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Return to Forever reunion tour


Oakspear
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I saw them in Cleveland in about 1969 or 1970 at a mid-sized venue, The Smiling Dog Saloon.(About 100 people)

I was underage, but I knew some people who got me in.

It was like a trip to another galaxy.

Except they didn't need any pyrotechnics or light show or big screen slide show.

They did it all with music that was innovative and revolutionary.(Musically, not politically)

It was an amazing show.

I can't recall if it was this show or another at the same venue, but after the last set, Jo Jo Gunn showed up and jammed a set by themselves just to unwind from their show at the Arena.

Maybe it was after a McKendrie Spring or Keith Jarrett show.

I don't remember.

It was a long time ago and I was feelin'quite"comfy-bo" at the time. :wink2:

Edited by waysider
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Funny. I just pulled down some Chick Corea this week expecting to be transported back to a glorious day gone by. In my opinion it didn't seem to hold up. Sounded dated and loud and unimaginative:

Stanley Clarke is a fast blues scale player. Okay, once in a while I hear a pentatonic.

Al DiMeola cranks out mass manufactured notes - thousands per second- with the sterile efficiency that would make any factory owner proud.

Joe Farrell, although I like his flute and tenor tone, didn't have much to say on his solos.

Chick presides over the whole "faster, louder, higher" fiasco because it's his band and his Fender Rhodes goes to 11. (That would be one louder wouldn't it?)

I don't delight in my assesment...I was looking forward to getting sent. They took me nowhere. It's pompous, lifeless, shiny on the outside, vacuous noise that's big on athletic displays and feats of strength but void of any soul. There's a lot better jazz, even fusion, than Return to Forever.

Edited by Yanagisawa
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Well, it's not for everyone, that's for sure.

And that's a good thing.

I always try to look at music within a context of what was happening when it was being produced.

'nother words, these guys were crankin' this stuff out while mainstream music was still focused on I Believe In Miracles by Wild Cherry.

The same thing holds true for stuff like Purple Haze.

Was it one of the greatest songs ever?

Heck no. But contrast it to Apple,Peaches,Punkin Pie which was a big hit from the same time frame and you see it in a whole different light.

I still find the interaction between Corea and DiMeola to be amazing.

It's almost like one person playing both parts.

But, Hey! That's just me.

Your mileage may vary. (and hopefully will.)

:wave:

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