Friday, December 11, 2009
500 Miles High
I am loving this trio version of Chick Corea's classic composition 500 Miles High, which he's played in a variety of settings over the years. The original version, as we all know, was on the 1972 sophomore effort by the first incarnation of Return To Forever - i.e. the smooth latin vocal lineup with Flora Purim on vocals and her husband Airto Moreira on the percussion - Light as a Feather.
This version seems to have Chick's intro cut off. Also, CC is on acoustic piano as opposed to the softer Rhodes piano. The original version (here's a nice live version from that period, albeit no vocals) has a nice chordal preface, which is accented by Flora's lovely vocal line, the lyrics of which are:
Some day you'll look in to her eyes
Then there'll be no goodbyes
And yesterday will have gone
You'll find yourself in another space
500 miles high
You'll see just one look and you'll know
She's so tender and warm
You'll recognize this is love
You'll find yourself on another plane
500 miles high
Be sure that you love stays so free
Then it never can die
Just realise this is truth
And above the skies you will always stay
500 miles high
500 miles high
500 miles high
This is a typical example of the Scientology-laden imagery that Chick was espousing around that time. You'll find yourself in another space? On another plane? 500 miles directly above the Earth's surface? Indeed.
This is perfectly in line with the sci-fi psychobabble that Chick was being fed mouth-and-spoon down at the old Org office around that time. Stories of aliens from 75 million years ago invading the planet (then known as Teegeeack, as everybody already knows). "Just realize this is the truth". I suspect that one of Chick Corea's auditors condescendingly uttered that exact phrase to him on at least one occasion...
Let's look deeper at what's going on in this clip. We know that Chick, a confirmed CoS member, is using "L. Ron Tech" on a day-to-day basis at this point in his personal life. But was he using it in Jazz, too? I think so. For instance,
Here, we see an excited C. Corea clearly fucking with his bandmates, egging them on with priceless facial expressions as he lays down a deft dotted-quarter-note chordal motif over the fast eighth-note pulse of the song. Is he invoking the well known hostile Fair Game doctrine or something? Why so confrontational, Armando?
Also, here. Look how he raises his eyebrow in a gesture of religious superiority as he first introduces that sweet melodic motif and then warps the notes to mesh with the clever harmonic changes of this universally loved jazz standard. He is fucking with Stanley and Lenny! He even throws in a look of "what you gonna do about it?" around the 4:00 mark. Then it cuts to Lenny on the drums and his face is painted with a pained expression as if to say "there ain't shit I even do about that shit right there..." Outrageous. Is he still pissed at Stanley Clarke for leaving the CoS? This video is from 1982, right around when Stan left the church. We have no real way of knowing what was up with the two them at this time, but I'm seriously feeling Chick's hostility, guys!
However, it is well known that personal hostility can lead to the creation of fantastic music (see Mahavishnu Orchestra, first incarnation). So I'm not mad at Chick Corea for using Scientological Tech in his musical endeavours. In fact, I say more power to him. Chick Corea is in the very highest tier of all time Jazz Fusion auteurs, and personally I wouldn't have it any other way. Jazz-Rock-On, sir!
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Yep, this is some deep interpersonal stuff.. Stanley Clarke definitely went squirrel, it would be good to have precise dates on when, would cast some light on the onstage dramatics here.
ReplyDeletefrom "OHTEEATE" on the ex-scientologist public forum :
I asked Chick one time, outside the Flag MAA office, what happened to Stanley Clarke. His answer was that Stanley had been taken by the dark side of the force. Apparently, playing a reunion tour, and doing a 2 CD set, which they will make millions from, is ok, and maybe Stanley and Chick just won't "go there" on the subject of SCN. $50 to see them at Ruth Eckerd Hall in CW.
"suzicue" latter confirms this :
Well, I think it is a little more complicated than that. In the early 80s, Stanley publicly departed the C of S and joined the squirrels. At one point he was being audited by Phil Spickler (Mimi Rogers' father), who had also left. While I am not sure about this, I seem to recall Stanley being declared sp. So it seems there would have to be some change in either Chick's or Stanley's standing in order for them to work together again.
this post by 'smitty' also piqued my interest (although i have little idea of what he's talkin about):
I believe that is correct. Stanley Clarke did a concert at the Clearwater Jazz Festival in 1998 and the flag osabots were telling cofs members to not talk to him (or else). The usual coerced disconnection routine. The osabots were telling members that he had gotten some "squirrel" auditing, that is, auditing from a competitor. Essentially an admission of their racketeering tactics.
'pepin' says later on the Stan Clarke ain't friends with Corea anymore.. perhaps they re-united simply for business reasons, is the implication.
anyways there's no doubt that tension exists between the pair, whether it is due to Clarke's lack of Tech is certainly up for grabs. I think he might've had superior tech (although by all accounts, again, Corea was the more devoted Sc receiving commendations from all his Sups) but man, for my money I'll take either of Stan's first solo albums over any of corea solo work, that boy can play the bass!
another common thread i found on those ex-sc boards is individuals who are happy to blame/credit Corea for their own interest in the Church of Sc. 'he's a great pianist, therefore i want to believe in the same gods as him' type logic, i suppose. others referred to corea's personality as containing a 'cult addiction', which i think is probably a fair descriptor of many of fusion's great personalities: mahavishnu john mclaughlin, alice coltrane, santana, to mention a few names. my argument, of course, is that it was this very addiction, this blind commitment to false idols, that would allow a core of talented musicians to push their own physical, mental, spiritual and emotional musical achievements to unprecedented levels.