A TRIBUTE TO CHICK COREA

Best known for his work with Return to Forever and with artists including Miles Davis, Gary Burton and longtime collaborator Stanley Clarke, Corea is responsible for essential jazz albums including “The Song of Singing,” “Return to Forever,” “Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy” as well as dozens of band recordings.

At the peak of his success, Corea was one of the most recognizable figures in jazz. With a thick head of black hair and trademark wire-rimmed glasses, starting in the 1970s he proved to be both a masterful technician capable of moving through gymnastic time shifts with the ease of an Olympian and a nuanced romanticist able to ease through lovely melodies.

Corea won 23 Grammy awards and was nominated 67 times. He was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, considered the highest honor available to an American jazz musician, in 2006.

The statement from the family also included a final message from Corea himself. “I want to thank all of those along my journey who have helped keep the music fires burning bright. It is my hope that those who have an inkling to play, write, perform or otherwise, do so. If not for yourself then for the rest of us. It’s not only that the world needs more artists, it’s also just a lot of fun.”

To his “amazing musician friends,” he wrote, “It has been a blessing and an honor learning from and playing with all of you. My mission has always been to bring the joy of creating anywhere I could, and to have done so with all the artists that I admire so dearly — this has been the richness of my life.