At 71 years young, Corea must be on the Monkey Glands because, quite simply, this is his best group recording in decades. The RTF extravaganza may pay the rent, but this is Corea in his element, spurred on not only by a young band but also by old pals like Clarke who guests voluptuously on ‘Pledge For Peace’. The Vigil’s concept (this is Corea – there has to be a concept!) is that Corea after 50 years on the road now has to maintain a vigil to keep the spirit of music alive and pass it on to future generations. This literally is the case for Gilmore, the grandson of Roy Haynes who first played with Corea in 1967 and to whom the lyrically melodic ‘Royalty’ is dedicated. Corea’s piano is lithe with an emotional quality that can evade him, but here there is a passion that is matched by Garland’s ever urgent sax work. The cross generation narratives continue on ‘Pledge For Peace’, an expression of Coltrane’s past and present, as Ravi lays down a solo of power and subtlety. Masters from the past like Miles, Getz and Turrentine may all be referenced on The Vigil, but Corea, Garland and co. have combined to sing us all into the future.