Stanley Clarke - 1973 [2007] "Children Of Forever"

Children of Forever is the debut album of the fusion jazz bassist Stanley Clarke.

Recorded eleven months after Chick Corea's astounding "Return to Forever" and three months after his groundbreaking "Light as a Feather", band mate Stan (aka Stanley) Clarke recorded this equally classic gem "Children of Forever" in December of 1972 with a slightly different supporting cast. Stanley played upright bass throughout with Chick on keys, Lenny White on drums, Joe Farell on winds, Pat Martino playing guitar with the jazzy and soulful duo of Dee Dee Bridgewater and the incomparable Andy Bey handling the vocals. It is an outstanding journey from the title track to the epic "Sea Journeys" that concludes the work. Of note are the incredible compositions "Children of Forever", "Unexpected Days", and "Butterfly Dreams."

"Children of Forever" starts as a soul-infused mid tempo vocal that quickly explodes into a hefty upright bass and keyboard workout with Dee Dee on the left channel and Andy on the right. Beautifully sung and played it sounds as though this was a recording of a live performance of a band just starting to define its identity. Well executed, swinging with an eye towards gospel and soul sounds.

"Unexpected Days" contains a strikingly beautiful and uplifting melody that at two moments reaches a crescendo with an incredible harmony from the team of Bridgewater and Bey. Clarke simply rips, Corea is excellent as always and Pat Martino's fills are heavenly. Lenny White was a tasteful compliment to Clarke & Corea and Joe Farrell provided an excellent solo to match Chick. The lyrics, melody and the climactic harmonies are what carry this beautiful composition, the line "vibrations loves vibrations are so strong now clear and strong now!..." and the harmony between Bridgewater and Bey are unforgettable and very much define the jazz-soul-fusion sound of the early 1970s.

"Butterfly Dreams" is absolutely like being shot into heaven with BOSE headphones over both ears! Achingly beautiful lyrics about the magic of being a child and how we lose that magic with every year we age sincerely conveyed by Andy Bey's incredibly warm and brilliant phrasings. White, Clarke, and Corea lay a precise foundation for Farrell's flute, Martino's guitar solo and Bey's vocals. The piece concludes with Clarke's still impressive and stellar upright bass conversation.

"Bass Folk Song" and "Sea Journey" are both wonderful pieces. The latter is a prototypical Return to Forever workout with the addition of Bridgewater's fluid vocal stylings, Corea's lyrical keys and aggressive solos from most of the band typical of what this mega-group would produce in a more amplified and even more aggressive fashion throughout the 1970s. This is fusion-soul-jazz from one of the most influential American bands of the last 40 years with absolutely stunning vocals from internationally respected and admired vocalists Andy Bey and DeeDee Bridgewater who helped usher in the year of "Forever" which was 1972! Led by Stanley Clarke but very much one of the first three Return to Forever albums, this one is a more than worthwhile addition to your jazz collection, excellent for seasoned aficionados yet safe for "newbies" who want to expand their jazz palate!

Still very much an intragal part of Return To Forever "Stan" Clarke (as Stanley is credited here) decided to take a turn at....well at any rate a recording credited to his own name. But basically this recording ends up being like another lineup of RTF including Chick Corea,Lenny White,Dee Dee Bridgewater and the vocals of Andy Bey. Now even though this album features plenty of Corea's electric piano playing this is really a very improvisational,very latin inflected insturmental jazz album. Stanley Clarke is featured on electric bass on "Bass Folk Song" but even on that his style is more vamping and subdued;there are none of the rockier and funkier elements found on theStanley Clarke album the following year. The strongest track here is the title track-Bey's vocals are the best part really. If there is flaw in this album is that in 1973 Stanley Clarke had not yet forged an individual identity outside of RTF-he was tending to use the same musicians and forged a very similar sound. So most of the time this album can just as much be considered an extention of Return to Forever and Light as a Feather as it is a solo debut. My personal opinion is that musical individuality is important and while this is a wonderful,five star album it is not ammong this particular artists most distintive. While Stanley's devotion to Chick Corea at the time was admirable,as most musicians leave their old band leaders rather thanklessly,he just wasn't able to focus enough on his skill and style as a bass player. But that again by no means is an indication this is weak music and no reason not to pick it up.  

This music is exciting and deep! point blank!,anyone who cant dig this music does'nt follow the entire Stanley Clarke catalog and may only be interested in the mid 70's Bass Funk sound and cant get past anything else.This release captures the spirit of the early Return To Forever with ease. Dee Dee Bridgewater showcases impressive vocals on the set,and Pat Martino(oddly one contributor wrote that he was upset with Martino's addition on this album)performs with smooth "coolness" and pours out the Philly sound with Brotherly accuracy. Many people seemed to be stuck on Al DiMeola because he was such a young and thrilling guitarist,but once more anyone who knows the entire Return To Forever experience will know that Al was'nt the original guitarist! and theirs always room for alternate improvisations!..in other words to borrow the words of George Clinton "Free Your Mind and Your Ass will Follow' This session jams!!!

Track listing

All tracks composed by Stanley Clarke and lyrics written by Neville Potter; except where indicated

1.    "Children of Forever" – 10:42
2.    "Unexpected Days" – 5:53
3.    "Bass Folk Song" (Clarke) – 7:59
4.    "Butterfly Dreams" – 6:52
5.    "Sea Journey" (Chick Corea, Neville Potter)– 16:26

Personnel

    Stanley Clarke - Bass fiddle, electric bass
    Chick Corea - Electric piano, acoustic piano, clavinette
    Lenny White - Drums, tambourine
    Pat Martino - Electric Guitar, 12 string guitar
    Dee Dee Bridgewater - Vocal
    Andy Bey - Vocal
    Arthur Webb - Flute

Return To Forever - 1973 [2016] "Light As A Feather"

Light as a Feather is the second studio album by jazz fusion band Return to Forever led by pianist Chick Corea.

Always tied to a confusing time line, the first released recording from the original configuration of Return to Forever was actually their second session. An initial studio date from the ECM label done in February of 1972 wasn't issued until after the band had changed in 1975.

The Polydor/Verve recording from October of 1972 is indeed this 1973 release, featuring the same band with Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Airto Moreira, Joe Farrell, and Flora Purim. There's no need splitting hairs, as both are five-star albums, showcasing many of the keyboardist's long enduring, immediately recognizable, and highly melodic compositions. Farrell's happy flute, Purim's in-the-clouds wordless vocals, the electrifying percussion of Airto, and Clarke's deft and loping electric bass guitar lines are all wrapped in a stew of Brazilian samba and Corea's Fender Rhodes electric piano, certainly setting a tone and the highest bar for the music of peer groups to follow.

"Captain Marvel" -- the seed for the band sans Farrell and Purim that was expanded into a full concept album with Stan Getz -- is here as a steamy fusion samba with Corea dancing on the keys. By now the beautiful "500 Miles High" has become Purim's signature song with Neville Potter's lyrics and Corea's stabbing chords, and unfortunately became a hippie drug anthem. Perhaps Corea's definitive song of all time, and covered ad infinitum by professional and school bands, "Spain" retains the quirky melody, handclapped interlude, up-and-down dynamics, exciting jam section, and variation in time, tempo, and colorations that always command interest despite a running time of near ten minutes. "You're Everything" is a romantic classic that surely has been heard at many weddings, with another lyric by Potter sung in heaven by Purim, while the title track is Purim's lyric in a looser musical framework with Clarke's chart coalescing with Corea and Farrell's pungent flute work. As much as the others have become icons, the extraordinary sound of Farrell on this date should never be trivialized or underestimated. The final track, "Children's Song," was a springboard for several of Corea's full-length album projects, and is heard here for the first time via a trio setting in a slow, birthlike motif.

The expanded version of this recording includes many alternate takes of four of these selections, but also includes "Matrix," which was not on any RTF albums, and there are four versions of "What Game Shall We Play Today?," which was only available on the ECM release. From a historical perspective, this is the most important effort of Corea's career, quite different than his prior previous progressive or improvising efforts, and the pivotal beginning of his career as the most popular contemporary jazz keyboardist in history.

The style of the music remains mostly the same as the first album, though vocals were given a larger role. Corea produced the album for Polydor Records. Stanley Clarke played double bass, though for most of his career he has played bass guitar.

The first song, "You're Everything", was written by Corea. He has said that it's among his favorite of the vocals songs he has written. The song begins with Flora Purim singing slowly. The solo is by Joe Farrell on flute. The second track is Stanley Clarke's first major composition and the only track on the album not written by Corea.

"Captain Marvel" is a fast Latin piece that provided the name for Stan Getz's album released in the same year. Airto Moreira plays percussion and Purim sings without words during the song's main riff.

