Jazz-fusions fans are drooling over this one: the return of Return to Forever. The lineup of the band from its commercial peak in the early-to-mid-'70s has reunited for a world tour that brings the group to The Fillmore on Miami Beach on Wednesday, July 30. Comprising Chick Corea, Al Di Meola, Stanley Clarke and Lenny White, RTF has been reviving material from its classic recordings like (the pre-Di Meola) Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy and Where Have I Known You Before in front of ecstatic audiences, some of whom surely were too young or maybe not even born during the group's heyday.
A newly released double-disc anthology culls selections from this incarnation of the band's four albums, some of which have aged better than others. But damn, these cats could play! Pick it up for Clarke's and White's contributions alone, as the slippery bassist and speed-bag-punching drummer injected some powerful funk and righteous rock into the occasionally ponderous material. And go to the show for the same reason, as well as to see the virtuosic Di Meola and the remarkable Corea; while RTF isn't my favorite setting in which to hear Corea perform (unless, of course, it's the earlier version of the band with Flora Purim and Airto Moreira), the man is a master, whether he's seated at a grand piano or a bank of synthesizers.
Oh yeah, and if you want to hear more on my take of RTF and the new anthology, tune into Ed Bell's South Florida Arts Beat on WLRN-91.3 FM Friday sometime between 1 and 2 p.m. Also, check out the band's site at Return2forever.com, complete with tour blogs and set lists.
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