Return to Forever is the name of a jazz fusion band founded and led by keyboardist Chick Corea. The band cycled through many members, but the only consistent band mate of Corea's was bassist Stanley Clarke. Along with Weather Report and Mahavishnu Orchestra, these bands are often seen as the core of jazz fusion music in the 1970s. Several musicians, including Clarke, Flora Purim, Airto Moreira and Al Di Meola first became well-known through their performances on Return to Forever's albums. Return to Forever (1972) is a jazz fusion album by Chick Corea and Return to Forever, and the groups debut album. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Jazz fusion (or jazz-rock fusion or fusion) is a musical genre that merges elements of jazz with other styles of music, particularly pop, rock, folk, reggae, funk, metal, country, R&B, hip hop, electronic music and world music. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... Armando Anthony Chick Corea (born June 12, 1941) is a multiple Grammy Award winning American jazz pianist/keyboardist and composer. ... Stanley Clarke (born 30 June 1951) is an American musician and composer known for his innovative and influential work on double bass and bass guitar as well as his numerous film and television scores. ... Al Di Meola (born Al Laurence Dimeola July 22, 1954 in Jersey City, New Jersey) is an American jazz fusion and Latin jazz guitarist. ... Lenny White (born 1949) is a great American jazz-rock drummer, who is most famous for participating as one of the multiple drummers on Miles Daviss Bitches Brew sessions, and making himself well known as a member of Chick Coreas Return To Forever band. ... Born (Sep 24 ,1949 Los Angeles,CA),a legato technique master, Bill Connors Equally adept at acoustic and electric guitar, he has successfully played jazz-rock, free and fusion material in the 70s and 80s. ... Flora Purim is a Jewish Brazilian jazz singer known mainly for her work in jazz fusion. ... Airto Moreira (born August 5, 1941) is a Brazilian Jazz percussionist and musician. ... Joe Farrell (born, Chicago Heights, Illinois, USA 1937 - died, Los Angeles, California, 1986) was a jazz saxophonist (plus flute and other woodwinds). ... Steve Gadd (born April 9, 1945 in Rochester, New York) is a very well known session drummer, mainly known for work with Paul Simon, Steely Dan, Joe Cocker, Stuff, Bob James, Chick Corea, Eric Clapton, James Taylor, Jim Croce, Eddie Gomez, The Manhattan Transfer, Michal Urbaniak, Steps Ahead, Al Di... Earl Klugh (born September 16, 1954 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American smooth jazz/jazz fusion guitarist and composer. ... Gayle Moran is a vocalist, keyboard player (piano, organ, and synthesizer), and songwriter. ... For other persons of the same name, see James Pugh. ... Ronn Moss Ronn Montague Moss (born March 4, 1952 in Los Angeles) is an American Actor, singer and songwriter and is most well-known for portraying Ridge Forrester, the dynamic fashion magnate on the CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful since 1987. ... Chick Corea and Return to Forever album Return to Forever Source: http://www. ... Image File history File links LightAsAFeather. ... Image File history File links HymnoftheSeventhGalaxy. ... Image File history File links WhereHaveIKnownYouBefore. ... Image File history File links RomanticWarrior. ... Jazz fusion (or jazz-rock fusion or fusion) is a musical genre that merges elements of jazz with other styles of music, particularly pop, rock, folk, reggae, funk, metal, country, R&B, hip hop, electronic music and world music. ... Armando Anthony Chick Corea (born June 12, 1941) is a multiple Grammy Award winning American jazz pianist/keyboardist and composer. ... Stanley Clarke (born 30 June 1951) is an American musician and composer known for his innovative and influential work on double bass and bass guitar as well as his numerous film and television scores. ... For the song Weather Report by The American Analog Set, see The Golden Band. ... The original lineup in 1972, featuring Billy Cobham, John McLaughlin, Jerry Goodman, Jan Hammer and Rick Laird. ... Flora Purim is a Jewish Brazilian jazz singer known mainly for her work in jazz fusion. ... Airto Moreira (born August 5, 1941) is a Brazilian Jazz percussionist and musician. ... Al Di Meola (born Al Laurence Dimeola July 22, 1954 in Jersey City, New Jersey) is an American jazz fusion and Latin jazz guitarist. ...

