John Beasley - Frankfurt Radio Big Band - 2024 "Returning To Forever"

Return To Forever, led by the legendary Chick Corea and featuring bassist Stanley Clarke, was one of the great fusion bands of the 1970s. The group evolved through three distinct phases: the Brazilian fusion group with vocalist Flora Purim, percussionist Airto, and reed/flute player Joe Farrell; the rock-influenced quartet with drummer Lenny White and either guitarist Bill Connors or Al DiMeola; and a later ensemble with six horns, drummer Gerry Brown, and Corea’s wife, singer Gayle Moran.

In 2019, pianist/keyboardist, arranger, composer, conductor, record producer, music director, and educator John Beasley embarked on an ambitious project: reimagining Return To Forever’s music for the GRAMMY®-nominated Frankfurt Radio Big Band (hr-Bigband.) While some of Corea’s pieces (and Clarke’s “Vulcan Worlds”) have been performed in various ways over the years, they had never been adapted for a large jazz orchestra at this level. Due to the COVID pandemic, the music was not recorded until 2023, and is now being released as Returning To Forever.

Before starting the project, Beasley reached out to Corea for his blessing. “Chick gave me his blessings and offered his original handwritten charts. He asked me to share my arrangements with him. I was amazed by how open-minded he was,” says Beasley. He wrote four arrangements, but before he could send them, the world learned of Corea’s passing on February 9th, 2021.

Beasley preserved each chosen song’s form, theme, and essence while making the pieces sound like a natural fit for a big band. Starting with the excitement of Captain Señor Mouse, Returning To Forever includes exhilarating transformations of Space Circus, No Mystery, the funky Vulcan Worlds (with the horns playing transcriptions of Corea’s keyboard solos), the passionate Medieval Overture, the lyrical ballad You’re Everything which also includes La Fiesta, and the episodic Return To Forever.

THE MUSIC OF CHICK COREA’S LEGENDARY GROUP, RETURN TO FOREVER . . . REIMAGINED THE LATEST COLLABORATION BETWEEN MULTIPLE GRAMMY®- WINNER BEASLEY & THE TWICE-NOMINATED FRANKFURT RADIO BIG BAND “Chick gave me his blessings and offered his original handwritten charts. He asked me to share my arrangements with him. I was amazed by how open-minded he was.” —JOHN BEASLEY As a pianist/keyboardist, arranger, composer, conductor, record producer, music director, and educator, John Beasley has contributed to countless memorable, critically-acclaimed projects. Returning To Forever, with the Frankfurt Radio Big Band, is a standout achievement in his illustrious career. 

Return To Forever, led by Chick Corea and featuring bassist Stanley Clarke, was one of the great fusion bands of the 1970s. Now, Beasley has rearranged and reimagined RTF’s music for the GRAMMY®-nominated Frankfurt Radio Big Band. Before starting the project, Beasley reached out to Corea for his blessing. Excited by the idea, Chick sent Beasley handwritten charts, but passed away before he could hear where Beasley and the Big Band would take them. With a dozen Grammy® nominations and two wins, Returning To Forever is the latest milestone in Beasley’s career. 

In his twenties, he worked as a keyboardist with both Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard. He has had a long-time association with Dianne Reeves and has collaborated with Christian McBride, Chaka Khan, Dave Grusin, Lee Ritenour, Steely Dan, Queen Latifah, Somi, and Chucho Valdés, among others. He’s worked behind the scenes on countless film & TV scores and released over a dozen albums as a leader. The Frankfurt Radio Big Band (aka hr-Bigband) is a 17-piece jazz orchestra currently led by 12-time Grammy®-nominee Jay McNeely.

From the opening salvo of Captain Señor Mouse on John Beasley's Returning to Forever album, featuring the Frankfurt Radio Big Band, it's clear that you're in for a magical reimagining of classic Return to Forever (RTF) compositions. It's been half a century since Chick Corea launched RTF, elevating jazz fusion to new heights on the musical landscape. And as legendary as the original 1970's recordings were, John Beasley's insightful arrangements brought to life by the musical prowess of the Frankfurt Radio Big Band provokes an energy and vibrancy that only a jazz orchestra can deliver.

