I missed my plane to Helsinki, because I forgot my passport at home. After getting back home, I booked myself a ticket for the next morning. I decided to spend the night watching a DVD which I got for my birthday. Watching and listening and having a beer and reminiscing.
My first encounter with music of Return To Forever happened in mid-’80s. Somebody brought in the double LP compilation album by Polydor, named simply The Jazz Rock Album. (It could be that it was never re-issued as a CD.) I duly taped it. The first LP opener was Song to the Pharoah Kings by RTF. I never heard anything like that before.
30+ years since Song to the Pharoah Kings was recorded, the band (Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea, Al Di Meola and Lenny White) reunited. The DVD contains the live recording of RTF at Montreux Jazz Festival 2008. The first half of the concert is ‘electric’, the second is ‘acoustic’ (I liked it more). The solo parts (apart from Al’s solo), although technically flawless, left me cold; but the band (as a band) sounds awesome. Still, I couldn’t decide what is more amazing: that all material they play now was written by these guys 30 years earlier, or that the band is able to play as good (or better) 30 years later.
No comments:
Post a Comment