COREA , CLARKE & WHITE: Forever
Concord, 2011

In the 1970s, Chick Corea’s band Return to Forever was one of the top exponents of jazz-rock fusion. Although their lineup and sound changed radically throughout the decade, from light Brazilian jazz to guitar and synth-heavy electric jamming, they never lost their position among the most popular and influential jazz groups of the decade. Since 2008, the core of the band – Corea, bassist Stanley Clarke and drummer Lenny White – have reunited annually for tours, one-off gigs or special projects. This 2-disc set was recorded in Fall 2009.

Disc 1 comes mostly from an appearance at Yoshi’s in Oakland. This is a “back to basics” set of acoustic jazz standards. The guys remind us that at heart they’re straight-jazz musicians, and damn fine ones.

Disc 2 is actually a studio rehearsal for an electro-acoustic concert at the Hollywood Bowl, with RTF veterans Jean-Luc Ponty on violin and Bill Connors on guitar. Chaka Khan also sings two tunes. The band sounds relaxed and very loose as they give the tunes a try, and there are little bits of studio chatter in the background or at the end of tracks.

Fo’s Picks: Disc I – 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Disc II – 2, 5, 8, 10

DISC ONE

1. 8:41 – light and lively, kicks into gear after a couple of minutes, cool solos
2. 9:55 – sweetly lyrical piano into a strong waltzing swing
3. 7:10 – upbeat and swinging, nice drive and good solos from all
4. 7:38 – relaxed, pretty, with a touch of melancholy; virtuoso bass solo
5. 8:54 – breezy, high-flying with strong rhythm and some gorgeous piano
6. 7:30 – fun romp with rhythmic drive, bass gets busy, nice drum solo
7. 10:54 – stirring tune with a forceful stride, outstanding piano & bass
8. 12:07 – uptempo: piano romps, freight-train groove & crashing latin riffs

DISC TWO

1. 4:12 – rolling trio groove: keyboards fly over hard rhythm
2. 10:06 – jamming quartet with guitar: strong groove, loose solos
3. 1:45 – a little bit of Coltrane + studio chatter
4. 5:12 – piano/bass/violin: you can hear they’re still working it out
5. 6:28 – quartet with violin: nice sound here, cresting and rolling
6. 3:41 – swinging trio + rough scatting vocal
7. 5:13 – full band + vocal: soft ballad inflates to a scream
8. 10:37 – full band: fusion, relaxed but soaring into outer space
9. 6:06 – full band: chunky funk rolls along, loses a bit near the end
10. 12:46 – trio live at Monterey Jazz Festival: excellent, really gets grooving

[ Fo ] 06/25/11