Track listing:

1. Captain Sen?or Mouse

2. Space Circus

3. No Mystery

4. Vulcan Worlds

5. Medieval Overture

6. You're Everything / La Fiesta

7. Return to Forever

The Fusion Syndicate - 2012 "The Fusion Syndicate"

 

The Fusion Syndicate is a supergroup project from the producer of the similarly ambitious Prog Collective album. Featured on various jazz-rock and fusion cuts here are such musicians as Yes' Rick Wakeman, guitarist Larry Coryell, drummer Billy Cobham, Dixie Dregs' Steve Morse, and many more. These are moody, sometimes funky, sometimes more hard-rocking and always atmospheric instrumental cuts that blur the lines between rock, jazz, and new age.

In 2012, the world of Fusion Rock/Jazz was shook by the introduction of a new supergroup of unparalleled musical virtuosos who came together under one umbrella for a blockbuster studio album. Both the group and its debut album were called simply The Fusion Syndicate, and it featured some of the biggest names in fusion including members of Mahavishnu Orchestra, Yellowjackets, Brand X, Soft Machine, and Spyro Gyra PLUS Yes, Dream Theater, King Crimson, Tool, Porcupine Tree, Hawkwind and more!

Tracks Listing:

1. Random Acts Of Science (7:52)

2. Stone Cold Infusion (7:30)

3. Molecular Breakdown (7:19)

4. Particle Accelerations (7:37)

5. At The Edge Of The Middle (7:34)

6. Atom Smashing (7:33)

7. In The Spirit Of... (7:15)

Total time 52:40

Line-up / Musicians

- Billy Sherwood / keyboards, Rhodes, synths, guitars, vocals, composer, production & mixing

With:

- Rick Wakeman / keyboards (1)

- Jerry Goodman / violins (1)

- Nik Turner / sax (1)

- Jimmy Haslip / bass (1)

- Steve Stevens / guitar (2)

- Jordan Rudess / keyboards (2)

- Mel Collins / sax (2)

- Colin Edwin / bass (2)

- Billy Cobham / drums (2)

- Jay Beckenstein / sax (3)

- Billy Sheehan / bass (3)

- Gavin Harrison / drums (3)

- David Sancious / keyboards (3)

- Larry Coryell / guitar (4)

- Derek Sherinian / keyboards (4)

- Eric Marienthal / sax (4)

- Chester Thompson / drums (4)

- Steve Morse / guitar (5)

- Jim Beard / piano (5)

- Randy Brecker / trumpet (5)

- Percy Jones / bass (5)

- John Etheridge / guitar (6)

- Tony Kaye / Hammond & synths (6)

- Chad Wackerman / drums (6)

- Steve Hillage / guitar (7)

- Scott Kinsey / keyboards (7)

- Theo Travis / sax (7)

- Justin Chancellor / bass (7)

- Asaf Sirkis / drums (7)

Jimi Hendrix - 1968 [2013] "Miami Pop Festival"

Miami Pop Festival is a posthumous live album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, documenting their May 18, 1968 performance at the Pop & Underground Festival in Hallandale, Florida. It features eight songs recorded during their evening performance, along with two extra songs.

The album was released on November 5, 2013, in conjunction with the Jimi Hendrix video documentary, Hear My Train A Comin'. "Fire" and "Foxey Lady", recorded during the afternoon-show, were also released as a stereo 45 rpm single. The album reached number 39 on the US Billboard 200 album chart and number 120 on the Belgian (Walloon) chart.

By the time Jimi Hendrix took the stage at Hallandale, Florida’s Gulfstream Park on May 18, 1968, the 25-year old guitarist, songwriter and visionary’s reputation preceded him.  He had already released two studio albums (1967’s Are You Experienced and Axis: Bold as Love released in 1967 in the U.K. and 1968 in the U.S.) and established himself as an unpredictable performer not to be missed when he set his guitar ablaze amidst the peace and love of the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967.  With Jimi Hendrix, there was always fire – if not literally, always musically.

