I don’t think there is anyone on this planet who has had two major life-altering experiences such as Matthew has had before the age of nine.

He had the fantastic opportunity to meet and play piano for Chick Corea this past December.  Mr. Corea and his trio were playing a three-night gig at the Regattabar in Cambridge.  We had tickets to see one of the shows.

Matthew is a big fan of Mr. Corea’s, plays several of his songs, and loves the speed and ease with which Mr. Corea’s fingers fly across the keyboard.

Matthew very much wanted to meet Mr. Corea and get his autograph.  The possibility of getting an after-concert autograph was out of the question since Matthew usually falls asleep near the end of nighttime concerts.  It has nothing to do with how much he loves the concert. It’s just that concerts don’t even START until 8:00, which is the time Matthew usually starts getting ready for bed.

We asked the powers that be if we might be able to meet Mr. Corea before the concert, and were invited to come to his sound check.  His trio was preparing to record the multi-night performances for a future CD.

We got there before Mr. Corea and met Avishai Cohen and Jeff Ballard, the other two musicians who comprise the trio.  Avi plays bass, while Jeff plays the drums.  Both are incredibly talented musicians who were part of Mr. Corea’s last group (Origin) before he decided to start playing with just a trio.  Matthew asked if he could play the piano. They said yes, and he ran to the piano.  When he started playing, everyone was stunned.  Matthew was amazing.  Avi and Jeff started jamming with Matthew, and the result was an experience unlike anything I have experienced before.  The trio sounded phenomenal!  And all three of them were having so much fun!  Avi said Matthew had to play for Chick, as he would love it.

Mr. Corea showed up while all this was going on, smiled, and took a picture of Matthew with his camera.  It was funny, because he caught ME in the picture while I was trying to take a picture of Matthew and Avi and Jeff!  I told Matthew that Mr. Corea was here.  Matthew said, “Oooh!” and “Hi”.  I suggested he play something for Mr. Corea, and Matthew broke into a great rendition of “Steps”, one of Mr. Corea’s  hits.  Avi and Jeff joined in, and the result was amazing.  Mr. Corea was taken by Matthew and let him play for quite a long time.  He was so nice!  After the piano tuner finished his tuning and everything was set up, Matthew and Mr. Corea sat on the piano bench together playing a sort of one-ups-man-ship kind of improv.  It was hysterical.

Somewhere in the middle of all this, I managed to get Matthew his autograph.  Mr. Corea was trying to sneak in a meal before showtime, so he started eating a salad with chicken.  Matthew sat down with him and they talked.  Mr. Corea even shared his meal with Matthew and gave him his glass of water.  I was sure that Mr. Corea would drop from dehydration during his concert and it would be because he didn’t drink enough fluid before going on-stage.  Mr. Corea was sweet, patient, caring, and interested in getting to know Matthew.  As a result of this meeting, Mr. Corea has become a friend and supporter to Matthew.  Matthew is just beginning his lifelong journey with music, and it’s wonderful for him to have someone who has been through it all and is kind enough to share insight.

So, there it is.  Matthew continues to amaze us with his abilities and charisma.  And Chick Corea has become a part of our lives.