By the time Chick Corea - the venerated 27-time Grammy winner and National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master - went into Mad Hatter Studios in Los Angeles to record the third album with his Elektric Band, the lineup had been solidified through constant touring the previous year. Dedicated to his father Armando, a trumpeter who led a Dixieland band in Boston in the 1930s and 1940s, Eye of the Beholder reflected a tightening of the ensemble playing and a greater showcasing of the individual solo prowess of these consummate musicians.
With this fresh sounding five-star recording, it is clear that Corea was more open to showcasing this bands collective muscle and individual virtuosity. The group rips, in no uncertain terms, on showcases like Cascade, Part II, Trance Dance, and the staggering Amnesia. There are experimental excursions into the kind of atmospheric, ambient music realms that Brian Eno pioneered on Cascade, Part 1 and may be the most profound musical statement of the collection, on par with past Corea high points, Beauty.
Originally released in the midst of the CD explosion, Corea took full advantage of the increased running time the format offered. With vinyl in decline, songs were cut from the track lists in order to fit on the original single LP vinyl release. At last this album has been restored to its original running order, as the artist intended.
Produced by Corea, with longtime engineering partner Bernie Kirsh, the album features detailed liner notes by jazz writer Bill Milkowski, providing context and filling out the listening experience with lush technical notes.
