The ‘kin way in!

(if you’ve gorrit already go dig it aaaaaaat again)

WYLD STALLYNS (air guitar)!! Yeh so I thought for Part 2 of this months Jazz thing, i’d thread through last months BBC awards again. I mentioned Kit Downes in Part 1, but well done to everyone. I’m also a big fan of “best band” - Curios, and their drummer Josh Blackmore even went to my school! While i’m on a praise trip, I dunno who caught the BBC Proms Classical Jazz programme. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!  Sexy to see/hear so much great playing and beautiful writing. The future of British Jazz and “Classical” music is safe… Fuck it- well done to everyone that plays Jazz ever in the whole world!!!

Anyway back to my point- winners of the Lifetime Achievement award were “Return To Forever”. 

Chick Corea: Return To Forever (1972)

Return to forever
Crystal silence
What game shall we play today
Sometime ago- La fiesta  

Electric Piano: Chick Corea

Flutes/ Soprano sax: Joe Farrell

Vocal/ Percussion: Flora Purim

Bass: Stan Clarke

Drums/ Percussion: Airto Moreira

I’m still not sure what to make of Return To Forever. Sometimes I love their stuff, and other times i’m shoutin “Shyaaaaaaaaaaaaat aaaaaaaap” at my stereo. Personally at times I reckon they’re brash, overly optomistic, silly and downright naff, but I do love THIS album. I’m a fan of Chick Corea’s earlier albums, especially “Now he sings now he sobs”, and here he leads the first Return To Forever group still under his own name. It’s miles apart from  Herbie’s “Crossings” and Weather Report’s “I sing the body electric” released in the same year, and the fusion here is more of a traditional one with Brazilian/ Latin vibez. 

With all these albums we’ve looked at, and will look at (if Domu lets me), they’re all classed as “Jazz” but you can take something very different and special from each one. In the grand scheme of things, there aren’t that many albums that are great as complete works, but everything’s worth trying in the hope of finding maybe 30secs of inspirational material, or another musician you might connect with. I think whatever style takes you the most, there’s absolutely no denying that “Crystal Silence” is one of the most beautiful tunes on record to date. On a lot of fusion records the Rhodes just replaces the acoustic piano as workhorse in a keyboard arsenal, but here Chick’s demonstrating how to play a Rhodes as an individual instrument. You get towards the end of the track and you’re just praying neither him or Farrell ruin it with anything daft, and they don’t. Special mention for the gentle percussion too (and the recording engineer). One for the lights off and volume up!

Here i’d like to open a debate, if anyone’s interested. “JAZZ VOCALISTS”. I reckon most of them can’t actually sing. What say?  Now Flora Purim’s vibe has grown on me, but i’m not sure if she can sing. Is that it though- am I missing the point? Is it like “What is Jazz?”- “What is singing?”. I’m not gonna lie- i’ve not always been a ‘kin Beatnik, and I guess my way into Jazz was through Acid Jazz in the early 90’s. Maybe as Acid Jazz is sort of Jazz mixed with Pop, they had more mainstream approachs to singing e.g pitching the note.. Is Jazz stuff just about the vibe then.. I love Anita O’Day and June Christy types, but i’ve seen some shockers down Ronnie Scotts that I won’t mention the names of.. I actually Facebooked the amazing/beautiful Natalie Williams asking her what she thought, but she didn’t reply. Maybe either she didn’t want to get into a bitching session, she was too busy, or she thought I was an asshole. I suspect the latter.. Anyway ‘kin email me or somethin to help me see the light..

In summary, “Return To Forever” is a special album with some GREAT sensitive playing from all. It’s nice hearing that flute get a run out, and there’s a lovely bass solo too from Clarke on “Sometime ago”. For those that like this first line-up it’s definitely worth buying “Light as a feather”, but then tread with caution beyond 1972! ;) 

Best listened to: At English bay on Ascension Island in February 2002

P.S The vid below (if the link works) from around 1973/74 demonstrates my point. First two mins are great, then…… (in my opinion)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_FTR0gajhw