A.R.C. is a collaborative album credited to the trio of pianist Chick Corea, bassist Dave Holland and drummer Barry Altschul, recorded and released in 1971 by the ECM label.[1] The same trio featured on Corea's previous album The Song of Singing, as did an earlier version of “Nefertiti” by Wayne Shorter. The album title stands for "affinity, reality, communication," a term from Scientology, with which Corea had recently become involved.[2]
This is the first project in Holland’s long association with ECM.
Reception
The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4 stars, stating, "This LP features pianist Chick Corea, bassist Dave Holland and drummer Barry Altschul during the brief period that, along with Anthony Braxton, they were members of the fine avant-garde quartet Circle. The music heard on this set is not quite as free as Circle's but often very explorative... a very viable set of adventurous jazz, recorded just a few months before Corea changed direction".[3]