There were actually two Miami Pop Festivals that year.  Hendrix joined Frank Zappa and his Mothers of Invention, Blue Cheer, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown and others for the May festival promoted by Flipper trainer Ric O’Barry and future Woodstock guru Michael Lang.  In late December, promoters Tom Rounds and Mel Lawrence held another fest at the same venue, enlisting artists including Procol Harum, The Turtles, Jose Feliciano, Country Joe and the Fish, and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.  The May event welcomed an estimated 50,000 people, and inspired Hendrix to pen “Rainy Day, Dream Away” (included on Electric Ladyland, released in September 1968) when his planned performance on the second day was cancelled due to inclement weather. Lang, proprietor of a Miami head shop that was one of the first such establishments on the East Coast, dubbed the event as “where the seeds of Woodstock were sown.”

So, you’re probably thinking: “wait, another Hendrix live album – aren’t we scraping the bottom of the barrel”?  The answer is, an emphatic NO.  In fact, Miami Pop Festival may turn out to be one of the finest documents of the cosmically-talented guitarist’s short career.

If it’s that good, why wasn’t it released until now?  Well, these tapes were thought to be long lost, so better late than never, right?

Organized by Michael Lang, who would famously put together Woodstock a year later, the Miami Pop Festival was the first outdoor rock festival on the East coast.  Thrown together in a month, the promoters lucked out when Jimi Hendrix said “yes” to an invitation to play.  He had wowed the audience at Monterey the year before with his flaming guitar, and since then, he was the biggest concert attraction around.

What sets Miami Pop apart from other Hendrix live albums is that this one sounds really good. While even Winterland, for all its greatness is kind of sludgy in the mix of instruments, Miami Pop is really crisp.  A lot of the credit goes to engineer Eddie Kramer, who was asked to record the concert while on hiatus from helming Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland LP.   He was also brought back in to remix these tracks 45 years later.

The disc opens with an introduction which features something unbelievable: Hendrix, one of the greatest guitarists of all time, having to tune his own guitar.  Certainly, you’d think he’d have a guitar tech standing by to do that!  As was tradition, this is followed by a long jam, which encompasses the beginning of “Hey Joe.”  As the actual song begins, marvel at the frenetic kick pedal of drummer Mitch Mitchell.

“Tax Free” gives Hendrix a chance to work out the wah wah pedal, while “Fire” is played at lightning speed.  Things slow down for an intense version of the blues standard “Red House.”

The booklet comes with an excellent essay giving background to the event.  Plus, there’s some fantastic photos, showing Hendrix with his signature hat in place.

There’s excellent video footage from this show in the new Hendrix documentary Hear My Train a Comin (read our review).  Seeing Hendrix and band perched on a makeshift stage made of flatbed trucks, makes you appreciate just how good this material sounds, despite the conditions.  In a long line of Jimi Hendrix live albums, Miami Pop Festival stands as one of the all-time best.  

Track listing:

Introduction (no music) – 1:54

Hey Joe (Billy Roberts) – 6:22

Foxey Lady – 4:33

Tax Free( Bo Hansson, Janne Karlsson) – 8:20

Fire – 2:47

Hear My Train A Comin' – 7:58

I Don't Live Today – 4:50

Red House – 12:07

Purple Haze – 4:19

Fire (afternoon show) – 3:07

Foxey Lady (afternoon show) – 4:56

Personnel:

Jimi Hendrix – vocals, guitar

Noel Redding – bass guitar, backing vocals

Mitch Mitchell – drums

Frank Zappa/Mothers 1974 [1992] "Roxy & Elsewhere"

Roxy & Elsewhere is a double live album by Frank Zappa and The Mothers, released on September 10, 1974. Most of the songs were recorded on December 8, 9 and 10, 1973 at The Roxy Theatre in Hollywood, California. The material taken from the Roxy concerts was later amended with some overdubs in the studio, while the "Elsewhere" tracks ("Son of Orange County" and "More Trouble Every Day") were recorded on May 8, 1974, at the Edinboro State College, Edinboro, Pennsylvania (and parts of "Son of Orange County" on May 11, 1974, at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, Illinois [late show]) and do not contain overdubbed material.

