Unveiling his hot new band The Vigil, one of the greatest jazz musicians on the planet, pianist, keyboardist and composer Chick Corea returns to Ronnie Scott’s on 5-6 March for a tantalising two-night run.

Corea will be joined on the stage of the Frith Street jazz shrine by Tim Garland, Hadrien Feraud, Marcus Gilmore, and Charles Altura completing The Vigil. The club dates come just under a year since New Crystal Silence arranger and former Chick band member Garland joined the Return To Forever man on stage as a surprise guest at the Barbican, when Corea had earlier performed in front of a big concert hall audience that night with Gary Burton. Garland played soprano sax during the encore  “jamming" on Chick’s classic composition ‘La Fiesta’ and Monk’s ‘Blue Monk’.

With some 16 Grammys to his name the band Corea brings in to Soho in this coup for the club features fusion bass guitarist Hadrien Feraud, best known perhaps for his work with John McLaughlin appearing on such albums with the master axeman as Industrial Zen and Floating Point, while drummer Marcus Gilmore is no stranger to UK audiences, both as a member of Steve Coleman’s Reflex and Vijay Iyer’s trio. Guitarist Charles Altura, though, is the least known of Chick’s band, but has his own happening band in the States, in action just last week on the West Coast featuring the hotshot Blue Note trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. There are two houses each night for Corea’s Ronnie Scott’s shows, a fascinating new venture by a musician ever reluctant to rest on his considerable laurels. SG

Chick Corea above. Check www.ronniescotts.co.uk on Friday for remaining tickets