Return to Forever
| Company type | Musical ensemble |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1972 |
| Founder | Chick Corea |
| Defunct | 1977 (initial disbandment) |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Flora Purim, Airto Moreira, Al Di Meola, Lenny White |
| Products | Jazz fusion music, studio albums, live albums |
Return to Forever is a jazz fusion ensemble from the United States, established in 1972 by pianist Chick Corea. The group's membership evolved throughout its existence, with bassist Stanley Clarke remaining Corea's primary collaborator. Alongside influential acts such as Weather Report, The Headhunters, and Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever played a pivotal role in the 1970s jazz-fusion scene. Prominent artists including Clarke, Flora Purim, Airto Moreira, and Al Di Meola rose to fame through their involvement with the band.
Before forming Return to Forever, Corea contributed to Miles Davis's groundbreaking fusion records In a Silent Way (1969) and Bitches Brew (1970). He then created the avant-garde jazz group Circle alongside Dave Holland, Anthony Braxton, and Barry Altschul. After adopting Scientology in 1972, Corea shifted his focus toward crafting music with broader appeal to connect more effectively with listeners.
Return to Forever ceased producing new studio albums after seven releases during a five-year span, disbanding in 1977. Although no additional studio projects followed, the band reunited intermittently for live shows until Corea's passing in 2021.
Original lineup (1972–1973)
The first incarnation of Return to Forever embraced Latin-inspired sounds, featuring vocalist and percussionist Flora Purim, her husband Airto Moreira on drums and percussion, Joe Farrell on saxophone and flute, and Stanley Clarke handling both acoustic double bass and electric bass duties. Chick Corea’s use of the Fender Rhodes electric piano was central to their early sound before he incorporated synthesizers later on. Corea was the principal composer, with lyrics often written by Neville Potter and sometimes reflecting themes related to Scientology.
Their debut album, Return to Forever (1972), was recorded under ECM Records and initially released exclusively in Europe. It showcased compositions by Corea such as "Crystal Silence" and "La Fiesta". Shortly thereafter, Corea teamed up with Airto, Clarke, and Tony Williams on Stan Getz’s Captain Marvel (recorded in 1972 but released in 1975), which included several pieces originally from Return to Forever’s catalog. The follow-up album, Light as a Feather (1973), issued by Polydor, featured the well-known track "Spain".
Jazz-rock phase (1973–1976)
Following their second album, Farrell, Purim, and Moreira left the group. Guitarist Bill Connors, drummer Steve Gadd, and percussionist Mingo Lewis joined briefly; however, Gadd was replaced by Lenny White due to scheduling conflicts related to touring. The third album, Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (1973), marked a transition toward jazz-rock fusion similar to contemporaries like Mahavishnu Orchestra and Weather Report. This era emphasized instrumental improvisation backed by a rock-oriented sound characterized by distorted guitar tones and Clarke’s exclusive use of electric bass. Vocals were entirely omitted. This fusion direction expanded their commercial reach, with albums charting on mainstream U.S. pop listings.
In a 1988 interview, Corea acknowledged that John McLaughlin’s electric guitar style inspired him to increase volume levels and develop more dramatic compositions.
Their subsequent release, Where Have I Known You Before (1974), continued this approach with Corea integrating synthesizers while Clarke utilized effects such as flange and fuzz-tone. After Connors departed to pursue a solo career, young guitar virtuoso Al Di Meola stepped in as his replacement.
The 1975 album No Mystery displayed greater stylistic diversity: its first side leaned toward jazz-funk while the second side featured acoustic tracks infused with Spanish elements. Contributions came from all members in terms of composition. This record earned the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance by a Group.
The classic lineup’s final studio effort was Romantic Warrior (1976), which became their highest-selling album and achieved gold certification. It advanced their jazz-rock exploration further and garnered critical praise for its intricate musicianship and technical sophistication.
After completing the Romantic Warrior tour—and following a lucrative contract signing with CBS—Corea made an unexpected decision to alter the band’s lineup by excluding both White and Di Meola.
