INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED
MULTI-FACETED PIANIST, ARRANGER, COMPOSER AND MUSIC DIRECTOR
JOHN BEASLEY WITH THE FRANKFURT RADIO BIG BAND ARE
RETURNING TO FOREVER
DEBUT ALBUM ON CANDID RECORDS AUGUST 23, 2024
Multi GRAMMY® Winner Reimagines Return To Forever’s Music
with Chick Corea’s Blessing
It was In 2019 when John Beasley first embarked on the ambitious project: reimagining Return To Forever’s music for the three-time GRAMMY®-nominated Frankfurt Radio Big Band (hr-Bigband). While some of Chick Corea’s pieces (and Stanley Clarke’s “Vulcan Worlds”) had been performed in various ways over the years, they had never been adapted for a large jazz orchestra at this level. However, due to the COVID pandemic the music was not recorded until 2023 – and it was well worth the wait!
On August 23, 2024 the multi-faceted GRAMMY-winning arranger, composer, record producer, and music director will make his Candid Records label debut with one of the most challenging recordings of his career, John Beasley/Returning to Forever with the Frankfurt Radio Big Band. The album will be available on CD and all streaming platforms. The first single “Return to Forever” is out today and can be ordered HERE.
Return To Forever (RTF), led by Chick Corea and featuring bassist Stanley Clarke, was one of the great fusion bands of the 1970s. Although Beasley never saw RTF live, he toured with Clarke, recorded with Corea in the 90s, and worked with him on ABC’s broadcast of “Jazz Day at the White House” in 2016 to mark International Jazz Day. He has been influenced by RTF’s music since he was a teenager. Before starting the commission, Beasley reached out to Corea for his blessing. “Chick not only gave me his blessings but offered PDFs of his original handwritten charts. He was curious to know how I would reimagine his songs so he asked me to share my demos of the arrangements with him. I was amazed by how open-minded and supportive he was.” After Beasley wrote the first four arrangements, he was about to send them to Corea, but then he and the world learned of his passing.
For Returning to Forever Beasley preserved each song’s form, themes, and essence while making the pieces sound like a natural fit for a big band. Starting with the excitement of “Captain Señor Mouse,” Returning To Forever includes exhilarating transformations of “Space Circus,” “No Mystery,” the funky “Vulcan Worlds” (with the horns playing transcriptions of Corea’s keyboard solos), the passionate “Medieval Overture,” the lyrical samba “You’re Everything” which transitions to “La Fiesta,” and the episodic “Return To Forever.”
Mark Wexler Head of Candid Records stated: “We are thrilled to have John Beasley join the Candid Records family. His big band transformation of the music of Return to Forever, one of the greatest fusion bands of our time, with the Frankfurt Radio Big Band is an amazing achievement. RTF fans will be intrigued to hear Beasley’s individual expression.”
Exceleration Music Partner and Producer John Burk states: “With Returning to Forever, John Beasley showcases the extraordinary depth of his artistry while paying homage to the legendary Chick Corea and Return to Forever. John’s brilliant new arrangements, coupled with the precision and soul of the Frankfurt Radio Big Band, give us stunning new renditions of these classics that defy gravity!”
John Beasley’s musical journey has been a whirlwind of creative activity since the 1980s. With Returning To Forever his immense talent and creativity are on full display with the Frankfurt Radio Big Bad adding to the countless memorable recordings that continue to define his illustrious career.
EastWest Media
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