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One of the most creatively restless and indefatigably imaginative artists in jazz, Chick Corea defies categorization. He’s a musical omnivore. He is equally at home in acoustic settings as in plugged-in formats. He performs sublime solo concerts and welcomes richly arranged collaborations with orchestras. In recent years, he has explored new collaborations (for example, with banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck on their duo album The Enchantment) as well as revisited old bands (including an extensive tour with a quartet featuring Hubert Laws, Eddie Gomez and Airto Moreira as well as the 35th anniversary celebration of his chamber jazz duo partnership with Gary Burton that resulted in this year’s two-CD set The New Crystal Silence).

Corea broke onto the jazz scene in the early ‘60s, working with bands led by such stars as Mongo Santamaria, Willie Bobo, Blue Mitchell, Herbie Mann and Stan Getz. One of his significant sideman gigs was with Miles Davis’ seminal electric fusion bands, from 1968-70. As a solo artist, Corea recorded his debut in 1966, Tones for Joan’s Bones, followed by what’s come to be known as a classic jazz recording, 1968’s Now He Sings, Now He Sobs, with Miroslav Vitous and Roy Haynes.

While Corea’s musical career teems with significant explorations and advances, one of his highlight moments came in 1971 when he created Return to Forever, the legendary jazz-rock fusion band. While it lasted just seven years in three different editions, RTF is heralded as one of the most important and forward-looking bands in jazz history. 2008’s reunion of the quartet version of the band is the most anticipated event in recent years, as the four partners in fusion revisit past material played in the present tense.

An Interview with Chick:

What was one of the best memories of your time in Return to Forever?
There are too many good memories to express in an interview – both on stage and off – but I remember fondly driving from gig to gig in our “tuna boat” which is what we called our old green Chevy station wagon. Our tour manager and one of us in the front seat, the other 3 squeezed in the back seat, we were listening to a Richard Prior live show cassette on the car player and having a wild time laughing as we crusied on to our next in that endless stream of gigs. It seemed we never went home – just stayed on the road. But it was Big Fun – playing almost every night in a new city to a new audience.

What did learn while in Return for Forever that you carried into your solo career?
I learned a lot of different things. But one thing that working with RTF taught me was to value very highly the other musicians’ musical creations and contributions. This, I realized more and more as we played was the richest resource I had to work with as a composer for the band. I learned more and more how to utilize my partners’ strengths rather than try to direct them into areas they were uncomfortable in. That was one thing :-)

What is your musical anticipation of this upcoming RTF tour after you have traveled on so many other musical paths? How will you approach the music?
I already know how much my RTF mates have grown artistically through the years – I’ve kept up on their progress. My only approach will be to try to make something beautiful out of every creative contribution from each of them. The band has a “sound” - just naturally, putting our instruments together. It’s the “voice” of the band and it’s a beautiful rich sound. It sounds like we used to sound only richer in timbre and phrasing. I’ll try to retain and enhance this sound in everything we do. It’s not just a sound of course, it’s a whole atmosphere expressed in the physical sound of the band.

What excites you the most about this first tour for RTF in over 25 years?
I can’t wait to tour and make music and perform with my friends again. It’s been a long time and certainly overdue. Inside the band, the excitement is “what will happen musically with us playing this music again?” and “who will show up and how will the music affect them.” Of course, all we can do is do what we’re going to do – but, it will be exciting to see how the music is received.

What do you expect the audiences will be like—original RTF followers or a combination of veteran fans and new disciples?
It’s hard to say – I don’t really know. I would like everybody to come and see the band though!!

Why do you think there is so big a buzz about Return to Forever getting back together?
Again, it’s sort of an X factor – word of mouth? having enjoyed the band in the past and wondering about what it will be like now? talk of RTF being passed down through the years??? OF course the final answer to this and any other questions about RTF will be answered by the music itself and how the audiences respond. Always the Ultimate Test. The main buzz from my point of view is my own excitement to create and play and experience it all – whatever it may be.

I remember seeing a video clip of Bird (Charlie Parker) being asked to explain the next tune he was about to play and his answer was: “Well, we like to let the music speak for itself.” I always thought that was pretty simple and direct and is how I also feel about the whole thing we’re about to do.