Return to Forever stretches out
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For a band that hadn't been to Pittsburgh in nearly 40 years and hadn't played together for more than 30 before reforming in 2008, Return to Forever sure didn't miss a beat.
Now a quintet and in its fourth configuration, RTF came to Stage AE Sunday night and delivered the virtuosity that it first became known for in the 1970s. However, it rarely delved into a "Can you top this?" execution of calisthenics that would detract from the overall musical experience.
RTF, one of the progenitors of the jazz-fusion movement, opened with "Medieval Overture" amid arpeggios on synthesized electric piano lines courtesy of Chick Corea, with violinist Jean-Luc Ponty taking the lead line and ending with a somewhat bombastic theme. Fortunately, that was it for any pretentiousness. "Dayride," which opened with a wah-wah bass groove from Stanley Clarke, allowed drummer Lenny White to step forward and bash a bit.
"After the Cosmic Rain" allowed Mr. Clarke to deliver his typical pungent quicksilver lines on his "tenor bass," tuned up a fourth from a standard instrument, to a standing ovation. "Spain" was truncated from the original recording with the opening snippet of "Concierto de Aranjuez" excised and the unison bridge repeated three times at the end to rhythmic hand-clapping from the audience. At one point Mr. Corea engaged it in a bit of call-and-response. The evening closed with Mr. Clarke's funky "School Days," with guitarist Frank Gambale, who had worked with Mr. Corea's Elektric Band in the mid-1980s, rocking out, as he did most of the evening.
The most intimate selection was Mr. Corea's classic "Romantic Warrior," with Mr. Ponty and Mr. Clarke, playing arco on his upright, often doing unison lines and adding Mr. Gambale's tender guitar. Not far behind was Mr. Ponty's "Renaissance," with the same configuration. The repeated chord changes -- that's been his composing style -- allowed the band to stretch and build, but Mr. Clarke's acoustic bass was inaudible during part of it.
Mr. Clarke's slapping on "Senor Mouse" was over the top, primarily because he seemed to be competing with Mr. White. Mr. Clarke was shaking his right hand afterward, perhaps feigning soreness. And Mr. Gambale apparently was having problems during the first couple of numbers, with "tech support" making an appearance.
Space doesn't allow me to do justice to the opening act Zappa Performs Zappa, an octet led by Dweezil Zappa specifically to perform the music of his late father, guitarist/composer Frank. The Swiss-watch precision of the time and mood changes during the band's set were, frankly, unreal. Dweezil Zappa proved to be quite the guitarist in his own right, but that band behind him was not only crack but extremely versatile, with vocalist/trumpeter Ben Thomas actually using a bullhorn on "Cheepnis" and percussionist Billy Hulting adding an impressive vibes solo on "Fifty Fifty."
The only thing approaching a hit, of course, was "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow."
First Published August 9, 2011 12:00 am
