A Septet Finding Its Footing
An uneven but sometimes interesting LP from Corea's early Solid State years, with a septet worth hearing for its ambition.
Is landed in 1969 as a bit of a puzzle. Harvey Pekar, reviewing it for DownBeat, was blunt: given the excellence Corea had already shown, this record was disappointing, an uneven but sometimes interesting LP. That tells you where it sat in the moment. It was not a clear breakthrough, and it did not become a cult favorite that people argued about later. It is a record that rewards the listener who wants to hear a young pianist stretching his writing across a larger group than he had worked with before.
The band is the draw. Chick Corea assembled a septet with Woody Shaw on trumpet, Bennie Maupin on tenor, Hubert Laws on flute, and Dave Holland on bass, with drums from Jack DeJohnette and Horace Arnold. That is a lot of horns and voices to balance, and the record is at its best when the ensemble is actually pushing against itself rather than just sitting in the mix. Shaw's trumpet has the bright, forceful edge he was known for, and Maupin brings a more searching tenor sound. Holland's bass keeps things grounded even when the arrangements get busy.
Where it stands in the Corea catalog is middle ground. It comes after the earlier Solid State sessions and before the more focused work that would define his next phase. If you are new to Corea, this is not the place to start. Begin with an album that shows his trio or his more settled writing first, then come back to Is (1969) as the experiment it is. For committed fans and anyone curious about how the young Corea handled a bigger band, it is worth an afternoon.
Who's playing
Dave Hollanddouble bass
Chick Coreapiano
Bennie Maupintenor saxophone
Woody Shawtrumpet
Hubert Lawsflute
Horace Arnolddrums
Jack DeJohnettedrums
Where next?
More by Chick Corea
Crystal Silence 1973
Romantic Warrior 1976
The Chick Corea Acoustic Band 1989
The Chick Corea Elektric Band 1986
The musicians on this record
Jazz Patterns 1970
Woody Shaw
plays trumpet here
plays trumpet here
Emerald Tears 1978
Dave Holland
plays double bass here
plays double bass here
Pictures 1968
Jack DeJohnette
plays drums (drum set) here
plays drums (drum set) here
Almanac 1967
Bennie Maupin
plays tenor saxophone here
plays tenor saxophone here
