This Day in Music

February 9th

Remembering a legend, a classic Rock and Roll album, and Elvis officially becomes a star, on this day in music.

Releases

1970: Los Angeles band The Doors release their fifth studio album, "Morrison Hotel," to positive reviews.

It was described as a comeback of sorts following the poor critical reception of their previous work, "The Soft Parade." With its expanded orchestral and horn arrangements, “The Soft Parade” is actually better than critics claim, but "Morrison Hotel" was a definite return to the stripped-down blues-based sound of earlier Doors music.

With standout hits like "Roadhouse Blues" and "You Make Me Real," along with deep tracks that appealed to Doors fans such as "Peace Frog," "Blue Sunday," "Ship of Fools," and "Maggie McGill," the record was a commercial success, peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and being certified Platinum in both the US and Canada, and Gold in the UK.

People

2021: The world loses a legend of jazz when pianist, composer, bandleader, and drummer, Armando Anthony Chick Corea, dies of an undisclosed form of cancer shortly after his diagnosis at 79 years old at his home in Tampa Bay.

Born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, Corea studied music at Columbia and Juilliard. Exploring cuban and samba jazz in his early years when touring with Mongo Santamaria and then Stan Getz, by the late 60's he was part of Miles Davis's touring and recording outfit and found himself at the dawn of the jazz-fusion movement.

In 1970, he founded his own fusion band, Return to Forever, for which he wrote his first standard, “Spain,” appearing on the group’s second album, “Light as a Feather.”

Considered among the most prominent jazz artists in the post-Coltrane era, Corea would explore many styles of jazz throughout his career, from piano solos and duets, to bebop trios, to fusion bands, and classic jazz. He did it all, and he did it with dozens of collaborators and occasional formalized bands, such as Chick Corea Elektric Band and Chick Corea Acoustic Band. He made 75 studio albums in his career, and another 36 live albums. He won 27 Grammy Awards, and wrote many standards in addition to "Spain," including "500 Miles High," "Armando's Rhumba," "Windows," and "La Fiesta."

To celebrate his 75th birthday, he played every single night of an astonishing six-week stand at New York's Blue Note Jazz Club on W 3rd St. in December of 2016, performing with over 20 different groups and many of his career-long friends and collaborators. Corea was a massive talent who made a massive impact on the jazz scene.

The Monday Miles

1968: Around this time, Miles begins dating model and actress Betty Mabry. They would marry in September, though divorced only a year later.

The Daily Elvis

1960: The King is among the first bloc of honourees when Elvis gets his commemorative star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Pictured: Chick Corea performing at The Blue Note New York with legendary fusion guitarist John McLaughlin.