JOHN McLAUGHLIN and CHICK COREA

“Five Peace Band Live”

Concord Records

Every now and then, the stars of musical genius align and pure creativity glows platinum white hot. Sounds are created that will be imitated for decades. This is one of those albums. Not only that, it’s a double album. The next step in musical innovation after bebop, fusion, free jazz and smooth jazz starts right here.

Listening is like hearing a time machine go whirring into the future, right in front of your ears. In the hands of this quintet led by guitarist John McLaughlin and pianist Chick Corea the fidgety chaos of bebop has been smoothed out, the sharp-edged angularity of fusion rounded off. The mindless mumbling of smooth jazz even begins to make sense. Splashes of free jazz atonality add urgency to an excitement that’s well deserved.

Vinnie Colaiuta’s drums have the power to give such an elaborate ensemble the supple muscularity of a formula one race car. Christian McBride’s bass work contributes the stability of high performance tires at the corners, adding snap to the swing through every unexpected turn. Kenny Garrett’s sax work shows the most smooth jazz influence, but in this setting contains a welcome note of familiarity without compromising the brilliance of his solos.

Though the harmonic structure of each piece is complex, the lines are accessible. Basically, this is the sound jazz needs to enter the 21^st century, connecting the rich heritage of its past with its richly promising future.

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