Return to Forever Prepares for Action! Notes from Chick

[jjboogie]

Cool!!! Pics of rehearsals!

http://chickcorea.com/wp/2011/02/return-to-forever-iv-prepares-for-action/

[franksguitar]

What happened with Al DiMeola did he decline or was not asked?

[TNJ]

Man,
What happened to Chick???
He's lost a ton of weight...?

S.
j

[Cussion]

Looks like Chick has lost a few pounds. He looks great!

But, where´s Bill Connors? I read that he was supposed to re-join RTF. I looked forward to that.
Gambale is not really my cuppa tea.. sorry..

[phisher422]

I.Need.Tourdates.

[russ6100]

Looks like Chick has lost a few pounds. He looks great!

But, where´s Bill Connors? I read that he was supposed to re-join RTF. I looked forward to that.
Gambale is not really my cuppa tea.. sorry..

I kinda had my heart set on Connors too...

I don't know if you've heard Gambale in recent years, but I've been really pleasantly surprised at some of the stuff I've heard him doing. Seems like (to my ears anyway) that there's not quite so much of his technique dictating his note choice lately, if that makes any sense.

[tapeworm]

my guitar instructor turned me on to these guys, some great music for sure.

[JS335]

Is it just me or does Chick look more and more like Carlos Santana as he ages?

[Devnor]

Jean-Luc Ponty is also playing with them.

[Jahn]

I want the boots!

http://chickcorea.com/wp/wp-content/images/2011/01/rtf-iv-rehearsal/nyc-rehearsal8.jpg

[Glowing Tubes]

Could be an excellent show!

[AndrewC]

What happened with Al DiMeola did he decline or was not asked?
I'm delighted. Hearing him soloing over Chick's music is like watching someone take a piss on a Monet. I'm so sick of hearing him shoehorn his signature widdly-widdly-widdly-wheeee! pentatonics into every piece whether they belong or not. His acoustic playing is good, but when he switches to electric - meh. :boxer

[wareagle]

I'm delighted. Hearing him soloing over Chick's music is like watching someone take a piss on a Monet. I'm so sick of hearing him shoehorn his signature widdly-widdly-widdly-wheeee! pentatonics into every piece whether they belong or not. His acoustic playing is good, but when he switches to electric - meh. :boxer

THANK. YOU.

Frank Gambale use to be much worse IMO. But now that hes outta the 80s, as long as he doesnt turn on his dreaded distortion pedal then hes really quite brilliant, never liked his dirty tone. And never liked the Shred over any of RTF's stuff.

[parker]

Nice! what a thrill for Gambale to be part of music history..

[dets1]

i agree about frank and his tone. haven't heard him live in years so i'll leave it at that. anyway, that group is gonna be siiiiiiiiiiiiick!!!!!!!!

[FlyingVBlues]

What happened with Al DiMeola did he decline or was not asked?

Al has a full touring schedule until June and isn't available.

FVB

[fusion58]

I.Need.Tourdates.

Blanks yet to be filled in, but this gives you a rough outline:

http://www.frankgambale.com/frank_gambale_shows.html

[russ6100]

FG - rockin' a paul w/P-90s through unknown amplification...better tone than before IMO...

t8xzAmnd8js&feature=related

[aliensporebomb]

Last I heard Bill Connors was continuing to work in his Gibson L5 with a clean tone mode and maybe he was still working with his own group and not too interested in revisiting what was. Or his schedule might not have worked. I didn't hear much about this at all.

[Blessed Tone]

I've heard that Zappa plays Zappa will be opening for RTF on part of the Summer US tour...!
Jean Luc Ponty is a great touch as well.

I look forward to the tour dates

[lakehaus]

I'll look for tour dates near my neck of the woods. A friend turned me on to the band in the mid-70s (Romantic Warrior). Since then, I've taken a liking (big time) to all the musicians in the line up. Jean Luc Ponty will no doubt shine with the latest line up. Kinda wish Al Di Meola would be there.

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh172/tidalsurge/RTFTix.jpg

[Brad Gregg]

Looks like Chick has lost a few pounds. He looks great!


He looks happy and good in the pictures. I always get a bit nervous when a 70-year-old loses a bunch of weight, though.

[dohootowl]

Is it just me or does Chick look more and more like Carlos Santana as he ages?

Not to me. I'm getting 'Albert Einstein'.

[AudioWonderland]

Actually not Santana, I flash back to the RTF album covers from the 70's when he was that thin.

