Alembic Guitars Club
Connecting => Community => Gigs => Topic started by: 0vid on December 06, 2007, 02:35:40 PM
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... summer 08.
Al Di Meola's site says so. The classic later quartet : Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Lenny White, Al Di Meola.
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More info for the diehards.
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003686866 (http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003686866)
(http://alembic.com/club/messages/65124/46885.jpg)
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and certainly a significant number in Europe,
Woohoo!!!! Hopefully Europe includes the UK (or better yet, Scotland).
Graeme
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It's Happening
Return To Forever WILL Return in 2008
Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Al Di Meola and Lenny White Planning Extensive North American and European Tour
Return to Forever, one of the most influential groups of the 1970s, have long heard calls from their many fans for a reunion tour. Now those calls have been answered, with the classic lineup of keyboardist Chick Corea, bassist Stanley Clarke, guitarist Al Di Meola and drummer Lenny White planning a tour across the U.S. and Europe that will be their first performances together in more than 25 years.
The foursome is expected to play 40 to 50 dates across the U.S. and Europe, featuring the classic music from their four chart-topping albums. It's been a long time coming, says founder Chick Corea, and I think it's going to be a blast! We plan to take the songs from the albums we made in the '70s and just play them like they’ve never been played before.
In retrospect, the '70s were a very powerful time in instrumental music, Stanley Clarke adds. We're going to go out and play our music as honestly as we did then, and it will be a great thing for all of us.
Return to Forever helped create and define fusion, a new genre that brought multitudes of rock 'n' roll fans into the jazz world for the first time. Their influence is evident today in many musical genres, from the hip-hop samplings of Dr. Dre and Lupe Fiasco to a litany of jam bands to techno and prog bands.
A special Return to Forever anthology featuring remixed and remastered tracks from the classic albums 'Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy', 'Where Have I Known You Before', 'No Mystery' and 'Romantic Warrior' will be released to coincide with the tour.
Al Di Meola says, This is something we've talked about for close to 30 years... how's that? 30 years! We've come close a few times, but finally the timing was right.
We all felt the time was right to come back on a grand scale, raise the bar again and show people what serious music is really about, Lenny White concludes.
Stanley in Downbeat
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Here are a couple of pics from Lenny White's myspace page. Seems like things are going already going strong.
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/65124/49199.jpg)
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/65124/49200.jpg)
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In the first picture, we see Chick with his foot on Stanley's new amp, and Stan seems unpleased (although Al looks a bit smug).
In the second pictiure, Stanley has made Al sit on Lenny's hi-hat, and Al is balancing VERY CAREFULLY.
(The start of this post was entirely in jest) I got to see this lineup twice in the mid 70s, in Iowa City, IA and Madison WI. I hope to be able to see them again this summer
Mike
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I know these guys are gonna make some serious music on this tour and i imagine some serious cash too.
Well deserved I might add.
Jazzyvee
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Right I've just got back home from a fantastic gig by the band at the Indigo2 arena at the Dome in London. The band were absolutely fantastic... it's the best concert I've heard since I saw Chick Corea's Elektric band in the mid 90's. Musically it was a monster, there is so much electricity going on between the band members during the interplay between them. The new arrangements they have done of those great classic tracks were sympathetic to the originals whilst adding something new exciting. I was in awe all night. Stanley played his Alembic most of the time and it sounded like the bass of the gods. Even my girlfriend commented on how good the bass sounded and she's a veteran of many concerts but not a musician. It was so meaty and bassy with a nice crispness too so regardless of how low he went the bass never lost it's clarity. The spellbinder he brought out for one number was immediately noticeable sonically. It sounded good but to my ears there was a HUGE difference in the amount and quality of bass coming off the stage from that bass. It sounded quite thin in comparrison but did sound like a high quality bass. I can't imagine many bassists getting the kind of sound he produced tonight. From what I could see he was still using the SWR rig. 2xBig Ben bass cabs, two 2x10 and also two small fender guitar amps. I couldn't see what was in his rack so no idea what he was using for amplification. It was clear he was using the Octave divider but I did hear that there was also another octave divider providing a note an octave above the note being played.
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/65124/53948.jpg)
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/65124/53949.jpg)
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/65124/53950.jpg)
I, putting the rest of the photo's i've taken on my myspace page. Will paste a link when it's done. Jazzyvee
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nice pics Jazzy, looks like you mangaed to get pretty close to the stage. I'm as jealous as hell.
Graeme
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Dont worry Graeme - we have Allan Holdsworth to look forward to at the Ferry in Glasgow Sept 08
John.
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Wow! tell me more John. I was gutted when I couldn't get down to Newcastle to see him earlier in the year. will JJ be joining him?
Graeme
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Graeme, Im not sure - certainly hope so!
I saw it advertised on sunday - Allan Holdsworth 25th SEP 08 at the ferry and bought the tickets right away
John.
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I was on the gig of the man?s-band (that?s what they called themself- being not a boy?s-band (anymore?)) near Berlin at an open-air concert. The weather was bad but the band was
great. You?are right yazyvee, there?s no better bass-sound in this world and Stanley knows how to use it, I don?t know any other bassists with so many different colours played on one instrument just with his fingers and a little bit turning the knobs....
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yes Klinkepeter, I agree, the sounds he got out of that bass were astounding and each one was equally high quality.
made me think of saving my pennies for a series bass. I think he uses the stereo aspect of that instrument to the max to get the completeness of tone using different sets of speakers for each pickup. Also having been with alembics so long he knows how to get the best sound out of it.
JAzzyvee
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double post -deleted
(Message edited by 0vid on July 23, 2008)
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I went to the London gig. It was good.... but Stanley Clarke sounded bad through his SWR cabs. It was foster tweeter night - click clickity clack. The low notes were thuddy. I have heard him sound better. He needs some better cabs. When he played his upright he sounded best.
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Raymond,
I don't like the sound of those SWRs either. Those tweeters are HARSH.
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Great pics JV !!! Thanks for posting them!
That's an interesting looking strap he's using.
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I can't believe I missed this. I'd have given my right, er, arm to go and see them. Last time I looked at the dates there were no UK dates at all, so I assumed that was that. Gutted, absolutely gutted.
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there is a free ntsc dvd download on the net from miami 08- quality is excellent
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complete concert !!! (http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/player/263967.html)