Rating:
Genre:
Jazz
Release Date: 03/31/2009
Run Time: 46:48
The legendary first lineup of
Chick Corea's
fusion band
Return to Forever debuted on this classic album (titled after the group but credited to
Corea), featuring
Joe Farrell on soprano sax and flute, the Brazilian team of vocalist
Flora Purim and drummer/percussionist
Airto Moreira, and electric bass whiz
Stanley Clarke. It wasn't actually released in the U.S. until 1975, which was why the group's second album,
Light as a Feather, initially made the
Return to Forever name. Nonetheless,
Return to Forever is every bit as classic, using a similar blend of spacy electric-piano
fusion and Brazilian and
Latin rhythms. It's all very warm, light, and airy, like a soft breeze on a tropical beach -- hardly the sort of firebrand approach to
fusion that
Miles Davis,
Tony Williams, and
the Mahavishnu Orchestra were exploring, and far less rooted in
funk or
rock.
Corea also bathes the album in an undertone of trippy mysticism, not only in the (admittedly dated) lyrics, but in his cosmic keyboard wanderings, which remain melodic and accessible through most of the record. There's one genuine
pop song in the groovy
samba "What Game Shall We Play Today," and while
"Sometime Ago" has similar elements, it's part of an ambitious side-long medley that features a stream-of-consciousness intro and a jubilant, Spanish/Mexican-style closing section called
"La Fiesta," complete with castanets and
flamenco modes. The title track is another multi-sectioned work, featuring
Corea and
Purim in wordless unison on two different, catchy themes, plus breezy work from
Farrell and lots of Brazilian-flavored rhythmic interplay. And the dreamy, meditative
"Crystal Silence" is an underrated gem waiting to be rediscovered. Certainly, this edition of
Return to Forever wasn't inclined toward high-voltage
jazz-rock (as the next one was), but this group's two albums still stand as some of the most imaginative and distinctive early
fusion recordings.
~Steve Huey, All Music Guide
;)
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