Return To Forever- Sofistifunk

This funk sophisticated tune if another great one from RTF's "No Mystery"

In a Few Short Words:
Return to Forever was a jazz fusion group founded and led by keyboardist Chick Corea. Through its existence, the band cycled through a number of different members, with the only consistent band mate of Corea's being bassist Stanley Clarke. Along with Weather Report and Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever is often cited as one of the core groups of the jazz-fusion movement of the 1970s. On this and the following album, each member of the group composed at least one of the tracks.The first side of the record consisted primarily of jazz-funk, while the second side featured Corea's acoustic title track and a long composition with a strong Spanish influence. No Mystery won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance by a Group. (Wikipedia) On this album the following artists are featured:
Lenny White
Stanely Clarke
Chick Corea
Al Di Meola

Category:

Music

Tags:

• RTF
• sofistifunk
• return
• to
• forever
• chick
• corea
• lenny
• williams
• stanely
• clarke
• al
• di
• meola
• jazz-fusion
• jazz
• fusion
• avant-garde
• avant
• garde
• funker
• avantgardefunker
• Theavantgardefunker

[GPofLB]

Many thanks to "Theavantgardefunder", and "Tanner9862"

I know that musicians have to eat, pay the bills and all that stuff, but how about some of you young and upcoming guys take a page out of the R.T.F. song book and put a band like this together? Forget the usual sampling with a rap on top of it, and just Play. I'll be the first in line to buy the CD :)~

[theavantgardefunker]

No prob GP...one of very few young groups I can think of that can come close to this is The Roots...even though I don't think that they can get this crazy with the instruments!!! And I might be wrong...hoonose?

[ursusaltered]

@theavantgardefunker The Roots ain't got sh*t on RTF!!! They are hip hop for one. Not in a million years would they ever have the musicianship of RTF. There isn't anyone in today's music that can touch this. Musicians today don't have the soul or feel, let alone the heart. The only band that I can think of that could pull off this caliber of musicianship and improvisation would be Phish. To much sampling and not enough musicality today. Kids need to study instead of following image and trends.

[theavantgardefunker]

@ursusaltered calm down...it will be okay. People are entitled to their opinion. I've heard of Phish here and there but haven't really heard anything over the top about them....I've been listening to the Roots for YEARS. I don't understand where you get that they have no heart nor soul...but hey you are entitled to YOUR opinion. MANY artists fail to study improv anymore regardless of their "genre". Please do "study" up on the Roots - you might find out that they do play more than hip-hop.

[GPofLB]

This song is either the Funkiest thing I've ever heard, or it's just a bunch of noise. Please help me decide.

I could figure it out myself, but Lenny White is confusing me with that Dope Ass Drum Beat!!! :)~ (I Love it)

By the way, where the hell is "one"?

Are there any bands out there still playing this type of music?

[theavantgardefunker]

@GPofLB I would say that it's a bunch the funkiest noise you'll ever hear! Gotta love Mr.White. i honestly haven't found any bands lately that make THIS type of music,but a few years ago I remember questlove and some other dudes (other than the roots) came up with a band similar to do some real experimental album. I remember listening to the album but I never got it for whatever unknown reason. That's the last time I heard anything remotely close to RTF...I'm a bit confused though on the "one"?

[billytheweasel]

Just saw Return To Forever 2011. Clarke still has it! Lenny White was not featured at all, ever. Gambale was great, but it was Dimeola I saw in the mid 70's with RTF.

They don't get played on the radio, but the theater was full. That don't happen much anymore.

[reshea1950]

@theavantgardefunker --What is meant by "one" is -- the start of the 'count' to have nearly any (or any) song (instrumental or vocal) make 'sense'.

Sometimes when Mr. White is playing, he is playing 'in and around' the 'one' [for those parts -- the bass and keyboards are supplying the 'one' (or some may call it the 'glue' that keeps things together).

Around 2:50 the bass is playing on the 'one' [keeping things together] while drums are doing all manner of things -- not on the 'one'

[aWorldCitizen9]

@GPofLB But that would actually require some effort.

[distortionpf]

In like a weird way. If you listen to the first five seconds it sounds like the song "Intergalactic" by the Beastie Boys

[Musicdudeyoutub]

No one wants to really play these days. :( I'm a young musician, and I woud love to make something crazy like this. No one my age has even heard of Return to Forever. It seems like young musicians now only want to make something cliche of a genre.

[noodlam]

Al D is baddass.

[Urology707]

@theavantgardefunker, man honestly, this sound would just fall on the way-side... I am in that younger generation that you speak of and this type of music runs through my veins... Music isn't or shouldn't be about the glitz and glamor, but the direction music has taken over the past few years, if an RTF-like band were to come out and sound like this, there would be a small "Indie" following you know what I mean... But damn this is one of the funkiest damn jams I have ever heard, thanks 4 post

[GPofLB]

Hey ThingPlate, thanks for the response. Everytime I listen to this MasterPiece, I seem to get "hypnotized" by a different part of the song. For instance, if you listen to the drums right after DiMeola's last guitar solo, at app. 2:37 - 2:45, it seems to "draw me in" and mesmerize me. I looped that part of the song and listened to over and over again. I know that sounds strange, but still it's some of the funkiest drumming I've ever heard!

[thingplate]

@GPofLB i dig on your out look i feel the same--just fuckin play the instrument

[Cr8Tron]

Always loved this tune. Ticks me off that I never got my disc back from a band I was producing that I lent it to. During the parts that it quickly flickers between the 4 member's photos, my imagination wants to tell me that each of the various photos correlates with a different one of the reoccurring syncopations amongst the flurry of sounds. Hehe... Or is this what the video's ACTUALLY doing!? Whoa, trippy, man!!