Return To Forever
Return To Forever

The debut of Return To Forever is one of the most exciting in the jazz fusion scene. Just a year behind the abstractness of the first eponymous work by Weather Report.

1972. Chick Corea joins bassist Stanley Clarke, saxophonist Joe Farrell, percussionist Airto Moreira, and his wife Flora Purim, a singer of remarkable depth. This year they release their first eponymous work, containing four tracks.

We are immediately greeted by the bouncing of the soft notes of "Return To Forever," accompanied by Flora's celestial vocalizations. Quickly all the instruments, including the flute, begin to dialogue, and by the sixth minute, the undulating Latin sounds are overtaken by Clarke's pulsating bass.

Everything is so sublime in these first twelve minutes. The choice of the female voice seems instantly spot-on, as it enhances the rhythmic inserts even more.

Chick Corea, with his electric piano and Fender Rhodes, is masterful in minimalism, reflective pauses, and more delicate, ethereal sounds. Indeed, the faded finale of "Return To Forever" introduces "Crystal Silence," and the title already says it all. The relaxing cover with that wonderful blue backdrop of water and the divine levels reached by saxophone and piano are the calling card.

This unreal landscape is almost disturbed by the funky return of "What Game Shall We Play Today," where Purim delights us with her incredibly sensual vocal tone.

"Sometimes Ago / La Fiesta" is unfortunately the last gift.

The voice of Clarke's bass fully explains its grace. Intangible notes are caressed by the velvety sound of the Fender Rhodes. The flute is the other element that sets in at the beginning of the suite (a full twenty-three minutes), and in the finale, the amalgamation between all the components is complete, voice included. The samba arrives at the end, and we can only be impressed.

After this enormous first step, we find "Light As A Feather," which delivers two more gems by Corea such as "Spain" and "500 Miles High," the unabashed funk of "Hymn Of The Seventh Galaxy," the Grammy Award-winning "No Mystery," and the beautiful "Romantic Warrior" of 1976.

A band that equates to a goldmine. Here, along with Corea, we also find Al Di Meola and Steve Gadd, while Clarke remains ever-reliable, staying until the disbandment in 1977.