The B-side begins with a song called "500 Miles High". Corea has stated that the title of the song does not refer to drug experience but to a "spirit flying high". The track is followed by "Children's Song", one of many "Children's Songs" Corea has written. They are all short pieces with minimalistic melody. The percussion plays a tick-tock that resembles a clock.

The album ends with "Spain", which was inspired by, and whose introduction was taken from, Joaquín Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez.

Light as a Feather was Return to Forever’s second album. Because the first record, Return to Forever, wasn’t released in the United States until 1975, many have mistakenly believed Light as a Feather was the band’s debut effort. The first incarnation of the group was a Latin-leaning, mostly acoustic jazz ensemble. The Return to Forever of 1972 was a great band. “Light as a Feather” is purported to be Stanley Clarke’s first major composing effort. The guy didn’t think small. Though much of the tune is an impressive exposition of Corea, Clarke, and Joe Farrell soloing over changes, the melody is gorgeous. It didn’t hurt that one of the most distinctive jazz singers of her day, Flora Purim, was singing or that she wrote the edifying lyrics heard at the beginning and the end. Purim possesses one of the purest voices in jazz. Her lyrics are sung, almost spoken, in time with each syllable of music. It is a wonderful display of artistry. Percussionist Airto, Purim’s husband, was also a large part of the track’s success. “Light as a Feather” knocks you over with a feather from introduction to coda.

It is probably safe to say that when most jazz fusion fans think of Return to Forever they concentrate on the most commercially successful of the group’s line-ups which featured founders Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke and guitarist Al Di Meola along with drummer Lenny White. But there was a whole RTF history before that version of the group was put together. All music is built upon music that came before it. Though Corea played electric piano, the first Return to Forever band performed mostly acoustic Latin jazz. This group also consisted of the wonderful vocalist Flora Purim, tenor saxophone player and flute player Joe Farrell and the amazing percussionist Airto Moreira. Light as a Feather trended more to jazz than rock but the seeds for a burgeoning fusion movement were generously spread. The tunes on the album were more lighthearted and melodious than would be the case after Return to Forever decided to rock out on subsequent albums. Songs like the crowd-pleasing “500 Miles High,” with its sweetly ethereal Purim vocals, and the now standard “Spain” are part of the bedrock of Return to Forever’s jazz fusion foundation. The band would not fully crossover into the rock-based world until they added electric guitarist Bill Connors and then even more so later when Di Meola replaced Connors. But you can hear the roots of transformation in the wonderful melodies and top-notch musicianship found on Light as a Feather.

Light as a Feather won the 1972 Playboy Jazz Album of the year and has been selected by many magazines and polls as one of the greatest jazz albums ever recorded. For many years this album has been listed on The Absolute Sound super disc list and the Stereophile list of "Records to Die For." It is also featured in Tom Moon's 1,000 Albums to Hear Before You Die.

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Track listing:
All tracks written by Chick Corea except where noted.

1. "You're Everything" (Corea/Neville Potter) 5:11
2. "Light as a Feather" (Clarke/Purim) 10:57
3. "Captain Marvel" 4:53
4. "500 Miles High" (Corea/Potter) 9:07
5. "Children's Song" 2:47
6. "Spain" (Corea/Joaquín Rodrigo) 9:51

Personnel:

Chick Corea – electric piano
Stanley Clarke – double bass
Joe Farrell – tenor saxophone, flute
Airto Moreira – drums
Flora Purim – vocals, percussion

Return To Forever - 1978 [1995] "The Complete Concert" Live at the Palladium, N.Y.C

Live is the final album by fusion band Return to Forever. It was recorded live at the Palladium in New York City on May 20 and 21 1977 as part of the Musicmagic tour to support the album of the same name. This was the only tour to feature the Musicmagic (1977) lineup, which included original members Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, and Joe Farrell, along with newly added member, Chick Corea's wife, Gayle Moran on vocals, piano and organ, and a six-piece horn section.
Originally released as a single LP, the album was re-issued in 1978 as a 4-LP set called Return to Forever Live: The Complete Concert, which contained the full concert as heard by those who attended, including extended sections of dialogue and audience applause.

The original release was a single LP with a cover featuring Picasso's Three Musicians. A greatly expanded version of the album was released in 1978 on 4 LPs as Return to Forever Live: The Complete Concert,, showcasing the entire two-hour-and-forty-minute concert. This Complete Concert release features a plain dark blue cover with a stylized "RTF" logo and contains the entireties of pieces that had been edited down for the original one LP release, including a version of "Spanish Fantasy"; the intro to which was previously released in edited form as "Chick's Piano". Also included are spoken introductions to songs by Clarke, including one in which he is heckled by the audience for announcing the concert's final piece.
Different versions of The Complete Concert have been re-issued on CD - in both 2 CD and 3-CD sets. A Japanese 3 CD version, released in 1993, contains the complete recording exactly as found on the original 4 LP version, retaining "The Endless Night" and "Musicmagic" as two separate parts each. Corea's introduction of the musicians is appended to the end of "The Endless Night (part 2)". The first US (2) CD version was released by Columbia Legacy (C2K 47479) in 1992 with the stylized RTF logo on a red background titled simply, Return to Forever Live, and was subsequently reissued with a blue cover in 2000 (468923 2) titled, Return to Forever Live: The Complete Concert. Both of these US CD releases contain the edited versions of "The Musician" and "So Long Mickey Mouse" that were on the original single LP, while removing both the four-minute introduction of the musicians by Corea after "The Endless Night" and several extended passages of audience noise. "Chick's Piano Solo" and "Spanish Fantasy" are combined into one track, as are the two parts of "The Endless Night" and "Musicmagic". Track times differ between the 1992 and 2000 reissues, due to track intros appearing appended either before the song itself, or after the previous song; below, the 1992 times are used. Both versions have been digitally remastered directly from the original master tapes to restore the low frequencies which were rolled off on the vinyl version to minimise tracking problems.
In June, 2011, Columbia (Sony) released a 5-CD boxed set, Return to Forever, The Complete Columbia Albums Collection which includes the entire 1977 Live, The Complete Concert recording on 3 CDs together with 1976's Romantic Warrior and 1977's Musicmagic. The 3-CD version Return to Forever Live: The Complete Concert, 3-Record Set was released in Japan in September 2011 as a Blue-Spec CD limited boxset reproducing the original Japanese 1978 LP boxset. However, this 2011 reissue features "The Endless Night" and "Musicmagic" as one track each, instead of the original splits and fades of each song.

Return to Forever Live – The Complete Concert (1978): This is effectively the final Return to Forever album released and, perhaps, one of its most significant. It was recorded live at the Palladium in New York City on May 20 and 21, 1977, as part of the Musicmagic tour, which led the group to meet President Jimmy Carter the following month.

Needless to say, there is a plethora of fantastic playing to be heard here that RTF’s studio albums probably prohibited, with inventive interjections from almost all concerned, waxing eloquently over some very long passages that are sufficiently more worthwhile than their studio counterparts.

How can one review perfect music? what is perfect music? I guess it is a very personal thing... for me it is not just chops or clever arrangements, it is music that speaks to the heart, that has the ability to uplift and touch the listener. I get that feeling from Return To Forever Live, it captures that vibe perfectly, even better than the studio record. If I had to compare it with another album, I'd pick Santana's Lotus, another album with that inspirational, devotional quality. This music comes at the height of Chick Corea's creative powers (many musicians experienced that creative peak between 1970 and 1977) and is seasoned with soulful vocals from Gayle Morris and Stanley Clarke, a richly colorful brass band, and a battery of keyboards that include the Moog, the Fender Rhodes, the Mellotron and the Hammond B3. The only thing missing is the guitar, but Chick's extended solos are so spectacular that they make you forget that Mr. Di Meola is no longer part of the band. No fusion fan will be disappointed with this album - particularly the prog-heads, who love 20-minute epics and lengthy solos, will eat it up. However there are some moments that are closer to "straight jazz" - a couple of jazz standards, and a long "unplugged" piece, Serenade. Overall, though the album definitely leans towards the progressive side of things, and somehow it feels like a goodbye song to an entire era. Maybe foreseeing things to come, Chick decided to give it all he had, perhaps more, and we can consider ourselves fortunate to have a beatiful document of that spirit.

My favorite jazz act of all time -- so glad to finally obtain a complete (enough) version of this live set. Having seen&heard them live in concert during their MUSICMAGIC tour, and Chick live in other concerts, I am always returning to their music. Fast, slow, soft, hard -- doesn't matter. This set dazzles no less than any previous experience, only you get more. Their jamming is first rate. 40.0 megatons of the most liberating and exhilarate music ever created! When I put this on to hear, I often replay it for days!

