Mats Holmquist Stora Stygga Big Bad Band - A Tribute to Chick Corea (2003)

Chick Corea's music, like that of Pat Metheny, is surprisingly adaptable to a big-band format. For this 2003 project, Mats Holmquist arranged seven of Corea's compositions (mostly from the 1970s) for an 18-piece Swedish big band, generally avoiding the most famous pieces (like "Spain") in favor of obscurities ("The One Step" and "Duende"). The soloists, which include trumpeter Peter Apslund, tenors Robert Nordmark (well featured on "Times Lie") and Henrik Westerberg, pianist Daniel Karlsson, Par Grebacken on soprano and clarinet, and guest Henrik Frendin on viola during two tracks, are uniformly impressive. However it is Holmquist's inventive arrangements, which are a logical extension of Corea's original performances, that are the real stars. Recommended.