The album primarily comprised recordings from three shows at the Roxy Theater in Hollywood, and featured tracks never before or thereafter released on any Zappa/Mothers album.

The opening track, "Penguin in Bondage", is edited together from performances at the Roxy and the Chicago date. The guitar solo on "Son of Orange County" is one of the few Zappa guitar solos edited together from more than one concert, in this case the Edinboro and Chicago dates.

Some of the unused tracks from the Roxy shows circulate as bootlegs, as well as the entirety of the Edinboro show. Other tracks were released on Volumes One, Three and Four of the You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore series. On a side note, Zappa can be heard, on the released and unreleased Roxy tapes, speaking of the making of a 'film' that could potentially be "broadcast on television", as well as reminding the audience not to be "uncomfortable around the intimidatingly large 16 mm cameras."

A four-channel quadraphonic version of the album was mixed by Zappa[4] and advertised, but the quad version has never been released.

The 2014 CD Roxy by Proxy includes other material from the Roxy shows, including alternate versions of some songs from Roxy & Elsewhere, with no overdubs.

In the documentary Genesis: Together and Apart, Phil Collins states that the twin drum solos in "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?" is what inspired him to ask Chester Thompson to become Genesis' touring drummer in late 1976.[5] Collins and Thompson also used the drum fill from the chorus of "More Trouble Every Day" in the coda of live versions of the Genesis song "Afterglow."

On February 2, 2018, Zappa Records/UMe released The Roxy Performances, a definitive set that collects all four public shows from December 9–10, 1973, and the December 8th film shoot and soundcheck, each presented in their entirety without overdubs, along with bonus content featuring rarities from a rehearsal, unreleased tracks and highlights from the recording session at Bolic Sound.[6]

On June 17, 2022, Zappa Records/UMe released Zappa/Erie, a six CD box set including the complete May 8, 1974 concert from Edinboro that had been one of the sources of "Son of Orange County" and "More Trouble Every Day" from Roxy & Elsewhere.

That's entertainment! This double LP record has been recorded live, and Frank Zappa plays the role of an entertainer on it! There are many parts where just a light background music gives an atmosphere to the conversations and to Zappa's oral presentations. The record has many fast and complex instrumental parts. "Be-Bop Tango" is a 16 minutes tracks where Zappa invites some people in the audience to dance while George Duke scats and plays a solo at the same time; this track also contains an outstanding trombone solo, plus "impossible to play" xylophone-drums-bass-trumpet combination. "Cheepnis" is an absolutely addictive track, very catchy, rhythm changing, complex and fast! The consecutive "Echidna's Arf" and "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?" demonstrate a great mastering of the challenging synchronization of instrumentation; those tracks have very complex and fast fusion patterns; Ruth Underwood's percussions are outstanding! Zappa does not miss to play some impossible guitar solos. After the jazzy Grand Wazoo album, Zappa made 5 records between 1973 and 1975, and this one is the most instrumental and jazz/fusion by far!

Track listing:

01 Penguin In Bondage 6:48

02 Pygmy Twylyte 2:13

03 Dummy Up  6:03

04 Village Of The Sun 4:17

05 Echidna's Arf (Of You) 3:53

06 Don't You Ever Wash That Thing? 9:41

07 Cheepnis  6:31

08 Son Of Orange County 5:54

09 More Trouble Every Day 6:01

10 Be-Bop Tango (Of The Old Jazzmen's Church) 16:40

Personnel:

- Frank Zappa / guitar, guitar (electric), keyboards, vocals

- George Duke / keyboards, vocals

- Tom Fowler / bass

- Ruth Underwood / percussion

- Jeff Simmons / rhythm guitar, vocals

- Don Preston / synthesizer

- Bruce Fowler / trombone, dancing!

- Walt Fowler / trumpet

- Napoleon Murphy Brock / tenor saxophone, flute, vocals

- Ralph Humphrey / drums

- Chester Thompson / drums