Chick Corea once promised to be one of the major progressive jazz innovators, but his jazz-into-rock group has offended many jazz purists. Once again changing styles and personnel on his new album, Corea forces another reevaluation of both Return to Forever and himself.

The only charter member of the group remaining, aside from Corea himself, is bassist Stanley Clarke. Guitarless for the first time...

Return to Forever has been setting high standards for jazz rock fusion music since Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke first formed it in 1972. RTF I was a Braziliantinged group, as well it might have been since Chick and Stan shared the spotlight with drummer Airto and vocalist Flora Purim. RTF II, of which the present band is a lineal descendant, was much more in the hard rock mainstream. Corea, who...