Final album (1977)
The last incarnation of Return to Forever featured Corea, Clarke, Joe Farrell, a quartet of horn players, and vocals by Corea's spouse, Gayle Moran. This ensemble produced a single studio release titled Musicmagic in 1977.
Following the release of the live collection Return to Forever Live: The Complete Concert in 1978—a four-LP compilation also available as a single LP and double CD—Chick Corea officially brought the band to a close.
Reunions
In 1982, the lineup consisting of Corea, Clarke, White, and Di Meola reunited briefly to contribute the ten-minute composition "Compadres" on Corea’s album Touchstone. Additionally, they played a show at Wolf & Rissmiller's Country Club in Reseda, California, alongside Joe Henderson.
The same group toured across the United States and Japan in 1983; a live recording from their Japanese performances was eventually released in 2021. This tour introduced new Corea pieces such as "Overture," which was later recorded by the Chick Corea Elektric Band on GRP Super Live in Concert (1992), and "The Phantom," which Di Meola included on his album Kiss My Axe (1991).
After a 26-year interval, Corea, Clarke, White, and Di Meola reunited once more for tours throughout the U.S. and Europe starting in summer 2008. To complement this tour, a boxed set featuring remixed and remastered tracks from Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy, Where Have I Known You Before, No Mystery, and Romantic Warrior was released.
In 2009, Corea, Clarke, and White performed an acoustic tour without Di Meola and issued the live album Forever in 2011. This album included guest appearances by Bill Connors, Chaka Khan, and Jean-Luc Ponty.
February 2011 saw the band touring Australia with Corea, Clarke, White, Ponty, and guitarist Frank Gambale from the Chick Corea Elektric Band. Many concerts featured Dweezil Zappa's Zappa Plays Zappa as opening act; during these shows, Corea occasionally joined on keyboards while Ponty performed selections associated with Frank Zappa.
Chick Corea passed away from cancer on February 9, 2021.
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Labels | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop | US Jazz | US R&B | |||||
| 1972 | Return to Forever | — | 8 | — | ECM | Released as a Chick Corea solo project | |
| 1973 | Light as a Feather | — | 6 | — | Polydor | ||
| 1973 | Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy | 124 | 7 | — | Polydor | ||
| 1974 | Where Have I Known You Before | 32 | 5 | — | Polydor | ||
| 1975 | No Mystery | 39 | 7 | — | Polydor | ||
| 1976 | Romantic Warrior | 35 | 3 | 23 |
|
Columbia | |
| 1977 | Musicmagic | 38 | 4 | — | Columbia | ||
| "—" indicates albums that did not chart or were unavailable in that market. | |||||||
Live albums
| Year | Album | Highest chart rankings | Certifications | Record labels | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop | US Jazz | |||||
| 1978 | Live | 155 | 12 | Columbia | Recorded live at Palladium, New York City [4LP, 2CD, 3CD] | |
| 2009 | Returns | — | — | Eagle | Performance captured at Montreux Jazz Festival, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Bank of America Pavilion [2CD, DVD] | |
| 2011 | Forever | — | — | Eagle | Attributed to Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Lenny White. Recorded live at Yoshi's, Monterey Jazz Festival, Blue Note Tokyo, Dimitriou's Jazz Alley [2CD] | |
| 2012 | The Mothership Returns | — | — | Eagle | Live recordings from Austin and Montreux [2CD + DVD] | |
Compilation albums
- The Best of Return to Forever (Columbia, 1980)
- Return to Forever (CBS/Sony, 1981) [Cassette format]
- Return to the Seventh Galaxy: The Anthology (Verve, 1996) – features previously unreleased live performances
- This Is Jazz 12 - Return to Forever (Columbia, 1996)
- Return to Forever: The Anthology (Concord, 2008)
- The Definitive Collection (Verve, 2008)
Personnel
