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