Chick Corea and Origin brought their jazz sounds to the Wolf Den Sunday for 2 shows. Corea’s new band includes Steve Davis (trombone), Steve Wilson & Bob Sheppard (multi-reeds and woodwinds), Avishai Cohen (bass), and Jeff Ballard (drums). The early show was delayed an hour because the band had been delayed by the strong winds and rain which had been tormenting the state all morning.

Chick and band took the stage promptly at 5 and jumped right into a well-paced hour of jazz. The Wolf Den was filled early in the afternoon and several people who couldn’t get a seat watched from the casino floor. Jazz isn’t really suited to competing with the casino noises so some of the quieter segments were lost in the background buzz. Nevertheless I found the band’s set to be thoroughly enjoyable. Much of the crowd was composed of die-hard Corea fans, many of whom had traveled some distance to get here, and all of whom applauded enthusiastically between every segment.

Chick, himself, appeared to be in great spirits as he stood up and smiled as he introduced band members and spoke between songs. After returning to his piano he’d promptly jump right into the next piece and concentrate solely on the band. Both he and Origin deserve credit for giving us all a nice afternoon of great jazz.