After playing on Miles Davis's albums In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew, Corea formed an avant-garde jazz band called Circle with Dave Holland, Anthony Braxton and Barry Altschul. However in 1972, after becoming a disciple of Scientology, Corea decided that he wanted to "communicate" with the audience. This essentially meant that he wanted to make more commercial music, since avant-garde jazz had a relatively small audience. Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926 – September 28, 1991) was an American jazz musician widely considered to be one of the most influential of the 20th century. ... In a Silent Way is a 1969 album by jazz trumpeter Miles Davis. ... Bitches Brew is an album recorded by American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis in 1969. ... Avant-jazz (also known as avant-garde jazz) is a style of music and improvisation that combines elements of avant-garde art music composition with elements of traditional jazz. ... Circle was an early 1970s avant garde jazz ensemble. ... Dave Holland (born October 1, 1946) is a jazz bassist and composer. ... Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American composer, multi-reedist and pianist. ... Barry Altschul is a magnificent drummer who gained fame in the late 60s with pianist Paul Bley and others playing in the outside style of jazz that had been evolving steadily since Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, and others broke ground. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Doctrine Practices Concepts People Public outreach Organization Controversy Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by American pulp fiction author L. Ron Hubbard in 1952 as an outgrowth of his earlier self-help system, Dianetics. ...

The first line-up (1972 - 1973)

The first Return to Forever band played latin-oriented music. The initial band consisted of singer (and occasional percussionist) Flora Purim, her husband Airto Moreira on drums and other percussion, Corea's longtime musical co-worker Joe Farrell on saxophone and flute, and the young bassist Stanley Clarke, who became the only constant member of the band apart from Corea. Especially in this first line-up, Clarke played double bass in addition to electric bass. Corea's electric piano was the leading instrument in this group's sound, but Clarke and Farrell were also given plenty of solo space. Purim's vocal gave some commercial appeal for their music, but many compositions were instrumental and more or less experimental in their nature. The music was composed by Corea with the exception of the title track of the second album which was written by Stanley Clarke. Lyrics were often written by Corea's friend Neville Porter, and were often related to scientology, though this is not necessarily easy to recognize for outsiders. Clarke was involved in Scientology through Corea, but left the church in the early 1980s. Latin American music, or the music of Latin America, is sometimes called Latin music. ... Flora Purim is a Jewish Brazilian jazz singer known mainly for her work in jazz fusion. ... Airto Moreira (born August 5, 1941) is a Brazilian Jazz percussionist and musician. ... A drummer in Action A drummer is a person who plays the drums, particularly the drum kit, marching percussion, or hand drums. ... Joe Farrell (born, Chicago Heights, Illinois, USA 1937 - died, Los Angeles, California, 1986) was a jazz saxophonist (plus flute and other woodwinds). ... The saxophone (colloquially referred to as sax) is a conical-bored instrument of the woodwind family. ... â™  This article is about the family of musical instruments. ... Stanley Clarke (born 30 June 1951) is an American musician and composer known for his innovative and influential work on double bass and bass guitar as well as his numerous film and television scores. ... Side and front views of a modern double bass with a French bow. ... The electric bass guitar (or electric bass) is a bass string instrument played with the fingers by plucking, slapping, popping or using a pick. ... An electric piano (e-piano) is an electric musical instrument whose popularity started in the late 1960s, was at its greatest during the 1970s and still is big today. ...