This and the now very hard to find to find (on CD) "Chick, Donald, Walter and Woodrow" represent Chick Corea's best writing for Big Band. You'll find that Chick cannibalized himself somewhat for the Woody Herman recording, but it actually is a tighter representation of a great series of ideas and should not be seen as "derivative". I never thought the "Romantic Worry-wart" record was their best effort. The sonics of "Warrior" are extremely problematic. The engineering on this record is much more balanced. The Horn Section is absolutely stellar. Musicmagic should be looked to for a new appreciation as it represented a lot of the music being presented here. Seek it out, I'd much sooner see this being given the Mo-Fi treatment than a whole lot of the 90's pop stuff they've focused on in the last year or so.

I would say this was the best live recording set up by chick corea ever.Very difference from the others RTF's materials but far better in most way (i would say). Most of the songs from Musicmagic are featured here with fantastic extended solos and intros(could get enough). These are the tunes that first turned me on to the music of c corea ever since. I owned the original 4LPs set and also bought the cd-set with the red cover. In the RTF red cover cds, certain portion found on the LPs were omitted from the cd including the part when chick introduces the musicians- which was really disappointing, as the response and reaction between the audiences and the band created an upheld feeling as tho you were there at the show. Also the extended intro to 'so long mickey mouse' too was cut. However, it was still very good consider some of the materials needed to be removed to allow the 4 LPs to fit into the 2cds set. I hope this new release with today's tech.would contain the complete recordings. If 'quality' and 'timeless' tunes are what you looking for, go get it. Been listening to them for over 25 years, still sound great and fresh today. ..A t the same time, I was longing for Chick to try some of these songs in the Elektric band format, that would be mind blowing esp. for tune like 'endless night'.

Track listing:

CD 1
1     Opening '77     7:09
2     The Endless Night (Part 1)    12:15
3     The Endless Night (Part 2) - Introduction Of Musicians     12:02
4     The Musician     14:06

CD 2
1     Introduction - Hello Again     7:42
2     So Long Mickey Mouse     10:58
3     Musicmagic (Part 1)     3:47
4     Musicmagic (Part 2)    23:50

CD 3
1     Introduction - Come Rain Or Come Shine - Fine And Dandy     3:55
2     Serenade     15:03
3     The Moorish Warrior And Spanish Princess     19:39
4     Introduction - Chick's Piano Solo     17:08
5     Spanish Fantasy     11:53
6     On Green Dolphin Street     8:49

Personnel

    Gayle Moran – vocals, piano, organ
    Joe Farrell – tenor and soprano saxophone, flute
    James Tinsley – trumpet, piccolo
    John Thomas – trumpet, flugelhorn
    Harold Garret – trombone
    Jim Pugh – trombone
    Ron Moss – trombone
    Chick Corea – keyboards, vocals
    Stanley Clarke – electric bass, acoustic bass, vocals
    Gerry Brown – drums

Return To Forever - 1976 [1999] "Romantic Warrior"

Romantic Warrior is the sixth studio album by the American jazz fusion band Return to Forever, released in 1976 by Columbia Records. After releasing their previous album, No Mystery (1975), their fourth for Polydor Records, the group moved to Columbia and retreated to Caribou Ranch near Nederland, Colorado to record their next album. It was also their first to be credited solely to Return to Forever, removing the "featuring Chick Corea" moniker. The album is more avant-garde and less funky than No Mystery, and remains the band's highest selling album with over 500,000 copies sold in the US.

Chick Corea contributed the longest compositions and the other members each composed one piece. The opener, "Medieval Overture", with its distinctive melodic motifs, sets the mood for the rest of the album. Lenny White's "Sorceress" starts with a funky riff and is distinguished by Corea's synthesizers. The title track is fully acoustic. It has a long intro, which is followed by a short theme consisting of one riff. Each group member, excluding White, plays a long solo. In the end, an extended outro follows, during which fast unison patterns are heard. Al Di Meola's and Stanley Clarke's songs on side two are notable for their humorous qualities. Al Di Meola's song, "Majestic Dance", relies on rock riffs and distorted lead guitar sound, but features also fast harpsichord-like synth figures. Clarke's "The Magician" is a very complex composition, featuring playful melodies, and again, rapid unison lines. The last track of the album is Corea's "Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant", which is the longest song of the album. It has a more conventional melody as a main theme, but otherwise it follows the style of previous tracks. Notable is the intense keyboard solo showcasing Corea.

The most popular and successful lineup of Return to Forever -- Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Lenny White, and Al Di Meola -- was coming off the Grammy-winning No Mystery when it recorded its third and final album, Romantic Warrior. It has been suggested that in employing a medieval album cover (drawn by Wilson McLean), using titles like "Medieval Overture" and "Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant," and occasionally playing in a baroque style, particularly in Clarke's "The Magician," Corea was responding to Rick Wakeman's successful string of albums on similar themes. Certainly, the music suggests that the musicians have been listening to Wakeman's band, Yes, among other progressive rock groups. But they bring more of a traditional jazz approach to their sound, particularly in the opening statement of intent "Medieval Overture" and the original side one closer, "The Romantic Warrior," both of which feature extensive acoustic piano soloing by Corea. The original side two -- Di Meola's "Majestic Dance," "The Magician," and "Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant" -- is much more in a jazz-rock style, with Di Meola particularly rocking out on extensive, fast-paced electric guitar solos. Meanwhile, the rhythm section of Clarke and White is always extremely busy, maintaining a funky, driving pulse and several cross rhythms no matter what's going on above it. This is particularly noticeable, naturally, on White's sole composition, "Sorceress," but it continues to keep the music in the fusion camp even when Corea is sounding like a more traditional jazz pianist. Romantic Warrior is the sound of a mature band at the top of its game, which may help explain why it was Return to Forever's most popular album, eventually certified as a gold record, and the last by this assemblage. Having expressed themselves this well, they decided it was time for them to move on.

The final album by the longest-lasting "classic" lineup of the group (which consisted of Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Lenny White and Al DiMeola) was Romantic Warrior, on which they continued their experiments in the realms of jazz-rock and related music genres, and was lauded by critics for both the technically demanding style of its compositions as well as for its accomplished musicianship.

This is a Classic Fusion Jazz album! Listened to it thousands of time (probably) as a young adult. And, it was one of the most amazing concert (and I have been to some great ones!) I have ever been to. Return to Forever of this era was one of the best bands ever! And, this is easily their best album ever!

When Al Dimiola, Lenny White, Stanley Clark, and Chick Corea were totally and absolutely in sync with the lightening fast riffs... OMG! It blew me away!!! And, is a memory that stays with me 40 years later.

Another fantastic classic for Chic Corea & Return To Forever with musicians Chic, Al Dimeola, Stanley Clarke & Lenny White creating 6 exciting pieces of futuristic jazz, hard to believe that this cd was released in 1976. Tracks like Medieval Overture, Sorceress, The Romantic Warrior & the vibrant Duel Of The Jester & The Tyrant are simply off the charts with musical genius flowing everywhere. 2 songs I should also mention that are great in they're own right are The Magician & Majestic Dance, for this very reason this wonderful collection of music gets an easy 5 star review.

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Tracks Listing:

1. Medieval Overture (5:14)
2. Sorceress (7:34)
3. The Romantic Warrior (10:52)
4. Majestic Dance (5:01)
5. The Magician (5:29)
6. Duel Of The Jester And The Tyrant (11:26)

Personnel:

Al Di Meola – electric guitars, acoustic guitar, soprano guitar, handbells, slide whistle
Chick Corea – acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes, Hohner Clavinet, Mini Moog, Moog 15, Micromoog, ARP Odyssey, Yamaha YC45d organ, Polymoog, marimba, percussion
Stanley Clarke – Alembic bass with Instant Flanger, piccolo bass, acoustic bass, bell tree, handbells.
Lenny White – drums, timpani, congas, timbales, handbells, snare drum, suspended cymbals, alarm clock

Chick Corea - 1972 [1999] "Return to Forever"