All of the true masters are getting up there in age and I haven't found anyone to replace them. Gambale is probably the youngest by far on that level. Wynton as well. The jazz and fusion genres are going to have a real whole when these guys are finally gone.

[jjboogie]

Actually not Santana, I flash back to the RTF album covers from the 70's when he was that thin.

All of the true masters are getting up there in age and I haven't found anyone to replace them. Gambale is probably the youngest by far on that level. Wynton as well. The jazz and fusion genres are going to have a real whole when these guys are finally gone.


Hadn't thought of that! :worried

[luo_xiansheng]

Frank Gambale in RTF ? Come on Chick .. WTF ?

I know Al Dimeola is pretty lame these days and Bill Connors might not have been available but Frank Gambale ?

[jazzandmetal?]

What happened with Al DiMeola did he decline or was not asked?

Who cares, Gambale is on board.:dude

[Marble]

awesome news can't wait to hear this!

[fusion58]

Who cares, Gambale is on board.:dude

+1

Gotta chuckle at the Gambale haters who don't get what Chick recognizes in FG.

[Seegs]

huge fan and influence on me grouwing up...have seen them in concert 7 times and they never failed to deliver the goods...

Frank's a good fit...

Chow,
Seegs

[Yngtchie Blacksteen]

I, for one, welcome our new speed-picking overlord.

[AudioWonderland]

I, for one, welcome our new speed-picking overlord.

Sweep picking overlord actually......

[Marble]

who gives a shit who's playing guitar? Bill Connors was great, but its fine if he's not playing. I want to hear Chick rip it on a Minimoog and Clarke & White funk it up and go nuts. Anything else is just great extras. Jean-Luc will undoubtedly be amazing.

[Jayboca]

Al has a full touring schedule until June and isn't available.

FVB

I dont' think thats the reason.

Chick and Al had serious problems between them on the last RTF tour a few years ago. Al even wrote about it on his message board. It culminated with Chick turing down Al's volume for the last leg of the tour and Al threatened to quit. It was pretty bad.
Al is also really pissed at Chick/Stanley/Lenny for doing this tour without him

[jscorno]

FG - rockin' a paul w/P-90s through unknown amplification...better tone than before IMO...

t8xzAmnd8js&feature=related

That was great!

[slopeshoulder]

Screw Al.

Based on the video clip above, why the Gamable hate? Seems good to me.

[Jazz2Punk]

Sounds like an interesting line up to me!

[Phalanx200bc]

Jean-Luc Ponty is also playing with them.

+1000!!!

[Dana Olsen]

huge fan and influence on me grouwing up...have seen them in concert 7 times and they never failed to deliver the goods...

Frank's a good fit...

Chow,
SeegsI saw RTF on Halloween weekend, 1974, at UC Santa Barbara. Al had just joined RTF, he still had a music stand and charts up, I think he'd been with them for two weeks. Al sounded great to me then, however ...

I'm not trying to 'rank on' or 'diss on' any guitar players here, so I'll just say that In My Humble Opinion, Frank Gambale displays a lot more, er, harmonic sophistication in his soloing than Mr. DiMeola typically does. I'm a fan of Al's, but I think Frank is a real good fit w/ RTF, probably a far better fit than Al would be today.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of Al DiMeola and I respect his playing and his body of work. Al's still got world class chops on the guitar, but especially in the context of RTF, I think we're going to like the choice of Frank Gambale as guitarist. I think he brings a great deal of harmonic sophistication AND a great deal of self-restraint to the table as well.

Sounds like a concert I'd love to see. I'm a huge fan of Lenny White and Stanley Clarke too.

Thanks, Dana O.

[Braciola]

who gives a shit who's playing guitar?
I, for one, give a shit.

Maybe Chic should team back up with Vai for this :eeks

FAjskQTRGE8

[alonzo]

I saw them play last time round, and I was a bit disappointed, but I have to say this line up looks promising, for me Gambale is such a great player, not everyones cup of tea, but I love his style and Ponty on violin!!! I wish I had been around back in the 70s to have seen them then at the height! Looking forward to this for sure.....

[6Tones]

I never though gambale had bad tone on any of his solo records....and Im happy hes touring again with corea,FG is one of the best rock/fusion guitarist IMO on the planet.

[jjboogie]

I wish I had been around back in the 70s to have seen them then at the height! Looking forward to this for sure.....


Yeah that would have been amazing!