Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Corea, Clark & White: Forever

Corea, Clark & White: Forever

By C. Michael Bailey
April 30, 2011
View read count

This Concord Music Group release is identical to that reviewed by John Kelman, previously released on Universal Music Japan. A two-CD set, the first disc is an acoustic piano trio recital from the original rhythm section of the 1970s fusion band Return to Forever, recorded during the 2009 RTF-Unplugged Tour, while the second is an electric survey with RTF's first guitarist,

Bill Connors

guitar
b.1949

" data-original-title="" title="">Bill Connors, along with violinist

Jean-Luc Ponty

violin
b.1942

" data-original-title="" title="">Jean-Luc Ponty and vocalist

Chaka Khan

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Chaka Khan, taken from rehearsals for a one- time performance at the Hollywood Bowl.

With the demographics out of the way, an acoustic trio made up of RTF's fine rhythm Section, performing mostly jazz standards, might at first seem to be a bit of a novelty. Not so. While the trio never toured as such before these recordings were made, its nearly 40-year history fully prepared the group for a look back at the

Thelonious Monk

piano
1917 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Thelonious Monk,

Bill Evans

piano
1929 - 1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Bill Evans and

Miles Davis

trumpet
1926 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Davis songbooks; as well as drawing from the members and RTF's repertoire.

Trio recordings like this clearly define the division between "simply exceptional" and "without peer." It is difficult to find a truly bad jazz trio recorded—canned, as typically they are, long before the capital investment. While there is a mountain of really fine music available—very serviceable and quite enjoyable—here is little trio music that is as rarefied as that found on Forever. All three musicians so command their instruments that they exist on a performance plane defying supportive/lead roles, in favor of absolute equality, like

Jimmy Giuffre

clarinet
1921 - 2008

" data-original-title="" title="">Jimmy Giuffre's trios of the early 1960s.

Lengthy readings of "On Green Dolphin Street" and "Waltz for Debbie" warm things up enough for

Chick Corea

piano
1941 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">Chick Corea's well-known "Bud Powell," before introducing

Stanley Clarke

bass
b.1951

" data-original-title="" title="">Stanley Clarke's "La Canci��n de Sofia," a piece that showcases the obvious empathy between the pianist and bassist, who both play with a rare touch and grace. Clarke divides his solo time between arco and pizzicato playing, his transitions guided by Corea's shifting ruminations. His melodic pizz solo is a study in superb bass playing, predicated on idea development and an bottomless loam of experience.

The RTF pieces, "Senor Mouse" and "No Mystery" translate seamlessly into the acoustic trio format. The trio plays as a spiritually conjoined unit, punctuated with Corea's left hand. These are sublime acoustic renderings of fusion classics.

Disc two's electric music is revelatory; it could be a primer to fully developed fusion, more informative than even rival

Weather Report

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Weather Report, whose collective virtuosity is typically too radioactive for immediate consumption and assimilation. For those frightened by the specter of fusion, this is the introduction that leads back to the gritty

Miles Davis

trumpet
1926 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Davis source. Corea's electric piano potently recalls that wild 1970s Davis sextet that hosted Corea, resulting in Live at the Fillmore East, March 7, 1970: It's About That Time (Columbia, 2001).

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

CD1: On Green Dolphin Street; Waltz for Debby; Bud Powell; La Canci��n de Sofia; Windows; Hackensack; No Mystery; Se?or Mouse. CD2: Captain Marvel; Se?or Mouse; Crescent; Armando's Rhumba; Renaissance; High Wire--The Aerialist; I Loves You Porgy; After the Cosmic Rain; Space Circus; 500 Miles High.

Personnel

Chick Corea

piano

Chick Corea: piano (CD1, CD2#3-7, CD2#10), keyboards (CD2#1-2, CD2#8-9); Stanley Clarke: acoustic bass (CD1, CD2#1, CD2#4-7, CD2#10), electric bass (CD2#2, CD2#8-9); Lenny White: drums (CD1, CD2#1-3, CDF2#5-10); Bill Connors: guitar (CD2#2, CD2#7-9); Jean-Luc Ponty: violin (CD2#4-5, CD2#7-9); Chaka Khan: vocals (CD2#6-7).

Album information

Title: Forever | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: Concord Music Group

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Latin Bird
< Previous

In Good Company
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.