Return to Forever is a jazz fusion album by Chick Corea, simultaneously functioning as the debut album by the band of the same name. Unlike later albums by the group, it was released by the ECM label and produced by Manfred Eicher. The album was not released in the USA until 1975. The record is often considered one of the classic albums in electric jazz.
At this stage Corea's approach to jazz fusion was very different compared to other early fusion artists. Adventurous electric piano solos are backed with South American oriented rhythms of drummer Airto Moreira and the vocals and percussion of his wife Flora Purim. Stanley Clarke is the bassist of the group (playing electric bass on A-side and double bass on B-side) and Joe Farrell plays flute and saxophone. This first line-up of Return to Forever consists of musicians (excluding Joe Farrell and Flora Purim) that were also playing on Stan Getz's album Captain Marvel that was released in the same year.
The first track can be divided into five parts. There are three short parts in which Corea plays simple, haunting melodies with Purim doubling them with her voice. Between these three parts there are two longer parts in which the whole band plays. These main parts are both based on their own riffs. Farrell plays a flute solo over the first main part and Corea plays solo over the second. Moreira's drum pattern gives the composition an airy feeling of its own. Purim sings along with riffs, screaming a bit towards the end.
The second track, "Crystal Silence", is Corea's song. The track is played just by Corea and Farrell with some soft percussion in the background. Farrell performs a long saxophone solo. Third track, "What Game Shall We Play Today?", is another of Corea's songs. It has a very affectionate melody and Purim singing vocals. Farrell is now playing the flute. Corea and Farrell give short solos between the second and the third verse. The band would return to this song during the Light as a Feather sessions later in 1972, when they made four attempts with it; though the song did not make it to the album, all the takes appeared on the expanded edition of Light as a Feather.
The B-side of the album has only one track which consists of three different pieces of music. Probably they have been recorded without breaks and this is the main reason why they are not separated on three individual tracks; the bass lines skilfully link them together as well. The first seven minutes of the track consist of an improvised introduction featuring Corea, Farrell and Clarke, slow-paced and feeling akin to a Chinese landscape painting. As this section closes the piece moves into "Sometime Ago". It is a Latin flavored song with Purim's vocals and Farrell soloing on flute. After that song Farrell switches to soprano saxophone and the band plays "La Fiesta", one of Corea's jazz standards. Corea has written that most Spanish songs deal with matters such as misery or torture but "La Fiesta", however, is about celebration. The song is an instrumental piece that relies on flamenco modes.

Toward the end of 1971, Chick formed his first edition of Return to Forever with Stanley Clarke on acoustic bass, Joe Farrell on soprano sax and flute, Airto Moreira on drums and percussion and Moreira’s wife Flora Purim on vocals. On February 2 and 3, 1972, they recorded their self-titled debut for ECM, which included the popular Corea composition "La Fiesta."

A month later, on March 3, 1972, Chick, Stanley, Airto and drummer Tony Williams teamed together as the rhythm section for Stan Getz's Columbia recording Captain Marvel, which featured five Corea compositions, including "500 Miles High," "La Fiesta" and the title track.
By September of that year, Chick was back in the studio with Return to Forever to record the classic Light as a Feather, a collection of melodic Brazilian-flavored jazz tunes including new versions of "500 Miles High" and "Captain Marvel" along with Chick's best-known composition, "Spain." In November of 1972, Chick also recorded the sublime Crystal Silence, his initial duet encounter with vibraphonist and kindred spirit Gary Burton.

By early 1973, Return to Forever added electric guitarist Bill Connors and thunderous drummer Lenny White, and the group was fully fortified to embrace the emerging fusion movement. In August 1973 Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy instantly elevated them to the status of other fiery fusion bands of the day like John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra and the Joe Zawinul-Wayne Shorter-led juggernaut, Weather Report.

By the summer of 1974, with the 19-year-old speed demon guitarist Al Di Meola replacing Connors in the RTF lineup, the transformation to a bona fide high-energy jazz-rock concert attraction was complete. Hordes of rock fans embraced the group and were able to enter the world of jazz through such important albums as 1974's Where Have I Known You Before, 1975's Grammy® Award-winning No Mystery and 1976's Romantic Warrior, which became the best-selling of the RTF studio albums.

Track listing

All tracks are composed by Corea except where noted.

1.   "Return to Forever" – 12:06
2.   "Crystal Silence" – 6:59
3.   "What Game Shall We Play Today" (Corea, Neville Potter) – 4:30
4.   "Sometime Ago - La Fiesta" (Corea, Potter, Stanley Clarke, Joe Farrell) – 23:13

Personnel

    Flora Purim – vocals, percussion
    Joe Farrell – soprano saxophone, flute
    Chick Corea – electric piano, Fender Rhodes
    Stanley Clarke – acoustic bass, electric bass
    Airto Moreira – drums, percussion

Chick Corea - 1982 [1992] "Touchstone"

Touchstone is an album by Chick Corea, released in 1982 through Stretch Records. The album peaked at number nine on Billboard's Jazz Albums chart.

Chick Corea has made so many good recordings, and the Touchstone is one of his better one's. We have here a fusion of Jazz, Classic, Flamengo, Latin and Rock, and for me at least it is great to hear the old Return To Forever play together on one song (Compadres) it's just as great as the songs and the playing on albums like Romantic Warrior and No Mystery. Another great song is The Yellow Nimbus which features Paco DeLucia and if you want to hear an excellent solo piano version of that song you should check out the video Piano Legends which Corea hosts and is about great jazz pianists. In short, Great Playing, Great Compositions, GREAT FUN. Can we have some More Please Corea.

This is a great fusion album, true to the electric fusion tradition, as founded by Chick Corea, who is continuing in much the same vein. The quality of the compositions, arrangements and production are very high. I'd say that the sound is comparable to Return To Forever, sometimes sweet, sometimes hard-hitting and bombastic, sometimes spacey - it's all there for the fusion fans to savour!

Although I really like Chick's music over all, it's rare that I find an entire solo album by him that deserves a full 5 stars. But, this album is that rare beautiful exception. I usually prefer the more rocking fusion...which of course means Chick earned 5 stars from me with a few Return to Forever albums like Romantic Warrior and Where Have I Known You Before. But usually, Chick's solo album's are a bit over-produced for me...too much orchestra, horns and vocals. And too often those elements are unnecessary and tend to drag the album down and just make the album lag and sag and fall short. This album has SOME orchestra, horns and vocals, but it's not over-done. It's more sparse. He knows where to use these elements and when to keep them out. He lets his music do the talking, and the compositions on this album are supurb examples of Chick at his best in straight jazz. The opening title tune is the only tune with vocals (done by his wife at the time Gayle Moran, a girl with a beautiful voice) Her voice is used sparingly...just a little in the beginning, then a little at the end of the tune...no lyrics, just oohs and aahs for effect, used very well. Classical guitarist Paco DeLucia is used in the forefront on the first two songs on the album. His playing goes so well with Chick and the compositions, sweet, complex, but not out of range for those who want to be entertained. Chick on various electric keyboards and piano, plays a spectacular set. The third song on the album is heavy on the orchesta, but it is a short, beautiful tune that fits amazingly well with the album. Even I think this song is a great addition to this work. The following song is my favorite on the album: the song where Chick reassembled the "dream team" of Return to Forever, Al DiMeola on electric guitar, Stanley Clarke on bass and Lenny White on drums, for an updated trip back to the fusion of Return to Forever! Then, he goes back to a jazzy Latin feel (like the earlier songs with Paco had) with a piece that features some electric keyboards, including a Moog, which pops up occasionally on this album. And the last piece is a straight jazz piece including some horns. There's even a trumpet solo and flute solo on the last piece. But it's a great jazz piece, well-written, and the band is amazingly tight. You just can't complain about this album. Although I get turned off by Chick's over-use of orchestration and vocals at times, he used restraint on this album, knowing when to use what elements, great compositions, and of course that little revisit to Return to Forever really pulled the whole thing together! An incredible Chick solo album that I thoroughly enjoy and highly recommend!

Track listing:

    "Touchstone: Procession, Ceremony, Departure" – 10:58
    "The Yellow Nimbus" – 8:51
    "Duende" – 3:11
    "Compadres" – 9:41
    "Estancia" – 6:18
    "Dance of Chance" – 7:14

Personnel:

    Don Alias – bongos, congas, drums, percussion
    Carlos Benavent – bass
    Chick Corea – cymbals, guitar, moog synthesizer, piano, synthesizer
    Laudir DeOliveira – caixa, drums, ganza, percussion, sound effects
    Bill Gottlieb – cello
    Gregg Gottlieb – cello
    Bob Magnusson – bass
    Gayle Moran – speech/speaker/speaking part, vocals, voices
    Carol Shive – violin

Guest artists

    Alex Acuña – cymbals, drums, percussion
    Stanley Clarke – bass
    Al Di Meola – guitar
    Lee Konitz – alto sax
    Steve Kujala – flute, tenor sax
    Paco de Lucía – guitar, hand clapping, percussion
    Allen Vizzutti – trumpet
    Lenny White – drums

Return to Forever - 1974 - 1975 [2008] "Where Have I known You Before" - "No Mystery"

2008 digitally remastered two CD set featuring a pair of albums from Jazz pianist Chick Corea and his Fusion band Return to Forever featuring Stanley Clarke, Lenny White and Al di Meola. Where Have I Known You Before sas originally released in 1974 followed one year later by No Mystery.