The first album, named simply Return to Forever, was cut for ECM Records in 1972 and was initially released only in Europe. This album featured Corea's famous compositions Crystal Silence and La Fiesta. Shortly afterwards, Corea, Airto, Clarke and Tony Williams formed the band for Stan Getz's album Captain Marvel (1972), which featured Corea's compositions including some from the first and second Return to Forever albums. The second album, Light as a Feather (1973), was released by Polydor and included the famous song, Spain. Return to Forever (1972) is a jazz fusion album by Chick Corea and Return to Forever, and the groups debut album. ... ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music) is a record label founded in 1969 by Manfred Eicher. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... Tony Williams (December 12, 1945 – February 23, 1997) was an African American jazz drummer. ... Stanley Gayetsky (February 2, 1927 in Philadelphia – June 6, 1991 in Malibu, California), usually known by his stage name Stan Getz, was an American jazz musician. ... Light as a Feather (1972) is the second studio album of fusion band Return to Forever. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... Polydor Records is a record label once headquartered in Germany. ...

The jazz-rock era (1973 - 1976)

After the second album, Purim and Moreira left the group in order to set up their own band. Farrell also left, and guitarist Bill Connors, drummer Steve Gadd and percussionist Mingo Lewis were taken on. However, Gadd was not willing to go touring and leave his job as a hard working studio drummer. Lenny White (who had played with Corea in Miles Davis's band) replaced Gadd and Lewis, and the group's third album, Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (1973), was rerecorded. The first recording featuring Gadd was never released and is said to be missing. Born (Sep 24 ,1949 Los Angeles,CA),a legato technique master, Bill Connors Equally adept at acoustic and electric guitar, he has successfully played jazz-rock, free and fusion material in the 70s and 80s. ... Steve Gadd (born April 9, 1945 in Rochester, New York) is a very well known session drummer, mainly known for work with Paul Simon, Steely Dan, Joe Cocker, Stuff, Bob James, Chick Corea, Eric Clapton, James Taylor, Jim Croce, Eddie Gomez, The Manhattan Transfer, Michal Urbaniak, Steps Ahead, Al Di... Lenny White (born 1949) is a great American jazz-rock drummer, who is most famous for participating as one of the multiple drummers on Miles Daviss Bitches Brew sessions, and making himself well known as a member of Chick Coreas Return To Forever band. ... Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (1973) is the Return to Forevers third studio album. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ...

The nature of the group's music had now completely changed to "jazz-rock", similar to what The Mahavishnu Orchestra and some progressive rock bands were doing at the same time. The music was still relatively melodic, relying on strong themes, but traditional jazz feel was almost completely gone. Distorted guitar had become prominent in the band's new sound, and Clarke played mostly electric bass. A new singer had not been hired, and all the songs were now instrumentals. This however, did not lead to a decrease in band's commercial potential - Return to Forever's jazz-rock albums always found their way to US pop album charts. The Mahavishnu Orchestra was a jazz-rock fusion group that debuted in 1970 and dissolved in 1976, only to reunite briefly from 1984 to 1986. ... For the Swedish political music movement, see progg. ...

The second jazz-rock album, Where Have I Known You Before, (1974) was similar in style to the previous album, but Corea played synthesizers in addition to electric piano, and Clarke had developed his famous electric bass sound and style. Since Bill Connors had wanted to concentrate on his solo career, the group had also hired a new guitarist. Earl Klugh played guitar on some group's live performances but he was soon replaced by the 19 year old guitar wizard Al Di Meola, who played guitar on the album. Where Have I Known You Before is the fourth album of Return to Forever. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Synthesizer (disambiguation). ... Earl Klugh (born September 16, 1954 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American smooth jazz/jazz fusion guitarist and composer. ... Al Di Meola (born Al Laurence Dimeola July 22, 1954 in Jersey City, New Jersey) is an American jazz fusion and Latin jazz guitarist. ...

The next album, No Mystery (1975), was made with the same line-up as its predecessor, but the style of music was more varied. The first side of the record consisted mostly of jazz-funk, while the second side featured Corea's acoustic title track and a long composition that borrowed partly from Spanish music. On this and the following album, each member of the group composed at least one of the tracks. No Mystery won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance by a Group. No Mystery (1975) is the fifth studio album of fusion band Return to Forever. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Jazz Album, Individual or Group has been presented since 1959. ...

