Return To Forever—the pioneering jazz/rock fusion supergroup—will return to the live concert stage for the first time in thirty years this summer. The world tour will include all four members of what most jazz/rock fusion fans agree was the group's "classic lineup" of the 1970s.
As confirmed on the Return To Forever website, keyboardist Chick Corea, guitarist Al DiMeola, bassist Stanley Clarke, and drummer Lenny White are all on board for the summer tour.
The fifty or so dates will begin in the United States on May 29, with a two-night stand in Austin, TX, before heading to Europe in July and then back to America for a string of dates that will last through the summer. Return To Forever's concerts will include everything from intimate theatre shows, to appearances at the biggest summer jazz festivals such as Montreux and at Nice.
In the 1970s, Return To Forever was one of the most popular and respected groups in the world who specialized in what was then widely referred to as "fusion"—a hybrid of rock, funk, and jazz styles. In terms of combining both critical and commercial success, RTF was probably matched by only two other so-called "fusion" groups, Joe Zawinul's Weather Report and John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra.
Originally formed as a vehicle for the already highly respected jazz keyboardist Corea (as featured on earlier albums like Light As A Feather), the addition of DiMeola, Clarke, and White soon led to the more decidedly fusion flavor of albums like Where Have I Known You Before? and No Mystery for Polydor Records. Even so, both of these releases continued to bill RTF as Chick Corea's band.
When the other musicians—particularly Clarke and DiMeola—began to receive equal notice, and the albums began selling unusually well for jazz releases, they were soon signed to Columbia Records. The album Romantic Warrior followed, with the artists now billed simply as Return To Forever. That album has long since gone on to be recognized as a fusion classic. DiMeola, Clarke, and White eventually would all release well received solo albums of their own.
To coincide with this summer's reunion tour, Return To Forever will release a two-CD anthology featuring songs from the four classic albums: Hymn Of The Seventh Galaxy, Where Have I Known You Before?, No Mystery, and Romantic Warrior. The concerts will also concentrate on material from these four albums.
Article comments
1 - Mark Saleski
i was never a big Return To Forever fan, but i just might have to go to one of these shows. never seen Stanley Clarke or Al DiMeola....