Track Listing

1. Return to Forever
2. Crystal Silence
3. What Game Shall We Play Today?
4. Sometime Ago/La Fiesta

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16499 in Music
• Brand: COREA,CHICK
• Released on: 1999-11-16
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Album Description
Japanese only SHM-CD (Super High Material CD - playable on all CD players) pressing. Universal. 2008.

Amazon.com essential recording
The soul of fusion lies not in the barrage of note clusters played through overdriven amplifiers but in the arresting beauty of Return to Forever's lucid vision of music without boundaries. The stunningly virtuosic pianist Chick Corea had already gone through an exploration of free jazz with Circle, tutelage in the Miles Davis Academy of New Electric Music and the soul-searching of "Piano Improvisations" when he arrived at his most brilliant conception. Corea and bassist Stanley Clarke fly through the proceedings, supporting Joe Farrell's flute and soprano sax playing in what may have been the performance of his life. Flora Purim's vocals and Airto Moreira's drums and percussion work discretely in service of the music's serenity. --John Swenson

Customer Reviews

Vibrant music
Corea was at his peak with this '70s release, which brought together his Latin-flavored compositions and writing for singer Flora Purim with his liquid electric piano, Airto's varied gifts on percussion, and the late great Joe Farrell's facility on flute and sax.

One of the approaches to jazz that has unfortunately seemed to pass by the boards is what I'll call extended comp/improv, a blend of formal composition, passages for improvisation and sections that allow for free group interaction. Sonny Rollins and Max Roach were modernists who plowed early ground in this area, and they were followed by, among others, McCoy Tyner, John Handy, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Jack DeJonette, and of course, the master of the form, Charles Mingus. Corea makes a fine contribution to the informal canon with "Sometime Ago/La Fiesta," a hypnotic 23-minute excursion.

For the extended comp/improv to work, all the musicians have to be headed in the same direction without ever losing the sense that there are many paths toward the same goal. "Sometime Ago/La Fiesta" illustrates the beauty of this ideal. Corea, Farrell, and bassist Stanley Clarke all prove their mettle in long, lyrical passages in which they both play and respond to one another. Farrell is particularly inspired on flute and soprano sax, but Clarke will startle you as well with the sounds he gets from his bass.

The rest of the CD? Fine as well, although you might find Purim's vocals an acquired taste. For me, a little generally goes a long way, but on this CD, her voice is tightly interwoven into the compositions and is an asset rather than a distraction.

Those who think of Return to Forever as a rock band will find this record a surprise -- one way or the other. For me, it's vastly superior to the fusion records Corea turned out later in the '70s.

Beautiful, beautiful album
"Return to Forever" is a marvelous album that stands in a genre all its own. Chick Corea has unassailable jazz credentials with his work in Miles' Davis experiments and his fine trio work with Roy Haynes and Miroslav Vitous. Return to Forever is a lyrical album that has beautiful melodies and strong improvisation from Joe Farrell while tastefully melding the Brazilian influences of Flora Purim and Airto Moreira. For me, it's the Brazilian influences that make this such a resounding album. Airto's samba patterns and percussive work on "Return to Forever" and "Sometime Ago" are wonderful. Joe Farrell provides some marvelous flute work on "What Game Shall We Play Today". "What Game" is a very infectious melody that you'll want to play over and over again. Stanley Clarke's stuff is a little more restrained than some of the more rock influenced stuff Return to Forever eventually went into, but his technical chops are still a vital part of this session. Still "Return to Forever" highlights the best of what Chick Corea has to offer, a willingness to please, tasteful use of texture through the electric piano and music that takes risk while still being melodic and affirming. This is one of the best albums I've purchased in the last couple years.

Return To Forever Will Never Return - Unfortunately
My absolute favorite Chick Corea CDs are _Return To Forever_ and _Light As A Feather_. Both are old classics and both feature Joe Farell, Stanley Clarke. Airto, and Flora Purim. I love the style and the mood of these two albums. I think Chick had something special going on with the Latin concept and the artists of these two CDs. He later diverged with a fantasy concept group called, Return To Forever (nothing to do with this CD), a big mistake in my opinion. Getting back to this CD, the title track, "Return To Forever", is a great composition with phenomenal work by Stanley Clarke and Chick. Flora's surreal vocals and Airto's percussion are a nice touch. "Crystal Silence" is a wonderfully quiet piece with Chick, Joe, and Airto breaking the silence. "What Game Shall We Play Today" is classic Flora Purim. Her performance on this track reminds me of another joyful Purim vocal, "Mountain Train", from her best CD, _Stories To Tell_. "Sometime Ago - La Fiesta", with it's long long intro by Stan, Joe and Chic, and later, Flora's vocals, is a masterpiece. You need to listen to several times to fully appreciate its brilliance. Return To Forever has a unique mood and style that reminds one of innocent jazz musicians, like children, simply having fun playing together. It belongs on every jazz aficionado's shelf.