnie Colaiuta).

In 2012, Corea took home two Grammys, including best jazz instrumental solo, for Forever, the 2-CD set recorded on his acoustic trio tour with Return to Forever bandmates Stanley Clarke and Lenny White. That same year he continued his unbroken string of productivity, with three world tours and four new albums: the critically-acclaimed Further Explorations (with Eddie Gomez and Paul Motian); The Continents: Concerto for Jazz Quintet and Chamber Orchestra, an ambitious new classical release and a crowning achievement in his work as a master composer; the release of Return to Forever’s latest live album, The Mothership Returns; and the two-time Grammy-winning Hot House, a transcendent new set of standards in his acclaimed duet with Gary Burton.

Béla FleckBéla 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.

Throw Down Your Heart, Fleck’s latest album, is his most ambitious project to date. In on-location collaborations with musicians from Uganda, Tanzania, Senegal, Mali, South Africa and Madagascar, Fleck explores the African origins of the banjo, the prototype of which was brought to American shores by African slaves.

The recipient of multiple Grammy Awards going back to 1998, Béla Fleck’s total Grammy count is 14 Grammys won, and 30 nominations. He has been nominated in more categories than anyone in Grammy history.