Record audienceof turns out to see jazz supergroup
Peter Hum, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Friday, June 27, 2008
Return to Forever's transcendent blast of high-energy jazz -- both electric and acoustic -- filled Confederation Park last night with the biggest crowd in the Ottawa International Jazz Festival's history.
About 11,500 people gathered to hear the reunited jazz-rock superstars, who last made music together in the early 1980s.
The turnout beat by several hundred the record set in 2005 by smooth crooner Diana Krall.
"To come back after 25 years and see support like this is very special," said drummer Lenny White when he moved to the mike.
The group's 100-minute set began mysteriously, with sparse, signature sounds from each member rather than a song -- tinkles from leader Chick Corea's chorused electric piano, heartbeat rumbles from Stanley Clarke's electric bass, a few notes from guitar hero Al Di Meola, and just a bit of rolling and bashing from drummer Lenny White. It was like an invocation to the fusion gods -- what John Coltrane might have played had he been a rocker.
Two tunes with futuristic titles followed -- Hymn to the Seventh Galaxy and Vulcan Worlds. The rocking Hymn seemed just slightly sloppy, lacking the razor-sharp unison work that defined Return to Forever in the 1970s.
But the band, working from memory rather than sheet music, soon seemed more united, reeling off blazing melodies together. By its third tune, White's driving Sorceress, the quartet had hit its flat-out stride.
Hardcore fans in the thralls of nostalgia buoyed the performance, but neophytes too were spirited away by the mix of primal rock energy and sophisticated soloing.
"In an era of boy bands, this is a man band," said White, drawing hoots of approval from the crowd.
What that meant exactly is open to interpretation, but every man revelled in powerful playing which at times felt like macho strutting as well as music.
After three songs, the group dialed things down with a segment that featured Di Meola, Clarke and Corea moving to acoustic instruments. The switch-up was a good move, ensuring that too much over-amped grandeur would not fatigue listeners.
First up was a solo by Di Meola. He's been criticized for putting flashiness ahead of musicality, but his work on acoustic guitar was a clear rebuttal, filled with flamenco subtleties and meaning.
No Mystery followed, featuring dazzling solos from Clarke, Corea, and tight unison playing. Corea provided the night's straight-ahead jazz content with a sprightly version of the jazz tune Summer Night.
Di Meola, still on acoustic guitar, distinguished himself on the next tune, Romantic Warrior, accompanied mostly by White's crisp backbeat. But the night's big jaw-dropper was arguably Clarke's acoustic bass solo. It had everything from a raunchy, soulful groove that made hands clap to impossibly fast pizzicato lines to rhythmic slapping to flamenco strumming.
The night closed with an electric sturm und drang encore, The Duel of the Jester and Tyrant, a suite that mixed blazing, rocking fanfares with some stand-out Corea keyboard work and searing Di Meola shredding. Confederation Park won't likely hear faster, louder, more complicated music again unless Return to Forever returns next year.
See the original article HERE.
