News

It was 1973, and "fusion" was the word.

The electrification of jazz began four years earlier, with the release of Miles Davis' "In a Silent Way" and The Tony Williams Lifetime's "Emergency." Many of the musicians who had appeared on those records, as well as "Bitches Brew," Davis' breakout recording that brought rock and jazz together in a way that would change both genres forever, were riding high with their own groups.

Joe Zawinul had Weather Report, Herbie Hancock had his Headhunters, John McLaughlin led the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and, at the top of the heap, was Chick Corea's project, Return to Forever. It had started as a crossover band combining Latin, jazz, folk and rock, but by 1973 had evolved into a tight four-man outfit that rocked the world with a big, rich sound that connected the funk revolution of Parliament Funkadelic with the progressive rock of Yes.

Now, 35 years later, the classic quartet, featuring Lenny White (drums), Stanley Clarke (bass), Al Di Meola (guitar) and Corea (keyboards and synthesizers), is back on the road for a three-month tour of the U.S. and Europe,

"We are off and running," Corea said from a tour bus after the band's first shows in Austin, Texas. "I announced to the audience that we were kind of in dress rehearsal, still trying to put this show together. We had four days of rehearsal and that included all the technical stuff. It wasn't quite enough but we are fine."

Return to Forever, which plays the Paramount on Sunday night, is carrying all of its sound and lighting gear on the U.S. portion of the tour. Corea, who hasn't played this kind of keyboard for a long time, will be using a modified version of his original gear.

"The meat of my keyboard sound is my Fender Rhodes from the '80s," he explains. "It's been tweaked into a practically new instrument and sounds great. I've also got a new model of the old mini-Moog called Voyager, which I just started fooling around with about a year ago." His kit includes digital keyboards, software synthesizers and a new version of The Prophet.

The reunion has been a long time in discussion, but the schedules of all four musicians were hard to synchronize.