Complete roster
- Chick Corea – keyboards and synthesizers (1972–1977, 1983, 2008–2021; deceased 2021)
- Stanley Clarke – bass guitar (1972–1977, 1983, 2008–2021), vocals (1977)
- Joe Farrell – saxophone (1972–1973, 1977; deceased 1986)
- Airto Moreira – percussion and drums (1972–1973)
- Flora Purim – vocals (1972–1973)
- Lenny White – drums (1973–1976, 1983, 2008, 2010–2021)
- Bill Connors – guitar (1973–1974, 2009)
- Steve Gadd – drums (1973)
- Mingo Lewis – percussion (1973)
- Earl Klugh – guitar (1974)
- Al Di Meola – guitar (1974–1976, 1983, 2008)
- Gerry Brown – drums (1977)
- Harold Garrett – trombone (1977)
- Gayle Moran – vocals and keyboards (1977)
- James E. Pugh – trombone (1977)
- John Thomas – trumpet (1977)
- James Tinsley – trumpet (1977)
- Ron Moss – trombone (1977)
- Jean-Luc Ponty – violin (2009–2021)
- Frank Gambale – guitar (2010–2021)
Band configurations
| 1972–1973 | 1973 | 1973–1974 | 1974 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
| 1974–1977 | 1977 | Expanded horn section in 1977 | Hiatus period |
|
|
Same lineup as above plus:
|
Group inactive between late 70s and early 80s. |
| 1983 reunion lineup | Subsequent reunions post-1983 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Following the reunion, the band disbanded again. Later formations included: 2008: * Chick Corea (keyboards), Stanley Clarke (bass), Al Di Meola (guitar), Lenny White (drums) 2009: * Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Lenny White accompanied by Jean-Luc Ponty (violin), Bill Connors (guitar), Chaka Khan (vocals) 2010–2021: * Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Lenny White, Jean-Luc Ponty, Frank Gambale (guitar) | ||
Timeline
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width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,–4) bar:Flora Purim from:start till:01/05/1973 color:voc bar:Flora Purim from:start till:01/05/1973 color:perc width:3 bar:Gayle Moran from:01/12/1976 till:01/10/1977 color:voc bar:Gayle Moran from:01/12/1976 till:01/10/1977 color:key width:3 bar:Joe Farrell from:start till:01/05/1973 color:ww bar:Joe Farrell from:01/12/1976 till:01/10/1977 color:ww bar:Harold Garrett from:01/12/1976 till:01/10/1977 color:ww bar:James E. Pugh from:01/12/1976 till:01/10/1977 color:ww bar:John Thomas from:01/12/1976 till:01/10/1977 color:ww bar:James Tinsley from:01/12/1976 till:01/10/1977 color:ww bar:Ron Moss from:01/04/1977 till:01/10/1977 color:ww bar:Jean-Luc Ponty from:01/07/2010 till:end color:viol bar:Bill Connors from:01/05/1973 till:01/05/1974 color:g bar:Earl Klugh from:01/05/1974 till:01/07/1974 color:g bar:Al Di Meola from:01/07/1974 till:end color:g bar:Lenny White from:start till:end color:dr bar:Gerry Brown from:01/12/1976 till:end color:dr bar:Gambale, Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke active intermittently throughout timeline in guitars, keyboards, bass respectively
</timeline>
External links
- "In Conversation with Chick Corea" by Patrick Spurling at www.jazz.com
- "Return to Forever – Twelve Historic Tracks" by Walter Kolosky (archived) at www.jazz.com
- Photographs by Gianluca Scerni capturing Return to Forever IV live @ Teatro D'Annunzio, Pescara Jazz, Italy, 2011
- Comprehensive biography, discography, and album critiques of Return to Forever at AllMusic
- Complete discography and album credits for Return to Forever at Discogs
- Articles with short description
- Jazzy ensembles originating in New York City established in 1972
- Cessation of musical groups in New York State in 2021
- Jazzy groups based in New York City
- Awardees of the Grammy
- Bands that disbanded in 1977
- Bands reformed in the year 2010
- Bands founded in the year 1972
- Bands dissolved in the year 2021
- Fusion jazz groups from the United States
- Register artists under Columbia Records
- Register artists under ECM Records
- Register artists under Polydor Records
- Musical groups disestablished in 1977