The last album by the most long-lasting lineup of Return to Forever was Romantic Warrior (1976). By this time the group had left Polydor for Columbia Records. The album became the best selling of all Return to Forever albums, eventually reaching gold disc status. This album continued experiments in the realm of jazz-rock and related genres, and is also famous for its technically demanding playing. Romantic Warrior (1976) is the sixth studio album of fusion band Return to Forever. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... “Golden record” redirects here. ...

The last album (1977)

The final version of Return to Forever featured a four piece horn section and Corea's wife Gayle singing vocals, and recorded just one studio album, Musicmagic (1977). The music had returned closer to the gentle feel of the music of the first line-up. However, instead of strong Latin influences, the last album features bombastic arrangements for horn section and synthesizers. Compositions remained relatively complex. Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ...

In 1983 the White/Di Meola line up returned briefly on the stage, but did not record a new album, only one track issued on Corea's Touchstone album entitled "Compadres".

On September 20th 2007 while talking with the audience between solos at a Rite Of Strings concert at The Keswick Theater outside Philadelphia, Stanley Clark and Al Dimiola announced a summer tour 2008 of Return To Forever.

Discography

Studio albums

• Return to Forever (1972, ECM) (Corea/Clarke/Purim/Farrell/Moreira)
• Light as a Feather (1972, Polydor) (Corea/Clarke/Purim/Farrell/Moreira)
• Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (1973, Polydor) (Corea/Clarke/Connors/White)
• Where Have I Known You Before (1974, Polydor) (Corea/Clarke/Di Meola/White)
• No Mystery (1975, Polydor) (Corea/Clarke/Di Meola/White)
• Romantic Warrior (1976, Columbia) (Corea/Clarke/Di Meola/White)
• Musicmagic (1977, Columbia) (Corea/Clarke/Moran/Farrell/Pugh/Thomas/Tinsley/Garrett/Brown)

Return to Forever (1972) is a jazz fusion album by Chick Corea and Return to Forever, and the groups debut album. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Light as a Feather (1972) is the second studio album of fusion band Return to Forever. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (1973) is the Return to Forevers third studio album. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... Where Have I Known You Before is the fourth album of Return to Forever. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... No Mystery (1975) is the fifth studio album of fusion band Return to Forever. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Romantic Warrior (1976) is the sixth studio album of fusion band Return to Forever. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ...

Live releases

• Return to Forever Live: The Complete Concert (1977) (Corea/Clarke/Moran/Farrell/Pugh/Thomas/Tinsley/Garrett/Moss/Brown)

Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ...

Collections

• Best of Return to Forever (1980)
• Return To The Seventh Galaxy: The Anthology (1996, covers years 1972-1975)
• This Is Jazz, Vol. 12 (1996, covers only last two albums)

Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ...

Notice

Albums from years 1972-1975 are often sold under Chick Corea's name.

The complete list of line-ups

Armando Anthony Chick Corea (born June 12, 1941) is a multiple Grammy Award winning American jazz pianist/keyboardist and composer. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Al Di Meola (born Al Laurence Dimeola July 22, 1954 in Jersey City, New Jersey) is an American jazz fusion and Latin jazz guitarist. ... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... Stanley Clarke (born 30 June 1951) is an American musician and composer known for his innovative and influential work on double bass and bass guitar as well as his numerous film and television scores. ... The electric bass guitar (or electric bass) is a bass string instrument played with the fingers by plucking, slapping, popping or using a pick. ... Lenny White (born 1949) is a great American jazz-rock drummer, who is most famous for participating as one of the multiple drummers on Miles Daviss Bitches Brew sessions, and making himself well known as a member of Chick Coreas Return To Forever band. ... For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). ...

External links

• Return to Forever at MusicBrainz