Return To Forever

Emerging from jazz keyboardist Chick Corea, Return to Forever ranked among the leading jazz-rock fusion ensembles of the 1970s. Along with Weather Report and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, the group was launched by a veteran of Miles Davis' late-'60s ensembles, aiming to extend the jazz-rock blend Davis had developed on recordings such as Bitches Brew. Contemporary observers viewed the approach as both an artistic opportunity and a fresh jazz pathway, as well as a route to the broad listenership typically commanded by rock acts. Initially operating as a Latin-inflected jazz unit, Return to Forever shifted toward rock after Corea drew inspiration from John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra and British progressive rock outfits, especially Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, ultimately securing notable commercial traction. A subsequent reconfiguration imparted a big-band character before Corea disbanded the core lineup, preserving the Return to Forever designation for sporadic tours and additional ventures.

Corea assembled Return to Forever during autumn 1971 while performing in Stan Getz's band, with the two ensembles overlapping in personnel. The original roster included Corea on keyboards, Stanley Clarke on bass, Joe Farrell on reeds, and the Brazilian husband-and-wife duo of percussionist Airto Moreira and vocalist Flora Purim. Corea had titled his first composition for the group "Return to Forever," later adopting the phrase as the band's name. The ensemble debuted at New York City's Village Vanguard nightclub in November 1971. The following February they tracked their self-titled debut album, issued on ECM in Europe in 1973 and reaching the United States only in 1975. Corea, Clarke, and Moreira departed Getz's group to focus exclusively on Return to Forever.

After touring Japan, the band recorded its second album, Light as a Feather, in London, incorporating several Corea pieces previously cut with Getz, among them "500 Miles High" and "Spain." Polydor Records released the set. Until Farrell's departure in spring 1973, Return to Forever remained more recognized for its Latin orientation than for fusion. Corea replaced him with guitarist Bill Connors of Spiral Staircase. Moreira and Purim exited to launch their own project, prompting Corea to recruit drummer Steve Gadd and percussionist Mingo Lewis; the revised configuration premiered at New York City's Bitter End nightclub in April. After completing another album, Corea substituted Lenny White of Azteca for the unavailable Gadd, whose session commitments precluded touring. The personnel change prompted a full re-recording in August 1973; the resulting Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy appeared in October. Employing an array of synthesizers, Corea steered the band decisively into progressive rock and fusion, yielding crossover success that placed the album on the pop charts for several months.

Connors departed in 1974; Earl Klugh filled the chair briefly for touring before 19-year-old Al di Meola, who left the Berklee School of Music, became the permanent guitarist. That summer Return to Forever tracked its fourth album, Where Have I Known You Before, issued in September. An extensive tour concluding at Carnegie Hall in December propelled the record into the pop Top 40, where it remained more than five months. The group returned to the studio in January 1975, swiftly completing its fifth album, No Mystery, released the next month. It also reached the Top 40, though for only three months, and earned the 1975 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance by a Group. While retaining his solo affiliation with Polydor, Corea signed Return to Forever to Columbia Records. The first album not co-billed to Corea on its original pressing, the medieval-themed concept album Romantic Warrior appeared in March 1976. It became the band's third consecutive Top 40 entry and its strongest seller, eventually certified gold. Upon its completion Corea altered direction once more and dissolved the lineup.

Retaining Clarke, Corea promptly reconstituted Return to Forever with vocalist and keyboardist Gayle Moran, formerly of the Mahavishnu Orchestra and now Corea's wife, returning member Joe Farrell, drummer Gerry Brown, and a horn section featuring trumpeters John Thomas and James Tinsley plus trombonists Jim Pugh and Harold Garrett. This configuration recorded the seventh album, Musicmagic, released in March 1977. It marked the band's fourth straight Top 40 album, charting more than four months. Ron Moss joined as a third trombonist for the subsequent tour.

Return to Forever captured a live album at New York City's Palladium Theater on 20 and 21 May 1977; Corea disbanded the group after the tour concluded. Live appeared in February 1979 and spent one month on the charts. Corea reassembled Clarke, di Meola, and White for a 1983 tour. Twenty-five years later, Return to Forever reunited once more for a trek across North America and Europe that opened in Austin, Texas, on 29 May 2008.