Anyone who is into jazz, jazz/fusion, I am sure remembers these as individual records. I loved them both, but I like Chick Corea & Return To Forever. For me, I think this was some of their finer material. You can get it from Amazon as both original records on disc,so for me I was replacing 2 old LP's. I already knew what I was getting. It is great to have it on cd. Some of the material for the recent comeback on the live disc is also available from Amazon. I certainly give this 5 stars, I love both of these as individual lp's so replacing on cd especially these 2 on was disc, is a good value, & great music.

This release is far superior than the 1980's Polydor releases. There is more DETAIL, instrument seperation, fullness and finally...more BOTTOM. Yes, you can finally hear Lenny's kick drum and his toms have weight, Stanley's basses and Chick's bass synth/low-end synth playing. Also, you can hear Di Meola's comping and Chick's layers of keys/synths. This is like going from VHS to Blu-Ray and I know this music-I have been listening to these (over and over and...) since the earlier 80's on vinyl, then got the horrible CD issues around 1990 and now this.

This 2cd collection is absolutely brilliant, the first cd Where Have I Known You Before is a real electric treat with guitarist Al Dimeola & keyboardist Chic Corea trading riffs back & forth throughout the entire cd especially on tracks like Vulcan Worlds, Beyond The Seventh Galaxy & most notable Earth Juice but the most extravagant song is Song To The Pharoah Kings which really shows off the genius of Chic Corea on keyboards, also noted is the great rhythm section of Stanley Clarke & Lenny White. The 2nd cd No Mystery is a real funk fest with tracks like Dayride, Jungle Waterfall, Flight Of The Newborn & Sofistifunk. Al Dimeola trades riffs with bassist Stanley Clarke on so many occasions it's hard to keep track of, these fusionistic geniuses just pump up the jams on both of these cds with effortless ease. It's hard to believe they both were released in 1974 & 1975 because they are so far ahead of they're time respectively. It's a no brainier that these both stand the test of time & are classics in the jazz fusion world for this very reason they deserve a 5 star review.

1974 "Where Have I Known You Before"

Where Have I Known You Before is the fourth album by jazz-rock fusion band Return to Forever, the second since leader Chick Corea had "revamped" the line-up and moved towards electric instrumentation, playing jazz fusion with clear influences from progressive rock.
This is one of those albums that just seems to have been laying there forever, to be discovered by a group of talented musicians. It almost flows from the musicians on it own accord; they seem as surprised and inspired in playing as we are listening.
The whole band - Chick, Al DiMeola, Stanley Clark, Lenny White - are phenoms. Their skill is stratospheric. To me, as a drummer, Lenny's performance here is magical.
Remember, this album came out in the same period as John McLaughlin's most famous works - BIRDS OF FIRE and INNER MOUNTING FLAME - so these guys were feeding off of each other (much like Paul McCartney and Brian Williams were).
This album is one of the Fusion pioneer albums. The genre didn't exist before RTF and McLaughlin. It quickly sunk under its own weight with all the copycat bands, while the founding fathers moved on to better things.
I saw RTF on tour for this album; third row front; right in front of Lenny (I could see his kick drum foot working - he had on these platform shoes, playing heel-down). It was a fabulous show, even better than the album (I remember Stanley turning to Lenny and giving him the "easy, dude" hand sign: Lenny was just a monster, in his own world!).
If you buy only ONE Corea album, or even only ONE Fusion album, this is the one!

How can I describe a record that changed my life forever? I was sitting in a friend's car in Buffalo while he was getting something in the dorm. Unbeknownst to me his radio was tuned to a French station from Quebec. The final track of this record, "Song to the Pharaoh Kings" came on and I had never heard anything like it. "Blown away" hardly describes the effect. At the end I prepared to memorize the artist and record, and the DJ announced it - in French! I couldn't even figure out which part of the announcement was the artist's name.
It took me two years to figure out that that song was on this album. In the intervening 30 years I've listened to the record over and over again and I never tire of it. This is the record that turned me away from rock and into the more sophisticated world of jazz forever. "Pharaoh Kings" is, in my opinion, one of the most brilliant pieces of music written, ever.
On a scale of 1 to 5, this one is 100.

 Track listing

1. "Vulcan Worlds" (Clarke) – 7:51
2. "Where Have I Loved You Before" (Corea) – 1:02
3. "The Shadow of Lo" (White) – 7:32
4. "Where Have I Danced with You Before" (Corea) – 1:14
5. "Beyond the Seventh Galaxy" (Corea) – 3:13
6. "Earth Juice" (Corea, Clarke, White, Di Meola) – 3:46
7. "Where Have I Known You Before" (Corea) – 2:20
8. "Song to the Pharoah Kings" (Corea) – 14:21

Personnel

• Al Di Meola – electric guitar, acoustic twelve-string guitar
• Chick Corea – electric piano, acoustic piano, Yamaha organ, synthesizers, percussion
• Stanley Clarke – electric bass, Yamaha organ, bell tree, chimes
• Lenny White – drums, percussion, congas & bongos

1975 "No Mystery" 

No Mystery (1975) is the fifth studio album by jazz-rock fusion band Return to Forever.
All members of the group contributed compositions to this album. Side A contains heavily funk-influenced material composed by each member of the group, whereas Side B is filled by Chick Corea compositions. Chick Corea won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Jazz Performance, Individual or Group Grammy Award in 1975 for this album.^[4] "Flight of the Newborn" is Di Meola's first recorded composition. Di Meola's solos are an early example of shredding.
Stanley Clarke would later re-record "Dayride" with background vocals for his solo album, Modern Man, released in 1978. Likewise, Al Di Meola re-recorded a longer version of "No Mystery" for his solo album World Sinfonia in 1991.

This album along with RTF Romantic Warrior is among the best of 70's fusion, all the players are incredible,Chick Corea on keyboard, Al Dimeola on guitar, Stanley Clarke on bass and Lenny White on drums, it doesn't get much better than this. I love the sound of Chick's Fender Rhodes electric piano, it sounds like a powerful percussive bells and the sounds he get from the ARP and MOOG synthesizers are classic and of course his piano playing is incredible, the piano intro to Excerpt f.t.f.m.o.heavy metal is amazing, like a fusion of classic,ragtime and rock. This CD is full of great compositions, Stanley Clarke's Dayride is one of his better pieces a mix of funk,latin and jazz, Corea's No Mystery is so beautiful and the Spanish flavored Celebration Suite is such fun to listen to and Lenny White's drum solo intro to the suite is great.
All the pieces on this album are an example of a high level of virtuoso playing, the guys were young, full of fire and technique which of course they wanted to show off, but that's not all they had to offer there is a lot of thoughtfull passion going on, well crafted compositions and lively enthusiasm in the playing that is so much fun to listen to. The first fusion album I listened to was Dimeola's Casino and I fell in love with this music so I naturally looked for other albums with him and this was it, and the other three guys impressed me just as much, I just wish they had stayed together longer than they did, still most of the solo albums they did are great too.

Wow. This is a timeless recording by Return To Forever.
The acoustic and electric guitar work of Al Di Meola (only 21 years of age when this classic was released) sends chills up my spine each time I hear it. Chick Corea, the consummate musician, is once again virtuous on the synthesizer, organ, and piano. The drums of Lenny White are tight, and the bass work of Stanley Clarke is immensely complex, yet very sonorous.
This disc is a gem. To give it any less than a five-star rating is criminal. It's good to know music like this exists at an affordable price, especially in our world of hackneyed, superficial pop-music. With each listen of "No Mystery," a new level of music appreciation is procured.
Brilliant stuff. 

 Track listing

1. "Dayride" (Clarke) – 3:25
2. "Jungle Waterfall" (Corea, Clarke) – 3:03
3. "Flight of the Newborn" (Di Meola) – 7:23
4. "Sofistifunk" (White) – 3:51
5. "Excerpt from the First Movement of Heavy Metal" (Corea, Clarke, White, Di Meola) – 2:45
6. "No Mystery" (Corea) – 6:10
7. "Interplay" (Corea, Clarke) – 2:15
8. "Celebration Suite part I" (Corea) – 8:27
9. "Celebration Suite part II" (Corea) – 5:32

Personnel

• Al Di Meola – electric guitar, acoustic guitar
• Chick Corea – acoustic piano, electric piano, clavinet, Yamaha organ, synthesizers, snare drum, marimba, vocals
• Stanley Clarke – electric bass, acoustic bass, Yamaha organ, synthesizer, vocals
• Lenny White – drums, percussion, congas, marimba

Corea, Clarke & White - 2011 "Forever"

Forever is a double CD album of live acoustic recordings recorded in California, Tokyo and Seattle in 2009 by the Return to Forever pianist Chick Corea, bass player Stanley Clarke and drummer Lenny White and studio rehearsals with guests Jean-Luc Ponty, Bill Connors and Chaka Kahn. It was released on the Concord label I 2011.

