Return To Forever, led by the legendary Chick Corea and featuring bassist Stanley Clarke, was one of the great fusion bands of the 1970s. The group evolved through three distinct phases: the Brazilian fusion group with vocalist Flora Purim, percussionist Airto, and reed/flute player Joe Farrell; the rock-influenced quartet with drummer Lenny White and either guitarist Bill Connors or Al DiMeola; and a later ensemble with six horns, drummer Gerry Brown, and Coreas wife, singer Gayle Moran.

In 2019, pianist/keyboardist, arranger, composer, conductor, record producer, music director, and educator John Beasley embarked on an ambitious project: reimagining Return To Forevers music for the GRAMMY-nominated Frankfurt Radio Big Band (hr-Bigband.) While some of Coreas pieces (and Clarkes Vulcan Worlds) have been performed in various ways over the years, they had never been adapted for a large jazz orchestra at this level. Due to the COVID pandemic, the music was not recorded until 2023, and is now being released as Returning To Forever.

Before starting the project, Beasley reached out to Corea for his blessing. Chick gave me his blessings and offered his original handwritten charts. He asked me to share my arrangements with him. I was amazed by how open-minded he was, says Beasley. He wrote four arrangements, but before he could send them, the world learned of Coreas passing on February 9th, 2021.

Beasley preserved each chosen songs form, theme, and essence while making the pieces sound like a natural fit for a big band. Starting with the excitement of Captain Seor Mouse, Returning To Forever includes exhilarating transformations of Space Circus, No Mystery, the funky Vulcan Worlds (with the horns playing transcriptions of Coreas keyboard solos), the passionate Medieval Overture, the lyrical ballad Youre Everything which also includes La Fiesta, and the episodic Return To Forever.