Meeting a legend.

On Friday night, April 16, 2010, my wife and I went to a show at the Dakota Jazz Club in downtown Minneapolis. It turned out to be more than just a show, it was a musical experience. The amazing composer, musician, and piano/keyboard great Chick Corea was playing that night, along with composer, musician and vibraphonist Gary Burton (whom, I am embarrassed to say, I had not heard of before).

I had NO idea what to expect. Chick has such a huge body of work - not even including the years with Miles Davis. When Chick and Gary were introduced, Gary came out first wearing all black and took his place behind the vibraphones. Chick came out of the other entrance next to the small, intimate stage holding the gorgeous, black grand piano. He was totally dressed down in a white shirt, black t-shirt, black track pants and tennis shoes. I loved it! For the next hour and a half to two hours, I was spellbound. The music felt like a trip through the heart of space, conjuring up the spirits of Thelonius Monk (of which the played several of his tunes), John Lennon (where they played THE most incredible rendition of the Lennon/McCartney song Eleanor Rigby), and several other standards. They were lengthy; however, it only added to the beauty of this experience. Burton was a magician on the vibes! Here I am sitting just dumbfounded at how a human being could produce such dreamy melodies on that instrument. Watching Chick play live was like taking a master class in piano. I couldn't move! I was too afraid I would miss something. If I had to go to the bathroom (which I didn't) I would have just ignored the urge. There was something more important happening at that moment. They played about two hours worth of music and two encores. The usually subdued Minnesota crowd I was used to was going wild - myself included. As a composer, musician and keyboard player myself, I was like, "Damn! I gotta step up my game after this! I wanna play all of that music they played tonight!" They were so casual and informal in their musical interactions - though by hearing them you would think they were playing at the Royal Albert Hall. They admitted that they were trying out new stuff and just worked it out as they went. This further sent me into a giddy state of bliss seeing these two master musicians just enjoying the miracle of the process of making music and playing together.

After the show was over, I wondered: would I or would I not get a chance to meet Chick Corea? Was he that type of cat who would meet and greet? Before leaving home for the concert, I packed our digital camera and a small notebook where I usually wrote out my musical ideas - just in case a photo op and/or an autograph was even a remote possibility. I said to my wife, "I don't know if he is that type of cat. But I want to be ready just in case." Am I glad I followed my first mind. I noticed a short receiving line of guys next to the green room where Chick and Gary were. That was my cue! I grabbed the camera and my notebook and made a B-line for it. There was a guy in front of me with a short stack of vinyl LPs. I couldn't tell if they were recordings by Chick or Gary or a mix of both. I saw Gary Burton slip out of the dressing room in a jacket and baseball cap. A couple of people acknowledged him and complemented him on the music, which he graciously accepted. The guy in front of me didn't think it was Gary. I said to him, "Yes. That was him." The next thing I knew he flew out of the receiving line after him. I guess he really wanted to meet him. A minute or so after that, one of the Dakota staff motioned us into the dressing room ("Us" being a young man and his father, and me) where Chick Corea was just relaxing on the couch. He was so relaxed, casual and just cool. He happily posed for pictures with the young guy and his dad after. Then it was my turn. I extended my hand and he met it half-way with his, with a huge smile like he had known me for years. I won't lie. I was 100% starstruck! I told him how much I wanted to play like him when I was younger. He asked if I was in a group, and I mentioned I put together a trio. He couldn't help but ask if I got any grief about my first name. Then I told him my full name. He thought it was great. "You could just name your album that!" he said with a huge smile yet again. I got the picture with him - AND the autograph. He told me, "Keep the music going." I was floating on cloud 9 out of that dressing room.

For me, people like Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Amel Larrieux (whom I also met) always leave me starstruck and hopeful for the future of human-kind and the arts. Yes! I said that. For me, they are shining examples of what it means to still believe in what you're doing in the world and to still have love and reverence for the music. They laid the groundwork for cats like me trying to keep it going. So I am going do exactly what Mr. Chick Corea asked me to do: Keep the music going.