In 2012, the album received the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. The AllMusic review by Thom Jurek states "Disc one is taken directly from concert appearances across the globe. The standards work well – considering how busy Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, and Lenny White can be together as well as solo... The gems are saved for disc two, which consists mainly of rehearsals for the tour recorded at Mad Hatter Studios in San Francisco, complete with off-mike banter... With its looseness, this second disc offers the real dynamic potential for RTF in the future and reveals the depth of near symbiotic communication between the bandmembers". John Fordham in The Guardian noted "Clarke's beautiful tone and dramatic phrasing, White's melodic percussion playing and deft embroidery of catchy grooves, and Corea's fluency and lyrical grace bring a new spark to standards... The electric disc is a lot funkier... and the light touch and sense of enjoyment of the acoustic half mostly survives intact". All About Jazz correspondent John Kelman observed, "Eschewing RTF's relentless testosterone, the trio is as capable of elegance and understatement as it is of unequivocal virtuosity". PopMatters' Will Layman wrote "The trio recordings are masterful in execution but maybe slightly "been there, done that" in repertoire... On the bonus disc, we get more of a mishmash.. The band is loose as can be in this rehearsal, tossing phrases back and forth, the whole enterprise seeming like the dialogue that jazz is always supposed to be".

This double-disc set documents Return to Forever's unplugged tour of 2009. Its 19 tracks consist mainly of rearranged RTF tunes and jazz standards for piano trio, though there are wonderful surprises on disc two. Disc one is taken directly from concert appearances across the globe. The standards work well -- considering how busy Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, and Lenny White can be together as well as solo. "On Green Dolphin Street," "Waltz for Debby," and "Hackensack" all swing, though they do feature moments of RTF's requisite knotty counterpoint. Originals include Clarke's new tune, the beautiful "La Canción de Sophia," as well as "Bud Powell" and "Windows" from two Corea solo recordings, and "Señor Mouse" and "No Mystery," both RTF tunes, round it out. The small complaint is that these three play so stridently and "perfectly" that they sound more like a studio band instead of a quick-thinking live unit. Everything is exceptionally played and recorded. The gems are saved for disc two, which consists mainly of rehearsals for the tour recorded at Mad Hatter Studios in San Francisco, complete with off-mike banter. Corea dons his Rhodes and other keyboards for an excellent version of "Captain Marvel" and a fully fused-out “Señor Mouse,” “Space Circus,” and “After the Rain,” all with original RTF guitarist Bill Connors playing his ass off with his former and future bandmates (Frank Gambale will assume guitar duties on tour). Violinist Jean-Luc Ponty will also join the new band formally in 2012, and he begins in that role here, appearing on "Armando's Rhumba" (he played on the original off Corea's My Spanish Heart LP), his own "Renaissance," a fine rendition of "I Loves You, Porgy" (one of two tunes with Chaka Khan on vocals), "After the Cosmic Rain," and "Space Circus." The other two surprises on disc two are a very soulful duet between Corea (on acoustic piano) and White on John Coltrane's "Crescent" and a stellar acoustic trio version of RTF's standard "500 Miles High," which was recorded at the Monterey Jazz Festival and contains plenty of fire. With its looseness, this second disc offers the real dynamic potential for RTF in the future and reveals the depth of near symbiotic communication between the bandmembers.

As successful as its massive 2008 world tour was—stopping at the Ottawa Jazz Festival, and yielding both a live CD (Returns) and DVD (Returns: Live at Montreux 2008) from Eagle Entertainment the following year—it was patently clear that Return to Forever couldn't continue with guitarist Al Di Meola. It was, however, equally certain that RTF's remaining members—keyboardist Chick Corea, bassist Stanley Clarke and drummer Lenny White—felt great about coming together, nearly forty years after they first met, as they subsequently hit the road, for their first-ever trio tour, in 2009.

The double-disc Forever brings together one CD of material from dates in the US and Japan, and a bonus disc of rehearsals for the trio's 2009 Hollywood Bowl date, joined by original RTF guitarist Bill Connors, violinist Jean-Luc Ponty and vocalist Chaka Khan. At the core of both discs is the vibrant simpatico shared by Corea, Clarke and White, their acoustic set combining well-known standards and some equally iconic Corea material, from his early entry into The Real Book, the swinging "Windows," to the title track to RTF's No Mystery (Polydor, 1975), expanded to nearly a quarter-hour in length. Approaching his 70th birthday later this year, Corea has simply never played better; bolstered by the equally unfettered and exploratory Clarke and White, his staggering solo demonstrates this trio's unfailing empathy in an album highlight of improvisational construction.

Eschewing RTF's relentless testosterone, the trio is as capable of elegance and understatement as it is of unequivocal virtuosity. White's delicate ride cymbal gently propels the opening to Bill Evans' "Waltz for Debby," even as he adopts a stronger backbone during Corea's solo, while, on Clarke's balladic "La Canción de Sofia," the bassist's arco proves every bit as lyrical as his sinewy pizzicato is muscular.

With Connors bowing out of the RTF IV tour early (citing health reasons), Forever's second disc is a glimpse into what might have been. His replacement, Frank Gambale, will no doubt be terrific, but hearing Connors dig into material from his sole RTF outing, Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (Polydor, 1973)—Clarke's anthemic "After the Cosmic Rain," and Corea's thundering "Señor Mouse" and funkified "Space Circus"—fulfills, at least partially, long-past hopes and dreams of fans who, buying tickets to RTF's 1973/74 tour expecting to hear Connors, were unpleasantly surprised by his teenaged replacement, Di Meola. Decades later, Connors still doesn't possess Di Meola's chops, but he remains the more soulful player, with a grittier tone and substance-over-style approach. The bonus disc also includes trio versions of Latin-era RTF stapes "Captain Marvel" and "500 Miles High," the Spanish-tinged Corea/Clarke/Ponty trio feature, "Armando's Rhumba," from My Spanish Heart (Polydor, 19076), and, with White joining in, the lighter fusion of "Renaissance," from Ponty's Aurora (Atlantic, 1976), combining to provide a compelling precursor of what's certainly to come this summer, when RTF IV hits the North American festival circuit.

http://jazz-rock-fusion-guitar.blogspot.com/search?q=Return+To+Forever

Track listing:
All compositions by Chick Corea except where noted.

Disc one
1. "On Green Dolphin Street" (Bronisław Kaper, Ned Washington) – 8:41
2. "Waltz for Debby" (Bill Evans) – 9:55
3. "Bud Powell" – 7:10
4. "La Canción de Sofia" (Stanley Clarke) – 7:38
5. "Windows" – 8:54
6. "Hackensack" (Thelonious Monk) – 7:30
7. "No Mystery" – 10:55
8. "Señor Mouse" – 12:06

Recorded at Yoshi's, Oakland, on September 16 & 17, 2009 (tracks 1–4, 7 & 8), at The Blue Note Tokyo, Japan on November 28, 2009 (track 5) and at Jazz Alley, Seattle, on December 12, 2009 (track 6)

Disc two
01. "Captain Marvel" – 4:13
02. "Señor Mouse" – 10:06
03. "Crescent" (John Coltrane) – 1:45
04. "Armando's Rhumba" – 5:12
05. "Renaissance" (Jean-Luc Ponty) – 6:29
06. "High Wire: The Aerialist" – 3:41
07. "I Loves You, Porgy" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 5:13
08. "After the Cosmic Rain" (Clarke) – 10:38
09. "Space Circus" – 6:06
10. "500 Miles High" – 12:45

Recorded at Mad Hatter Studios, Los Angeles, on September 1, 2009 (tracks 1–9) and at the Monterey Jazz Festival, Monterey, on September 30, 2009 (track 10).

Personnel:

Chick Corea – piano (Disc one and disc two, tracks 3–7 & 10), keyboards (Disc Two, tracks 1, 2, 8 & 9)
Stanley Clarke – double bass (Disc one and disc two, tracks 1, 4–7 & 10), electric bass (Disc Two, tracks 2, 8 & 9)
Lenny White – drums (Disc one and disc two, tracks 1–3 & 5–10)
Bill Connors – guitar (Disc two, tracks 2 & 7–9)
Jean-Luc Ponty – violin (Disc two, tracks 4–5 & 7–9)
Chaka Khan – vocals (Disc two, tracks 6–7)

Return To Forever - 1996 "Return To The 7th Galaxy"

Return To The 7th Galaxy: The Anthology (1996) is an anthology of recordings made from 1972 to 1975 by bands assembled by Chick Corea under the name "Return to Forever." The album is a compilation of tracks from the four Polygram studio albums, Light as a Feather, Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy, Where Have I Known You Before and No Mystery together with four previously unreleased live tracks (including a very funky 14 minute version of "Spain").

