Album of the Day

Chick Corea had played piano for such jazz greats as Miles Davis before getting to lead his own group for this outstanding 1967 album. Atlantic Records labelmate Herbie Mann handles production chores here, ensuring Corea gets the most out of his accompanists, which include Woody Shaw (trumpet), Joe Farrell (flute/saxophone), Steve Swallow (bass) and Joe Chambers (drums). If the Latin-tinged hard bop here occasionally betrays the debt that the keyboardist owes McCoy Tyner, Corea's four originals - “Litha,” “This Is New,” “Straight Up And Down” and the title track - offer plenty of space for soloing, and each instrumentalist makes excellent use of it. Chick Corea celebrates a birthday today, and TONES FOR JOAN'S BONES is a reminder that his prodigious talent was in place from the very beginning.