Events

MusicRETURN TO FOREVER

Jazz attraction RETURN TO FOREVER to be held on July 6^th in Sava center during Summertime festival.
After a touring absence of more than 25 years, the potent jazz-rock flagship quartet edition of Return to Forever returns in 2008. This highly anticipated reunion will see the group's classic lineup-Corea on keyboards, Al Di Meola on guitar, Stanley Clarke on bass and Lenny White on drums-embark on an expansive summer tour with dates in Europe and the United States.

RETURN TO FOREVER launched in 1972 with its self-titled debut featuring a quintet that Corea assembled, comprising Joe Farrell on flute and saxophone, Airto Moreira on drums and percussion, Flora Purim on vocals, and Stanley Clarke on bass-the only RTF member who served in all three editions of the band. With a Brazilian tinge imbued in the fusion, the first album featured such noteworthy tracks as "Sometime Ago," "Crystal Silence" and "La Fiesta." Later that year, the same RTF lineup delivered its follow-up, Light As a Feather, renowned as one of the band's best recordings. Tunes included such Corea classics as "Spain," "500 Miles High" and "Captain Marvel."

In 1973, when Airto and Flora left RTF to start their own band and Farrell also took his leave, Corea enlisted a new lineup to explore a harder-edged rock-jazz fusion. The electric guitar was added, and placed front and center along with Corea on electric keyboards. The guitarist for the first of the four quartet albums, Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (1973), was Bill Connors, who soon left the band to pursue his solo career. He was replaced in 1974 by 19-year-old, fresh-from-college, hard-rocking Al Di Meola, who cut his eyeteeth in the band. He was featured on the remaining three quartet albums and proved to be an integral member of the band.

While drummer Steve Gadd was originally pegged to be in RTF, he opted out because he was unwilling to tour, and was replaced by funk-fueled Lenny White, who Corea knew from the Bitches Brew sessions. Clarke remained the bassist, developing during this time his singular electric bass style. This lineup is considered to be the golden RTF group, which recorded three popular crossover albums: 1974's Where Have I Known You Before (Di Meola's debut), 1975's Grammy-winning No Mystery and 1976's studio finale, Romantic Warrior, which became the best selling of all RTF recordings.

For the third and final version of RTF, Clarke remained, Farrell returned, and drummer Gerry Brown and vocalist Gayle Moran were enlisted. In addition, Corea brought aboard a four-piece brass section. That group recorded the 1977 Musicmagic album and toured throughout the year, documented by the album R.T.F. Live.

It was RIP for RTF in 1977, but the group was resurrected once for a quartet concert in 1983, and is now fully returning in this year's exciting reunion.

Tickets for the concert of jazz attraction Return To Forever, will be available from Tuesday, April 1^st.The tickets at 2300, 2500, 2800, 3000 dinars, and 6000 dinars for boxes, can be obtained at the following box offices: Belgrade Arena box office (phone number for reservations 220 20 50), Bilet Servis, Ticketline, Eventim, Com Trade Shops, Plato restaurants and shops, Tuckwood Cineplex, and IPS and Mamut stores.

Organizer: Арена Београд