By Mitchell Peters, L.A.
Legendary jazz/rock fusion group Return to Forever will begin its approximately 50-date North American and European reunion tour May 29 with a two-night stand at Austin, Texas' Paramount Theatre.
The quartet, which hasn't performed together in 25 years, will play North America throughout June before heading to Europe for a month's worth of gigs in July. The classic line-up of keyboardist Chick Corea, bassist Stanley Clarke, guitarist Al Di Meola and drummer Lenny White returns stateside in late July for an East Coast run that concludes Aug. 7 at New York's United Palace.
Following a handful of rehearsals at Los Angeles' Mad Hatter Studios in early February, Corea told Billboard.biz, "It was thrilling getting together with the guys again." After 25 years, "everybody's approach and sound was so much richer."
Return to Forever last reunited for a brief tour in 1983. Since then, each band member has kept busy with solo projects. Although the jazz musicians would exchange phone calls with the idea of another reunion, "it never quite landed," Corea recalls.
But after years of "positive pressure coming from friends and fans," the jazz outfit finally nailed down a reunion date, Corea says. And the response has been overwhelmingly positive. "Half of the fan mail I get now is from people who write into the Web site, asking, 'When is Return to Forever coming here?' I'm anxious to see what happens," he notes.
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