Pianist Chick Corea, bassist Stanley Clarke and drummer Lenny White have teamed up once again to revisit their common roots in the seminal fusion band Return to Forever. On June 7, 2011, Concord Jazz will release Forever, a two-CD set of 18 tunes that include updated RTF classics as well as jazz trio standards. In support of the release, a tour is planned for next summer.
Disc one, recorded live, is a best-of sampler from Corea, Clarke and White’s acoustic “RTF–Unplugged” 2009 world tour. Highlights include jazz standards “On Green Dolphin Street,” “Waltz For Debby” and “Hackensack,” Corea classics “Bud Powell” and “Windows,” Clarke’s new “La Canción De Sofia” and RTF pieces “Señor Mouse” and “No Mystery.”
“This acoustic trio had not been documented up to this point,” said White. “It was important to document because that’s how we started. On the last day of our Keystone Korner gig in 1973 in San Francisco, we had two guitarists sit in, and it became electric. But we come from playing it the jazz tradition. RTF had a real jazz rhythm section, and I think that’s what distinguishes RTF from all the other groups.”
Disc two of Forever is a bonus CD that includes tracks featuring vocalist Chaka Khan, violinist Jean-Luc Ponty and original RTF guitarist Bill Connors, all of whom joined the core trio for a one-time-only gig at the Hollywood Bowl during the 2009 tour. Connors reunites with his former bandmates on several compositions from the Hymn Of The Seventh Galaxy album, incuding “Señor Mouse,” “Space Circus” and “After The Rain.” Ponty performs on five tracks, including “Armando’s Rhumba” (which he first performed on Corea’s 1976 album My Spanish Heart) and his onetime fusion hit “Renaissance.”
Kahn’s appearance marks a reprise of the 1982 recording Echoes Of An Era, a straightahead collection with performances from Freddie Hubbard and Joe Henderson, along with Corea, Clarke and White. Her vocal chops are demonstrated on Gershwin’s “I Loves You Porgy” and the Corea-penned “High Wire–The Aerialist.”
Most of the tracks on disc two are from rehearsal sessions for the Hollywood Bowl gig held at Mad Hatter Studios in Los Angeles. The vibe is relaxed, with plenty of studio banter and laughter as the trio and their guests prepare the concert material. The final track of disc two is a fresh version of Corea’s “500 Miles High” recorded by Corea, Clarke and White live at the Monterey Jazz Festival.
“There was real magic,” Clarke said of the trio’s 2009 tour. “We hadn’t seen each other for a long time, and we have a lot of history at Mad Hatter. We originally didn’t intend to put this material out, but it sounded so great that we wanted to share this with our fans.”
According to Clarke, another electric RTF tour is in the works, featuring himself, Corea, White, Connors and Ponty. “This is actually the fourth version of Return To Forever,” he said. “It’s come full circle with Bill coming back and the addition of Jean-Luc. After release, we’re doing an RTF IV tour to go out and support the new CD. It’s a total update, and it’s going to be a lot of fun.” (Source: Downbeat, 02 December 2010)
Disc 1:
01 On Green Dolphin Street (Bronislaw Kaper, Ned Washington) - 08:41
02 Waltz For Debby (Bill Evans, Gene Lees) - 09:54
03 Bud Powell (Chick Corea) - 07:09
04 La Canción de Sophia (Stanley Clarke) - 07:37
05 Windows (Chick Corea) - 09:54
06 Hackensack (Thelonious Monk) - 07:26
07 No Mystery (Chick Corea) - 14:24
08 Senor Mouse (Chick Corea) - 12:06
Disc 2:
01 Captain Marvel (Chick Corea) - 04:12
02 Senor Mouse (Chick Corea) - 10:06
03 Crescent (John Coltrane) - 01:44
04 Armando's Rhumba (Chick Corea) - 05:11
05 Renaissance (Jean-Luc Ponty) - 06:28
06 High Wire -- The Aerialist (Chick Corea, Tony Cohen -- Chick Corea) - 03:40
07 I Loves You Porgy (George Gershwin) - 05:13
08 After The Cosmic Rain (Stanley Clarke) - 10:37
09 Space Circus (Chick Corea) - 06:00
10 500 Miles High (Chick Corea, Neville Potter) - 12:45
Personnel:
Chick Corea: piano.
Stanley Clarke: bass.
Lenny White: drums.
Guests (on Disc 2):
Jean-Luc Ponty: violin.
Chaka Khan: vocals.
Bill Connors: guitar.
This 2-CD set is presently only available as a Japanese import. The US release is scheduled for June 2011, to coincide with Mr. Corea's 70th birthday.
