Recorded: February
1976 at
Caribou Ranch,
Colorado
Genre:
Jazz fusion
00:00
Medieval Overture - 5:13
05:13
Sorceress - 7:33
12:56
The Romantic Warrior - 10:51
23:47
Majestic Dance - 5:00
28:47
The Magician - 5:28
34:15
Duel Of
The Jester And
The Tyrant (I & II) - 11:25
Chick Corea
- acoustic piano,
Fender Rhodes,
Hohner clavinet,
Mini Moog,
ARP Odyssey,
Yamaha organ, polymoog, marimba, percussion
Al Di Meola
- electric guitars, acoustic guitar, soprano guitar, hand bells, slide whistle
Stanley Clarke
- electric basses, acoustic bass, hand bells
Lenny White
- drums, timpani, congas, timbales, hand bells, snare drum, percussion
Review by
William Ruhlmann [allmusic]
The most popular and successful lineup of
Return to Forever -- Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Lenny White, and Al Di Meola -- was coming off the Grammy-winning
No Mystery when it recorded its third and final
album,
Romantic Warrior. It has been suggested that in employing a medieval album cover (drawn by
Wilson McLean), using titles like "Medieval Overture" and "Duel of the
Jester and the
Tyrant," and occasionally playing in a baroque style, particularly in
Clarke's "The Magician," Corea was responding to
Rick Wakeman's successful string of albums on similar themes. Certainly, the music suggests that the musicians have been listening to Wakeman's band,
Yes, among other progressive rock groups. But they bring more of a traditional jazz approach to their sound, particularly in the opening statement of intent "Medieval Overture" and the original side one closer, "The Romantic Warrior," both of which feature extensive acoustic piano soloing by Corea. The original side two -- Di Meola's "Majestic Dance," "The Magician," and "Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant" -- is much more in a jazz-rock style, with Di Meola particularly rocking out on extensive, fast-paced electric guitar solos.
Meanwhile, the rhythm section of Clarke and
White is always extremely busy, maintaining a funky, driving pulse and several cross rhythms no matter what's going on above it. This is particularly noticeable, naturally, on
White's sole composition, "Sorceress," but it continues to keep the music in the fusion camp even when Corea is sounding like a more traditional jazz pianist. Romantic Warrior is the sound of a mature band at the top of its game, which may help explain why it was Return to Forever's most popular album, eventually certified as a gold record, and the last by this assemblage.
Having expressed themselves this well, they decided it was time for them to move on.
- published: 10 Sep 2014
- views: 5398