Correa was born Armando Correa in 1941 in Chelsea, MA. At the tender age of four years old, he began playing piano. The instrument would become his most defining, and he was a master while tickling the ivories. When he grew older and started playing professionally, he found a number of bands where he perfected his talents. He was a member of numerous bands throughout the ‘60s, but released his debut solo album in 1966, Tones of Joan's Bones. It was the start of a prolific career that saw him exploring everything from avant garde jazz to prog rock.



In 1968, Correa released an album entitled Now He Sings, Now He Sobs. The record helped launch his star within the jazz world, earning the appreciation of critics and, in time, becoming a classic of ‘60s jazz.

Around the same time, he replaced Herbie Hancock in Miles Davis' band, and soon after began experimenting with the electric piano. Never afraid to explore new avenues, Correa would explore electronic instruments throughout his career, including synthesizers.

In the early ‘70s, he would join the prog rock movement by forming Return to Forever, a band that combined many of the elements of avant garde jazz with the prog rock that was becoming increasingly popular. Though the band started out as a Brazilian melodic group, he changed it into one of the most creative jazz-rock fusion bands operating in the ‘70s. Even today, Return to Forever is remembered for its contributions to the jazz-rock scene. During this time, he would release a solo album entitled My Spanish Heart, which featured him dressed as a Spanish nobleman on the cover. The songs explored his Spanish heritage blending Spanish strings with synthesizers. If for nothing else, Chick Correa should be remembered as a master of fusion.

Return to Forever would eventually disband around the end of the decade, but by then, Correa was well-established as a musician and found plenty of interesting work collaborating with other artists. He explored jazz as well as classical music, and released a tribute to Thelonious Monk before forming a new band, the Elektric Band, in 1985. Not one to stick to any one genre, he would also form another band, the Akoustic Trio, to explore more acoustic sounds as well. Though the Elektric Band would release albums sparingly after the ‘80s, they're still recognized as one of the most accomplished fusion groups around, and certainly within the decade of the ‘80s.

These days, it's hard not to stand in awe of all that Chick Correa has accomplished. The world of jazz, and certainly jazz-rock fusion, is much more richer because of his contributions. But nothing compares to grabbing some Chick Correa tickets from http://www.stubhub.com/chick-correa-tickets and seeing the man live.