This two-CD set is a bit of a mixed bag. It serves as a retrospective of the first two versions of Chick Corea's Return to Forever, with three selections from Light as a Feather (featuring saxophonist Joe Farrell and singer Flora Purim), three from Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (which has guitarist Bill Connors), five selections from Where Have I Known You Before and four taken from No Mystery; the latter two dates match keyboardist Corea with guitarist Al DiMeola, electric bassist Stanley Clarke and drummer Lenny White. However, the real reason for serious collectors to acquire this double-CD set is for the four previously unreleased selections (totaling 39 minutes), including three taken from 1973 and matching Corea and Clarke with guitarist Connors, drummer Steve Gadd and percussionist Mingo Lewis (highlighted by a 14-minute rendition of "Spain"). Whether RTF fans will want to duplicate the other performances to get these four is a bit debatable, making one wish that the "new" material had been released separately.

Return to Forever is, without a doubt, one of the founding groups of jazz-rock fusion. However, they actually fused together three genres--Latin, rock, and jazz. This stylistic amalgamation became the hallmark of the band's early years.

RETURN TO THE 7TH GALAXY: THE ANTHOLOGY includes both live and studio performances by Return to Forever, spanning the years 1972 to '75. The first two tracks, "500 Miles High" and "Captain Marvel," both have a samba feel to them. On the former, Flora Purim's Brazilian singing is both melodious and sensual, and Chick Corea's electric piano solo is blisteringly hot. Other tracks such as "Captain Senor Mouse" highlight the band's raw, unruly side. On this cut, Lenny White really kicks things into high gear, bashing with the full force of a rock drummer. Guitarist Bill Connors's distorted tone also firmly establishes the rock vibe on this tune. While this two-disc set underlines the many line-up changes in RTF's first few years, it also proves the consistency of the band's music and underscores Corea's unique, brilliant artistic vision.

Tracks Listing

Disc 1: (76:27)
1. 50 Miles High (9:07)
2. Captain Marvel (4:53)
3. Light As A Feather (10:56)
4. Spain (14:16)
5. After The Cosmic Rain (8:43)
6. Bass Folk Song (6:57)
7. Hymm Of The Seventh Galaxy (3:28)
8. Captain Senor Mouse (9:00)
9. Theme To The Mothership (8:47)

Disc 2: (71:34)
1. Vulcan Worlds (7:51)
2. Beyond The Seventh Galaxy (3:14)
3. Earth Juice (3:46)
4. The Shadow Of Lo (9:07)
5. Where Have I Known You Before (2:20)
6. Song To The Pharoah Kings (14:22)
7. Dayride (3:25)
8. No Mystery (6:09)
9. Flight Of The Newborn (7:22)
10. Celebration Suite (Part I & II) (13:58)

Total Time: 148:01

Personnel:

- Chick Corea / piano, organ, synthesizer, percussion, vocal
- Joe Farrell / Tenor saxophone, flute
- Bill Connors / guitar
- Al DiMeola / guitar
- Stanley Clarke / bass, synthesizer, vocal
- Mingo Lewis / percussion
- Airto Moreira / percussion, drums
- Flora Purim / percussion, vocal
- Lenny White / percussion, drums
- Steve Gadd / drums
 

Return To Forever - 2008 "Returns"

Returns is a live album by the fusion band Return to Forever. Released in 2008, it is the first recording by the band after a hiatus of 32 years. A video recording of the band's live performances from the "Returns" tour at Montreux, Switzerland and (bonus material) Clearwater, Florida was also released in 2008 by Eagle Rock Entertainment as Return to Forever – Returns: Live at Montreux 2008.

When Chick Corea reassembled the members of the most commercially successful version of his Return to Forever ensemble in 2008 and embarked on an extensive tour, it was the jazz fusion event of the year. Younger fans barely born when the ensemble's high watermark, Romantic Warrior, was released in 1976 could finally see the group in the flesh. Based on this sizzling double-CD document culled from the tour's highlights, 32 years didn't dim the quartet's enthusiasm or uncanny instrumental precision and interplay. It includes extended versions of half the tunes on Romantic Warrior, the title cut from No Mystery, and three selections from Where Have I Known You Before, with that disc's "Song to the Pharaoh Kings" clocking in at a whopping 27 minutes. Corea keeps his synths reproducing the '70s sounds of the original recordings, which is great for those who want to relive the albums, but brings a somewhat dated touch to much of this. In reality, there are very few bands in 2008 creating this space-progressive jazz-rock fusion, and certainly none with the fine-tuned talents of these guys. Those chops are displayed early on a 13-minute version of "Vulcan Worlds" that can only be described as explosive -- so much so that it elicits multiple rounds of rapturous applause as each member takes his turn in the spotlight. It's especially exciting to hear guitarist Al di Meola once again shredding with his old band, since much of his recent material has been acoustic and world music-oriented. Stanley Clarke remains one of jazz's finest bassists, grounding the sound but also taking dynamic solos that place his instrument in a lead guitar position. Hearing him trading frenzied, electrified licks with di Meola is one of the many pleasures of this reunion.

But the band is intent on showing its quieter side too, with individual and duo collaborations that are predominantly unplugged. First up, Corea and di Meola join forces on "Children's Song #3," then the guitarist romps on acoustic as the piece ends with Corea returning to join in on his famed "Spain." Disc two tamps down the fireworks by featuring lengthy acoustic improvisational work from Corea, Clarke, and drummer Lenny White in that order, that provides a contrast, some might say breathing room, to the fiery group compositions, but also drag down the energy and slow the show's momentum. For jazz students, this is a mini master class for each instrument, yet how often others will return to these sections that comprise nearly half an hour of the second platter's running time is questionable. A 12-minute "bonus track" of "500 Miles High," a song from Light as a Feather, the RTF album with an earlier version of the band that did not include di Meola or White, is tacked on to the second disc. The set closes with producer Sir George Martin presenting the BBC Lifetime Achievement Award to the band, Corea's brief acceptance speech, and a short acoustic performance of "Romantic Warrior." It should be noted that this album's sleeve photos are from the associated DVD of the band's Montreux 2008 set, but only one tune here was recorded at that performance.

Seventies fusion supergroup Return to Forever's reunion and 2008 world tour was one of the year's biggest jazz events. At performances including its Ottawa International Jazz Festival show, the group did more than give a bunch of grays and no-hairs a chance to relive their youth. With a combination of prerequisite testosterone ("This is a man's band," said drummer Lenny White) and some updating to the material, the group proved that its music remains relevant. Returns—a two-CD set that documents a complete RTF performance with a couple of bonus tracks thrown in—documents the cathartic excitement of being there and makes clear that this music still stands on its own.

Returns is the live album that this classic RTF line-up—White, keyboardist Chick Corea, bassist Stanley Clarke and guitarist Al Di Meola—never released back in the day. With improvements in both instrument and recording technology, the group sounds better than it ever could have before. Grabbing some of the best material from the guitar-centric RTF's four album run—Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (Polydor, 1973) through Romantic Warrior (Columbia, 1976)—it capitalizes on individual growth since that time, making this a far more versatile RTF.

Stretched to 38 minutes, the title track from Romantic Warrior includes solo features from Corea (which breaks, midway, into an unexpected, hard-swinging version of Miles Davis' "Solar"), Clarke (referencing some of his own '70s solo albums) and White (a powerhouse solo that segues smoothly back to the song). It's part of an unplugged middle section that also includes a stunning feature for Di Meola and a vibrant group take of the lyrical but thematically knotty title track from No Mystery (Polydor, 1975). Seventies RTF never sounded this good.

But it's the electric RTF that is remembered most, and Returns delivers plenty of high octane playing, especially on a 27-minute "Song to the Pharoah Kings," from Where Have I Known You Before (Polydor, 1974). Often criticized for being more style than substance, Di Meola dispels that perception once and for all throughout the set, even supplanting original RTF guitarist Bill Connors' iconic solo on "Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy." Still capable of light-speed finger work that leaves most in his wake, Di Meola has grown significantly since being recruited, at 19, to replace Connors. With greater harmonic sophistication and attention to space, he's the star of the show (among a group of stars) alongside Corea, whose meatier synth tones have never sounded better, adding a broader textural palette to the group.

Rather than being regurgitated as original arrangements, Clarke's "Vulcan Worlds" and White's "Sorceress" get extended workouts—and receive contemporary updates as well, with Di Meola's solo section dropping to a wonderfully greasy, hip hop-informed half-time feel.

