Return to Forever (Chick Corea album)
Return to Forever is a jazz fusion album by Chick Corea, simultaneously functioning as the debut album by the first edition of the band of the same name. Unlike later albums by the group, it was released by the ECM label and produced by Manfred Eicher. The album was not released in the USA until 1975. The record is often considered one of the classic albums in electric jazz.[1]
| Return to Forever | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 1972 | |||
| Recorded | February 2–3, 1972 | |||
| Studio | A&R Studios, New York City, NY | |||
| Genre | Jazz fusion | |||
| Length | 46:48 | |||
| Label | ECM | |||
| Producer | Manfred Eicher | |||
| Chick Corea chronology | ||||
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| Return to Forever chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [1] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [2] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [3] |
The B side of the album includes a single long title "Sometime Ago - La Fiesta" in three distinctive parts: first the introduction made of improvisations with solos by Chick Corea on the electric piano, Stanley Clarke on double bass and Joe Farrell on flute, then a second part sung by Flora Purim, accompanied by Joe Farrell still on flute and Airto Moreira on drums and on percussion, the third part "La Fiesta" is instrumental on a flamenco tune with Farrell on soprano saxophone.
Flora Purim covers the first part of this song, Sometime Ago, on her fifth solo album released in 1976, Open Your Eyes You Can Fly on which we find George Duke, Alphonso Johnson, Hermeto Pascoal, etc.
In 1974, Stan Getz took over the 2nd part of the piece on his album Captain Marvel, namely La Fiesta. On this record we also find Chick Corea on the electric piano, Stanley Clarke on bass and Airto Moreira on percussion of Return to Forever, accompanied by Tony Williams on drums.
Then, Sometime Ago - La Fiesta, partially though, can be found on the compilation album Chick Corea - Selected Recordings published in 2002 on ECM 014 200-2.
Track listing
All tracks are composed by Chick Corea; except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Return to Forever" | 12:06 | |
| 2. | "Crystal Silence" | 6:59 | |
| 3. | "What Game Shall We Play Today" | music: Corea; lyrics: Neville Potter | 4:30 |
| Total length: | 23:35 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4. | "Sometime Ago - La Fiesta" | music: Corea; lyrics: Neville Potter | 23:13 |
| Total length: | 23:13 | ||
Personnel
Musicians
- Chick Corea – Fender Rhodes electric piano
- Stanley Clarke – electric bass guitar (tracks 1-3), double bass (track 4)
- Joe Farrell – flute, soprano saxophone
- Flora Purim – vocals, percussion
- Airto Moreira – drums, percussion
Production
- Manfred Eicher – producer
- Tony May – engineer
- Michael Manoogian - cover photography
Chart performance
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Billboard Jazz Albums | 8 [4] |
References
- Huey, Steve (2011). "Chick Corea - Return to Forever (1972) album review | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
- Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. pp. 50. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
- Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 304. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
- "Chick Corea - Return to Forever (1972) | Awards | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 27 October 2013.