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Chick Corea, Jazz Great With 23 Grammy Awards, Dies at 79

Associated Press

   NEW YORK - Chick Corea, a towering jazz pianist with a staggering 23
   Grammy Awards who pushed the boundaries of the genre and worked
   alongside Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock, has died. He was 79.

   Corea died Tuesday of a rare form of cancer, his team posted on his
   website. His death was confirmed by Corea's web and marketing manager,
   Dan Muse.

   On his Facebook page, Corea left a message to his fans: "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."

   A prolific artist with dozens of albums, Corea in 1968 replaced Herbie
   Hancock in Miles Davis' group, playing on the landmark albums "In a
   Silent Way" and "Bitches Brew."

   Wide variety

   He formed his own avant-garde group, Circle, and then founded Return to
   Forever. He worked on many other projects, including duos with Hancock
   and vibraphonist Gary Burton. He recorded and performed classical
   music, standards, solo originals, Latin jazz and tributes to great jazz
   pianists.

   He was named a National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Master in 2006. He
   member of the Church of Scientology and lived in Clearwater, Florida.

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