Suite for Chick: Maarten Goetheer’s Jazz Tribute to Corea

Suite For Chick is a heartfelt homage to the late jazz maestro Chick Corea. This collection features reinterpretations of City Gate, Rumble, Time Track, and Hymn of the Heart from the Chick Corea Elektric Band, as well as Return to Forever’s classic Romantic Warrior. These vibrant renditions celebrate Corea’s enduring legacy in the jazz world. Chick Corea played a crucial role in shaping Miles Davis’s electric fusion era and was a key member of Lost Quintet. He was also a founding force behind Return to Forever and many other influential groups.

Here Bangkok-based Maarten Goetheer collaborates with top Thai drummer Pong Nakornchai, blending Wurlitzer chords, Moog basslines, ARP leads, and signature Rhodes phasings. Nakornchai, a Master’s graduate in Jazz Studies from Mahidol University, leads his own quartet and embodies the progressive spirit of modern jazz in Thailand.

Maarten’s inspiration stems from his musical upbringing; his father, Gerard Goetheer, was a jazz pianist. This environment fostered his deep appreciation for music. A pivotal moment came when he heard Masters at Work remixing Tania Maria, igniting his vision to merge genres and create something new. With Suite for Chick, Maarten wanted to incorporate a wider range of modern influences that he became infatuated with throughout his musical career such as Techno, Italo, Cosmic Disco, Dub, Acid, Boogie, Proto-House & Ambient Music. To Maarten, bringing these genres together is his current and unique interpretation of the Jazz Fusion moniker.

Maarten Goetheer talks.

“My name is Maarten Goetheer, I am a DJ, Producer and Musician based out of Bangkok, Thailand. Suite For Chick is a tribute/homage to the late great Armando Anthony “Chick” Corea, an artist that has influenced me and so many others profoundly…”

CITY GATE RUMBLE (ORIGINAL VERSION)

When I started to lay down this track it really was the start of this EP/ Suite. The Chick Corea Elektric Band and the eponymous album is a very quintessential Jazz Fusion work. I would even call it seminal. But it has not really been given any recent attention. I really LOVED interpreting this composition, it is signature Corea and the band is on form with Dave Weckl on drums , John Patitucci on Bass and on guitar Scott Henderson and Carlos Rios.

CITY GATE RUMBLE (REPRISE DUB)

I found the right partner in Pong Nakornchai, one of Thailand’s biggest Jazz talents. Because drums were so important, he really provided 50% of the work. For the keyboard side of things, with this album Chick did a lot of complex sequencing and programming with a DX7, Yamaha MIDI keyboards, Fairlight, a Linn 9000 etc. For the Reprise and Reprise Dub I really wanted to sample the live drums and have a workout with those amazing, sequenced synth lines.

ROMANTIC WARRIOR (ORIGINAL VERSION)

I fell in love with the Romantic Warrior album after finding it as a teenager digging for records to sample from. The sleeve art is so Iconic and catches your attention right away. The band name Return to Forever just made me very curious about the Music. It can be a slippery slope to interpret such a classic tune that means so much to myself and many and I truly hope our interpretation does the song justice.

TIME TRACK (ORIGINAL VERSION)

This track is just outright FUNKY and it’s melodies and basslines just make me happy every time that I hear it. It was SO MUCH FUN to tackle this one. I think the swing and groove Pong brings to our version really gives it a unique flavour. The interplay between the melody lines and basslines is again signature Corea and gave it such a sweet and warm throwback feel.

TIME TRACK (REPRISE)

I felt very free with this project to experiment and do some versions, dubs and edits. I loved this reprise version so much that I wanted to keep it on. It is quite similar to the OG version but in some ways to my ears it is also totally not and stands on its own.

HYMN OF THE HEART (ORIGINAL VERSION)

I felt the Suite needed a spiritual homage to kind of make the work complete. The original is beautiful and so harmonic, warm and deep at the same time. Pong drummed this one in one take and I believe we were both on another planet when his recording was done. Planet Corea perhaps?

Conclusion.

Suite for Chick is more than music, it’s a heartfelt celebration of an artist who reshaped the world of jazz. Maarten Goetheer and Pong Nakornchai have delivered a project that resonates with Corea’s brilliance while carving out a space of its own. Don’t just listen, immerse yourself in this sonic homage. Thank you, Maarten and Pong, for gifting us this masterpiece. Be sure to stream or purchase Suite for Chick, available now! Let the legacy live on.

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Kono Vidovic

DJ | MUSIC CURATOR & SELECTOR | PODCAST MAKER | BLOGGER Professional online interpreneur. Coffee practitioner. Electronic music culture maven. Total music guru. Infuriatingly humble problem solver. Food & sports fanatic.

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Suite for Chick: Maarten Goetheer’s Jazz Tribute to Corea