The RTF reunion and vigorous performance of Returns say, in no uncertain terms, that high-energy fusion, with complex writing and muscular soloing, is back and relevant in a big way—and it's about time.

http://jazz-rock-fusion-guitar.blogspot.com/search?q=Return+To+Forever

Tracks Listing:

(Disc 1)
1. Opening Prayer (2:02)
2. Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (3:44)
3. Vulcan Worlds (13:45)
4. Sorceress (11:24)
5. Song to the Pharaoh Kings (27:17)
6. Al's Solo, including: Children's Song #3, Passion Grace & Fire, Mediterranean Sundance, Cafe 1930, Spain (8:56)
7. No Mystery (8:53)

Total Time 74:59

(Disc 2)
1. Friendship
Chick's Solo, including Solar (8:54)
2. Romantic Warrior (7:20)
3. El Bayo de Negro (Stanley's Solo) (11:25)
4. Lineage (Lenny's Solo) (7:39)
5. Romantic Warrior (Continued) (3:06)
6. Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant (14:10)
(Bonus Tracks)
7. 500 Miles High (12:54)
8. BBC Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Sir George Martin; live performance of Romantic Warrior (8:21)

Total Time 72:49

Personnel:

Chick Corea – Minimoog Voyager, Rhodes Midi Piano Mark V, Yamaha grand piano C3MP, Sequential Circuits Prophet-5, Yamaha Motif
Al Di Meola – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Stanley Clarke – electric bass, acoustic bass
Lenny White – drums

Stan Getz - 1974 [2003] "Captain Marvel" [Bonus Tracks]

Captain Marvel is a jazz album by Stan Getz released in 1974 on the Columbia Records label. The album features performances by Getz with Chick Corea, who composed most of the material, Stanley Clarke, Airto Moreira and Tony Williams.

One of the more remarkable aspects of Stan Getz's 1972 masterpiece is just how organic he was able to keep the sound. The band surrounding Getz on this Columbia date was led by Chick Corea with his Return to Forever (electric) bassist Stanley Clarke, drummer Tony Williams, and Brazilian master percussionist Airto. With the exception of Clarke, all the rest had played with Miles Davis in his then-experimental electric bands. Corea's Return to Forever was just getting itself off the fusion ground, while Williams had been with John McLaughlin and Larry Young in Lifetime on top of his experience with Davis. But make no mistake, this is a Stan Getz record, his gorgeous tenor tone furiously and fluidly playing through all of Corea's difficult changes on Corea's Latin carnival jam, "La Fiesta," and shapeshifting his way through mode changes on "Five Hundred Miles High." The nucleus for the bedrock of Return to Forever was in the Getz laboratory of extended complex harmony and a strict adherence to melodic improvisation. Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life" is the space in which Getz teaches the band about dynamic, texture, and ambience -- he even has Clarke bowing his bass. This band, combining as it did the restlessness of electric jazz with Getz's trademark stubbornness in adhering to those principles that made modern jazz so great, made for a tension that came pouring out of the speakers with great mutual respect shining forth from every cut -- especially the steamy Latin-drenched title track. Captain Marvel is arguably the finest recording Getz made during the 1970s.  All Music.

By the time Stan Getz recorded Captain Marvel with Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Tony Williams, and Airto Moreira, he had been in the music business for nearly thirty years, and was widely revered as world-class jazz musician with a unique tenor sax voice. Getz began his career during the big band era, and cut his teeth with bandleaders as diverse as Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, and Woody Herman. A leader of swinging small groups throughout the '50s, Getz spent some time in Europe following a career disruption caused by long-standing drug problems. He returned to the U.S. in time to help sustain the Brazilian jazz-bossa craze, recording a series of albums with Joao Gilberto and wife Astrud Gilberto that remain among the most popular jazz recordings of all time. Getz continued to work and record at home and abroad throughout the 1960s, but by the end of the decade and the start of the next, things were changing rapidly. Traditional post-bop jazz was on the ropes, and there were a lot of new sounds in the air, many of them thanks to Miles Davis and his amazingly talented coterie of young sidemen. Getz was interested in putting together a new book of tunes for his return to New York following a European stay.

Chick Corea, a young pianist who had cut his teeth with Miles Davis's first electric bands, recorded a couple of amazing trio dates under his own name, and then moved on to form the avant-garde improvisational group Circle, was in the process of writing for and forming a new band that would be known as Return to Forever. The group would expand on Davis's moves toward electric music and musical forms that communicated more directly with the listener than the abstract jazz of the late 1960s. Corea and Getz crossed paths, and the idea of forming a quintet with Getz took hold. Corea brought along percussionist Airto Moreira and 20 year-old bass phenom Stanley Clarke. Rehearsals began, but according to the original liner notes by Albert Goldman, the project wasn't quite jelling until Getz brought in drummer Tony Williams. Corea's reminiscences in the new liner notes suggest that he brought the entire group to Getz, which makes sense since Corea and Williams had known each other for some time, even before they played together with Miles. In any event, the band worked out the arrangements and opened at New York City's Rainbow Room to wild acclaim and lines of potential listeners outside. Following the engagement, that group went into the studio and recorded Captain Marvel, long acknowledged as one of the best jazz recordings of the '70s and a return to form for Getz. Sony Legacy has now reissued the album, remastered and with three additional tracks that only add to the album's legendary status.

Corea composed five of the six tracks on the original album, and that fact says much about both Corea as a composer and Getz as a mature artist who knew talent when he heard it. There are many other artists who would not have felt comfortable recording the compositions of another, younger musician and allowing their young band so much room on something of a "comeback" album, but Getz was never an artist subsumed by ego, preferring instead to do whatever was necessary to provide the best musical experience possible. It also didn't hurt that the pieces themselves had a heavy Latin flavor, which lent itself well to Getz' propensity for rhythmic improvisation, nor that Corea's soaring melodic lines allowed Getz the opportunity to utilize his beautiful, romantic tenor tone in their service.

"La Fiesta" became a mainstay, not only in Return to Forever's book, but in the books of virtually every big band out there. Maynard Ferguson and Woody Herman had arrangements, as did every small working jazz ensemble at the time. Alternating between a paso doble and a bright, major-key melody that is as catchy as a Top-40 pop song, it's an irresistible piece that instantly creates goodwill between musicians and audience. Clarke roams at will across the lower range of the group's sound while Williams keeps the pace with an almost unbelievable energy, fusing the vigor of flamenco and the unexpected accents of bebop with the exciting drama of rock.

Corea's Fender Rhodes work is transcendent on the entire album. The only musician with as fully developed a conception of the electric piano was Herbie Hancock, but the way the two pianists approached the instrument was worlds apart. To Corea the instrument's very sound connoted magic, and the fullness and beauty of the tones he wrings from it could not have been done with an acoustic piano. He's the perfect foil for Getz, both supporting him and driving him forward without ever becoming intrusive. The first bonus track, a performance of the Corea ballad "Crystal Silence", shows how this new electric instrument could profoundly expand the language available to jazz keyboard players. In the wrong hands, of course, it could be cloying, but Corea is one of the best to ever play the instrument. The alternate versions of "Captain Marvel" and "Five Hundred Miles High" show that this band was creating at a high level, and that the improvisation undertaken by Getz and Corea, in particular, was everything that jazz music had ever been and should be. In short, the fact that Getz was recording with a group of musicians who were leading jazz in the direction of fusion did nothing to alter his distinctive style. Though he was updating his sound and using the music of the day as a springboard, he was in no way attempting to merely do something that seemed fashionable at the time. Captain Marvel was a Stan Getz album because Getz was the nominal "leader" and the only horn player here, but ultimately this was a collaborative album by a group of musicians who were highly attuned to each other, and that is why the album has endured, and still sounds fresh today, some thirty years since it was recorded. by Marshall Bowden.

Prior to forming the innovative fusion band Return To Forever, Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Airto Moreira served valuable apprenticeships with tenor legend Stan Getz. On this hot classic these four stellar players joined with ex-Miles Davis drummer Tony Williams and brought Getz into the electric-jazz era with a powerful kick. The main highlight is the earth-shaking romp through Corea's up-tempo Latin groove "La Fiesta", with the pianist conjuring images of Barcelona table dances and Getz pouring on the fire with a fresh new vigor. Some of Getz' subsequent electric albums (such as "Children of the World" on Columbia) were sodden, meandering efforts with few stimulating moments, but "Captain Marvel" documents a great band with the tenorman on the threshold of new discoveries. A must-have.  By Todd Jenkins.

Track listing

All compositions by Chick Corea except as noted.

 01   "La Fiesta" – 8:21
 02   "Five Hundred Miles High" – 8:09
 03   "Captain Marvel" - 5:06
 04   "Times Lie" – 9:46
 05   "Lush Life" (Billy Strayhorn) – 2:26
 06   "Day Waves" – 9:39
Bonus tracks:
 07   "Crystal Silence" - 7:47
 08   "Captain Marvel" - 5:18
 09   "Five Hundred Miles High" - 9:29

Personnel

    Stan Getz – tenor saxophone
    Chick Corea – electric piano
    Stanley Clarke – bass
    Airto Moreira – percussion
    Tony Williams – drums