Out of all the jazz-fusion bands to emerge from the shadows of Miles Davis, Return To Forever seemed the most destined for commercial success. That was Chick Corea’s intentions when he first formed the band in the early 70s. He also wanted to take the message of Scientology to the people, hoping Return To Forever would serve as his vehicle. Stanley Clarke served as Corea’s co-pilot, but it wasn’t until drummer Lenny White and guitarist Al Di Meola came aboard that Return To Forever found their voice. When the four came together again in 2008 for the first time since 1983, that voice was still as strong, vibrant and incalculable as ever. The historic tour was vividly captured on film at the famous Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland on July 18, 2008. The resulting Live At Montreux 2008 DVD perfectly documents the evening and then some.
To watch four individuals with this caliber of musicianship engage in interplay is an enthralling experience. Whatever Corea can cook up on his synths or Fender Rhodes, Di Meola can answer back just as swiftly with a flurry of fluid, yet distorted notes on his PRS Prism 9 Top guitar. Nothing is held back as RTF plunges in on the first three tracks — “Hymns Of The Seventh Galaxy, “Vulcan Worlds” and “Sorceress.” When Clarke isn’t angling for measures of his own, like he does so well on “Vulcan Worlds,” the bassist buoys the bottom end while White precisely steadies the tempo. Ten minutes in, and you realize these guys haven’t lost their flare for turning out a unique mix of progressive jazz-rock stew brewing in a magical amalgamation of intuitiveness and imagination.
“Song Of The Pharaoh Kings” at first spotlights Corea, whose technical abilities and musical sensitivity creates a sonically charged barrage of percussive arpeggios. Di Meola, Clarke and White pop in simultaneously, complementing the keyboardist. Then the call and response between Corea and Di Meola takes flight, and the band collectively embarks on a boundless vamp of cosmic proportions. The second half of the set is unplugged — something the players are equally adept at exploring. Di Meola fires off a scorching hot flamenco-laced display on his acoustic guitar before ceding to Corea on piano. Both their solos elegantly frame the epic “No Mystery” before the group falls into an elegant arrangement of the title track from the best-selling 1976 album, Romantic Warrior.
RTF fans will relish in the bonus tracks from a show in Clearwater, Florida. “Lineage” and “El Bayo de Negro” are repeated, albeit in a funky, multi-screen format. The same technique is the only thing working against an otherwise incredible take of the group’s magnum opus, “Duel Of The Jester And The Tyrant.” You’d think the director would have learned something from those irritatingly bad concert films of the late 60s and 70s. Nevertheless, the main feature is in glorious widescreen with 5.1 surround sound to make the ears tingle. Based on the performances caught on Live At Montreux 2008, one can only hope that Return To Forever plans on returning (and sticking around) forever.
~ Shawn Perry
